Baby Hedgehogs

Although, hoglets are usually born in the summer mothers can have a second litter born as late as September or October. This isn’t long before hibernation starts.

Hedgehogs born this late in the year might not have enough fat reserves to survive the long winter hibernation without some help. Often, they’ll have to forage for longer to find enough food so they might be seen out during the day.

The best way to help the young hedgehog will depend on how much it weighs:

• If the hoglet weighs less than 300g (about the size of an apple), it will need specialist care to survive the winter.
• If the young hedgehog weighs between 300g-450g (about the size of a mango), is only seen at night, and it’s before mid-October with mild weather, you can provide food in the garden. Monitor its weight, and if it’s not gaining weight or you’re still seeing it when the weather gets colder, please contact a rehabilitator.
• If the young hedgehog weighs between 300g-450g (about the size of a mango), after October, they probably won’t have enough weight to see them through the winter, so may need more help. We recommend following the British Hedgehog Preservation Society advice for autumn juvenile hedgehogs, which describes how to help them over the winter.
• If the hedgehog weighs over 450g (larger than a mango) and is only seen out at night, it should be healthy enough to hibernate as normal in the wild. They’ll be foraging for food overnight, so if you can, keep providing food in the garden, as this will help them to put on even more weight before hibernation.