Help Hedgehog Hibernate - Checklist

Does the Hedgehog Need Help from Humans?

The following are important clues as to whether the hedgehog needs help hibernating:

A weight less than 300 grams just before the onset of winter.

• Excessive daytime activity.
• Lateral position.
• Low body temperature.
• Walking around in the snow.
• To help the hedgehog, you can do a lot without interfering too much:

Offer food. Hedgehogs like to eat dog or cat food, ground beef, nuts, boiled egg, fruit and porridge.

• Dry sleeping place. Hedgehogs can find shelter in a box or under a mortar trough. Isolated dry leaves, a bunch of rice or hay.
• Size of the entry hole eight-by-eight inches, so that the hedgehog can get in and out alone.
• Check if the hedgehog accepts the help.
• Only if it's obviously not enough
• Four square meters of space are the minimum.
• Soil temperature for babies and sick animals is 16 degrees, and for healthy animals, colder. Optimal is a weather-protected place outside.
• Fencing from 40-centimeter high boards. No wire mesh!
• Wooden box for sleeping.
• Hay, leaves or newspaper as bedding.
• Remove parasites such as ticks and fleas. Ask veterinarian for suitable flea spray.
• At temperatures below five degrees, the healthy hedgehog sleeps its deserved hibernation. Just let it sleep.
• Consult the veterinarian for the least signs of illness. Diarrhea, refusal to feed or signs of paralysis can be fatal.
• Clean enclosures regularly. Keep quiet so as not to wake the hedgehog.
• Avoid noise near the hedgehog. High pitched tones scare him.
• Weigh once a week. Below 300 grams, the ambient temperature is increased slightly so that the hedgehog eats again.
• For watch times, offer the hedgehog pieces of wood, lawns or leather gloves to play with.
• Recover healthy hedgehogs in spring. A permanent stance is prohibited.
• Give more live food before the release. But no earthworms and snails.
• Hedgehogs should only hibernate in humans in an emergency

The few hedgehogs found by humans really need help. One should therefore proceed in a prudent manner and in case of doubt always talk to a veterinarian. Even a hedgehog station is a good contact.

Winter service: what does it cost?

These and many other questions we answer in our price radar around the topic of winter service.

Video: What you Need for a Hedgehog|