This time of year there is often a lot of debate surrounding survival weights for hibernating hedgehogs and it can be very confusing for the public.
We have also been alerted to the fact people are actively going out and looking for healthy hedgehogs to collect that are under 600g to take into care. This is counterproductive and strongly discouraged as it can cause serious welfare issues for hedgehogs.
To try to address this, The British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS), British Wildlife Rehabilitation Council (BWRC) and The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) came up with a simple guide, which our flyer below is based upon. This advice is based on data and sound research, so we hope this scientific advice will offer a little clarity and prevent hedgehogs from being taken from their natural habitat when not necessary.
This information is for hedgehogs that are already in the wild. For hedgehogs that are in rehabilitation, being over-wintered, or looked after until release, the advice is slightly different and not relevant here.
Hoglets can double their weight in a month. Even those born late in the season can get to hibernation weight in time for the coldest part of the winter.
Until we have night temperatures below 5 degrees Celsius for a week or more, or there are frosts, we would not expect the see hedgehogs starting to hibernate IN OUR AREA. Remember that here in the South we have much milder winters than most of the rest of the UK, so many hedgehogs may not hibernate at all, or only for short periods. This is one of the reasons that we strongly recommend leaving food and water out for our spiky friends all year round.
Help hedgehogs get ready for hibernation by: –
* – Proving food and water
* – Providing nest boxes and nesting materials (piles of leaves, straw etc)
Remember – this advice is correct for the area we cover, I’m sure that your local rescue will be able to offer advice for hedgehogs in your area.