The hedgehog is a very timid animal. It is solitary and defensive, afraid of heat and light, so it needs extra attention in feeding, and the feeding method is different every season!
1. Spring: The hibernation is over, and the hedgehog wakes up. When the temperature rises to 10 degrees, the hedgehog will feel thirsty and eagerly look for water. Don’t be kind enough to feed them milk at this time, as this will lead to death. More important than finding food at this time is finding a mate. The male spends hours around the female hedgehog before accepting courtship, after which he completes his mission. The mother hedgehog starts looking for a safe and quiet place to use as a den for herself and her baby hedgehog, who will be born in 30 days. If you spot hedgehogs near the lumber piles in your backyard, put off your spring cleaning for a while, as this may well be the mother hedgehog’s delivery room.
2. Summer: The little hedgehog was born. They have more than 100 spines all over their bodies and are blind for the first two weeks of life. Smalls are breastfed for 4-8 weeks. Then, the mother hedgehog taught how to forage. After two months, the mother hedgehog stopped caring for the young, allowing them to live independently. Mature hedgehogs eat an average of 40 grams of food per meal. About 90 percent of young hedgehogs live less than a year. If you want to help, mother hedgehogs raise their young, sprinkle cat and dog food where they hang out, but never give them milk, salty bread, and seasoned foods.
3. Autumn: Hedgehogs mainly focus on foraging. Eat 200 grams of food per night. Adult hedgehogs can weigh up to 2.5 kg. They use twigs and weeds to create hibernating nests. Sometimes their nests have 50 cm compartments. They can also sleep under wooden stairs or other man-made places.
4. Winter: When the hedgehog hibernates in the nest, the body temperature drops to 9 degrees. Breathe 1-10 breaths/min. Dead branches and fallen leaves are favorite hibernation places for hedgehogs. At this time, if people burn fallen leaves, it will be a disaster for the hedgehog. Hibernating hedgehogs will occasionally wake up but not eat and fall back to sleep soon after. Hibernating hedgehogs will starve to death if they wake up too early.
