![]() Hibernation is not for wimps and it takes practice. Hedgehogs are very secretive and most people are completely unaware there’s a hedgehog in the garden. Most disturbances are caused by garden makeovers, disturbing compost heaps or log piles, shed and decking removals. If you accidentally disturb a hibernating hedgehog in your garden, please cover it back over, it may continue to hibernate or wake and move to another site. To you it may appear dead, it will be cold and unresponsive, curled into a very tight ball – hedgehogs rarely die curled up in a tight ball. Hedgehogs use up precious energy reserves in order to become active again – it can take many hours, leaving them very vulnerable to predators. Any disturbance during this period can be extremely dangerous. When a hedgehog is ready to hibernate, it will drop its body temperature to match its surroundings and enter a state of torpor, thus allowing them to conserve energy by slowing down all bodily functions, making normal activity impossible. They’re expert nest builders and will create a narrow entrance tunnel that leads to a snug waterproof inner chamber where the hedgehog will hibernate. In the run up to winter, after building up enough fat stores over summer and autumn, hedgehogs will build an impressive tightly packed hibernation nest which is made of leaves, twigs, straw and grasses. It’s not unusual for them to remain active well into December and even into January before they finally hibernate. Females often have second litters in autumn and along with their hoglets (known as ‘autumn juveniles’) need extra time to build up fat stores prior to hibernating. ![]() Adult males go into hibernation first, around October. Now winter is well underway, hedgehogs in Chapelton will be hibernating until around February to April depending on temperatures. In the last ‘hedgehog’ blog I covered some basic facts about hedgehogs, how you can attract them into your garden, hedgehog houses, feeding stations and what to feed them. Denise spends her time raising awareness of the plight of endangered hedgehogs and here tells us a little more. Guest Blog: Spotting Hedgehogs in Hibernationĭenise Martin is the creator of the ‘Hedgehogs of Portlethen’ Facebook page. ![]()
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