It's a good idea to put out food for hedgehogs all year round. In spring, it will be a boost for those emerging from hibernation, while in late summer and autumn it will help hogs build up those all-important fat reserves to survive the winter.
How long should I continue to feed a hedgehog into the winter months? Autumn and early winter is the essential time to feed hedgehogs in your garden, as they need to put on enough weight to reach a safe hibernation weight before late December.
You can encourage hedgehogs into your garden by providing food and fresh water. Tips for leaving out food and water: Leave out foods like tinned dog or cat food and crushed cat or dog biscuits. Supply good quality, meaty hedgehog food from wildlife food suppliers.
While in hibernation the hedgehog's fuel supply comes from the fat stores it has built up over the summer. Eating enough before hibernation is vital and this is when supplementary feeding can prove important to hedgehogs.
How many times a day should you feed a pet hedgehog? A lot of pet hedgehog owners recommend once to twice a day. Some say they prefer a free feeding schedule and keep their hedgie's bowl full at all times. Bear in mind that this could lead to obesity however as hedgies are greedy eaters.
Hedgehogs have evolved to metabolise fat easily and gain weight quickly, ideal for an animal that hibernates. While I've never seen an obese hedgehog in the wild, I've seen plenty in captivity! Just bear this in mind and avoid overfeeding, or excessively fatty foods.
Grunting and snuffling, like a pig = hedgehog out and about, looking for food. Chuffing like a steam train = mating season. Chirping like a baby bird = hungry hoglets in the nest. Screaming Hedgehog = in pain and distress.
While the room you keep their habitat in may feel comfortable to you, remember that hedgehogs are much smaller and lack the clothing you wear to keep yourself warm. They are quite sensitive to the cold, and can begin to enter hibernation in a room that feels just chilly to you.
Don't let your hedgie get cold!
Hibernation is actually dangerous for African Pygmy hedgehogs. It slows their metabolism down, leaving them susceptible to infections, dehydration and starvation. It's important to keep your hedgehog in an environment between 72 and 80 degrees.
The answer is YES… as long as it's being eaten. It's difficult to tell exactly when hedgehogs will begin hibernation, so when you start to see that food is not being taken, you can stop putting so much out and perhaps just offer a few dry cat biscuits that don't go off so quickly.
We recommend handling your hedgehog for at least half an hour a day.
“Bedding will need to be changed frequently. I recommend daily spot cleaning to remove feces, a midweek change of bedding, and a thorough cage cleaning (everything removed and the cage washed) at the end of each week,” says Dr.
But, don't worry, if hedgehogs are in the area, and your garden is hedgehog-friendly then they will soon return. It is also possible that you are being visited by several different hedgehogs each night, rather than always the same individual.
Signs of stress
Many hedgehogs are busy and want to try to explore but a stressed hedgehog will be much more persistent and not easily distracted. The stressed hedgehog may also twitch or shake its head nervously. It is almost as if the hedgehog is saying “Sensory overload. I can't take it anymore.”
As you know now, there are multiple ways to keep your hedgehog warm while travelling, so you don't have to worry about him falling into hibernation. Be sure to provide your hedgehog with lots of insulation, with bedding and blankets.
If you are buying bedding for your hedgehog house, look for something as close to their natural nesting materials as possible. Hay comes out tops for hedgehog bedding in this category, and there are plenty of options to choose from.
This is up to you, but usually you should not need to give your hedgehog a bath more than once a month. If they need it sooner because they are extra messy, that is fine. Just be careful not to dry their skin out.
Hedgehogs will typically build their nests from materials that are nearby so ensuring there are plenty of leaves close to the hedgehog house is helpful. You may want to consider placing dry leaves, straw or hay inside the main chamber of the hedgehog house.
They like to fill their stomachs twice each night. An adult hedgehog needs around 130 calories a day to survive. To get this, they will eat roughly 75grams, or 3 ounces, of food a night. To put this in perspective, hedgehogs eat about 8% of their body weight each night.
If a noise is loud to you, it is probably too loud for your hedgehog as well. Observe the sounds your hedgehog is making towards you as well. If he is purring, he is happy and content.
Hedgehogs will relish any combination of meat-based wet dog or cat foods, or dry cat/kitten food. Just remember, they will be getting most of their food from insects and worms in the wild, and this food is only supplementary.