Baby hedgehogs are still called urchins. But when German settlers got to America and found no hedgehogs, they turned to the similar-enough groundhog for their winter-weather predictions. Not your style? The purpose of this behavior is unknown. In areas where there aren't extreme climates, hedgehogs are active and have normal sleep cycles, according to National Geographic.
Hedgehogs are named for the way they eat, according to National Geographic. They root underneath hedges and other vegetation, making snorting noises like a hog. During this activity, they find meals of fruit, fungi, centipedes, insects, snails, worms, mice, frogs, eggs, birds, frogs, reptiles, roots and snakes.
According to the AWF, hedgehogs can eat one-third of their body weights in just one night. Hedgehogs only give birth once per year after a gestation of four to six weeks. Their litters usually consist of four to seven young at one time. Each baby hedgehog, called a hoglet or piglet, weighs less that 1 ounce 3 to 25 g at birth.
Typically, the mother protects her piglets from predators as even the father may try to eat the young. Sometimes, if the nest is disturbed, the mother may even become the predator and will eat her young. Such youngsters will not have enough time to build up sufficient fat reserves to enable them to survive hibernation.
The absolute minimum weight to see them through the winter is gms 1lb and any hedgehog below this weight will have problems. However hedgehog carers prefer to get autumn juveniles in care to an optimum weight of gms 1lb 6oz or more.
Autumn juveniles, i. Call the BHPS for further advice on and make contact with an experienced local rescue centre to check the hedgehog over as soon as possible. They may be happy for you to overwinter the hedgehog or it may need more specialist treatment at the rescue.
For First Aid the hedgehog should be given extra warmth, either a warm hot water bottle wrapped in towelling or blanket or placed on a heated pad with room to get away from the heat should it get too warm again call BHPS for extra advice.
It should be placed in a box lined with plenty of clean fresh straw, torn newspaper or clean old towelling for bedding. A suitable diet can consist of meaty hedgehog food, meaty cat or dog food or cat biscuits.
However this is a specialised job and it is better to pass the hoglet s onto an experienced carer. Call BHPS on for details of your nearest carer. Once the hedgehog has reached gms 1lb 6oz -1lb 13oz release can be considered if the weather is stable and the site suitable. Choose a period of relatively warm, damp weather and ensure that plenty of dry nesting material is available for the hedgehog to build a winter nest and hibernate. If in doubt allow the up-to-weight hedgehog to hibernate in a cold outhouse in a box filled with dry fresh straw providing food until it is no longer taken.
Once hibernating provide dry foods so should the hedgehog wake it will have food and water available. Release in April when food is more plentiful or when the wild hedgehogs are seen coming out of hibernation. Hedgehogs tend to hibernate between November and mid-March and may choose the stack of leaves or branches in your garden.
For this reason if you have to get rid of such material, move it to a different spot before setting fire to it; a hedgehog may be sheltering or hibernating in it. They like to nest under things e. Size: Head and body: 5 to 12 inches; tail: 1 to 2 inches. Weight: 14 to 39 ounces. Size relative to a teacup:. Least concern. Least Concern Extinct. Current Population Trend: Stable.
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