Everyone is sure to know what a hedgehog looks like. The hedgehog’s back and sides are covered in 25mm (1 inch) long spines (which are really modified hairs). These are absent from the face, chest, belly, throat and legs which are covered with a coarse, grey-brown fur. There are approximately 5,000/7,000 spines on an average adult hedgehog. What many people do not know is that a hedgehog has a small tail.
Hibernation
Hedgehogs tend to hibernate between November and mid-March and may choose the stack of leaves or branches in your garden that you have built as a bonfire pile. For this reason if you have to get rid of such material, move it to a different spot immediately before setting fire to it; a hedgehog may be sheltering or hibernating in it. Light from one side only to allow an escape route for anything you have missed. They like to nest under things (e.g. sheds, hedges and brushwood) and need plenty of dry leaves to build their nest.
Diet
Hedgehogs are certainly noisy eaters as people who have encountered these animals ‘at table’ will testify; but what do they actually eat?
This diagram shows that they eat a lot of beetles, along with caterpillars and earthworms. Most people are aware that hedgehogs are mostly insect eaters.
Many people put out a saucer of meat-based pet food for their garden friends. The hedgehog will treat this as a welcome supplement to its normal diet and will not go hungry if, for some reason, the food is not put out. Always make sure that a dish of water is available especially during the summer months or in extreme weather conditions.
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