What has been your experience of hedgehogs hibernating in your garden? And when have they started their hibernation? The science behind it is fascinating, and it explains just why hedgehogs would start hibernating at different times
Im currently looking after a foster hedgehog. She was born late September so too young to currently survive alone. I have her in a huge hutch and a few weeks ago she terrified me by going in to hibernation. It was deep and no response to her spikes. The rehab hospital suggested bringing her indoors and seeing if she responded as she warmed. Thankfully she went in to a responsive sleep. She’s now back in full hibernation but in worries me that come spring she won’t wake. She warmly covered and safe. My garden hedgehog has a little shelter he’s still eating weekly
Salute to you sir for helping hedgehogs because some of them cant find a borrow to hibernate and they hibernate in the roads and people thought they are dead. Thank you for helping them ❤️
Gr eat video re hibernation my two hedgehogs (George and Mildred) went into hibernation 2days ago (20th December) I have a camera going 24/7 I’m so looking forward to seeing them again. George was the first one to come into our lives when he came into our extended kitchen section to eat the cat food I have a lovely picture of him with the cats just sat there watching him.I named him George cus it’s. Y favourite name and a couple of months later Mildred appeared in the feeding station I built. ( I couldn’t resist not calling him/her Mildred. Best regards. Colin
Another tipis go easy with piles of leaves in tht a some may be very cosy in such So to all out there no fires or mangling machinery - Had a friend in Kent who had a family of hedgehogs .They had a house with a roof where only once in a while would they carefully check by looking .( pre the days of these super cameras. )Terrific informative video 👍
Thank you Helena, and yes, absolutely - especially this time of the year with bonfires and large leaf piles, hedgehogs are at risk of being simply forgotten about by us going about our festive activities. I'm glad you're enjoying the videos.
Once again Mike thank you for taking the time to provide another link, which I'm off to read. Just a thought I don't know if you have already covered it, but with the amount of rain we are having lately if someone is going to provide a hedgehog home make sure it is in an area that doesn't flood.😊👍
Thanks for the feedback, Pete, I do appreciate it. You are absolutely right about the placement of the house, and though I never went in to specific detail, I mentioned this when talking about the setting up of the hedgehog house that it had legs or feet to lift it up out of water. But you do raise a valid point
Great video, thanks Mike. I always wondered about hibernation triggers, now I know! The stat about amount of energy used during activity vs hibernation is a real eye-opener 🦔
Hi Michelle, thanks for your comment and feedback. I was also wondering, and didn't think the answer could be as simple as "when it gets cold" 😀 I could see that different hogs were starting to behave in different ways and so it seemed like something quite individual to the hedgehog and the location, so I was really interested in finding out too. I am pleased you enjoyed the video
This is fascinating. Our two large hedgehogs stopped visiting a few week ago so hopefully they have safely hibernated (maybe even in our garden!). We have just one left who is still trying to fatten up - hopefully he will make it without us needing to intervene.
I'm pleased to hear that you've got a regular group visiting. I personally believe that hedgehogs can still keep fattening themselves up before there's need to hibernate - just watch out for any sudden cold snaps - but it's still mild enough here that I'm seeing small snails and slugs, so beyond the food I leave out, there's still a good source naturally available.
Appreciate all you have explained. I feed the hedgehogs that come in the garden and love sitting quietly and watching them. Recently our neighbour found a small one in some leaves in his garden. But it wasn't really covered. He brought it to my hedgehog house in the garden and I covered it withe leaves. I have put plastic around the box loosely, against rain and wind. Question,...should I take it out and weigh it? And if necessary take it to a rescue centre, or should I not disturb it. It hasn't come out to eat for a week now. Thanks. Kathryn.
I remember long time ago we had a rubbish corner. Filled with stumps and branches. We decided to clear it and came across a hedgehog. There was no movement at all. We thought the was dead. (Lack of of info) but looked it up so we left the rubbish till following year then cleared it. We still had hoggy around the garden. Must have found another place.
Disturbing a hedgehog can be quite nerve wracking - I mean to you finding it... I remember discovering a mother and her hoglets last year and hoping I'd not disturbed her too much that she abandoned them. Fortunately, she didn't I hence we had Halle and Henry stay with us and grow up for 6 months before they left too. It's amazing the little places they do find to nest and hibernate - you always need to be extra careful, given their skills at hiding
His way of explaining is great and the way he speaks shows how fascinating he find this things and even made me curious. Great video. (The reason no dislike)
Hi! Although we've always had the odd hedgehog visitor, this is our first year of really caring for them so thank you for this video! We found a very small hedgehog visitor early September, I was concerned he would be too small come hibernation time so we've been feeding him each evening. He's grown ALOT now and we've now got another hedgehog around the same size and also a big one that visit each night too. I'm not sure if they're a family or whether they just arrive at the same time for the food. They all eat from the bowl together though. We've bought a hedgehog house and put some hay in it so I'm hoping it'll be a nice home for at least one of them once they do hibernate. We've really come to love these little guys and sit watching them through the window in the evenings as they happily munch away on their supper 🦔🦔🦔❤
Hello Ashley, welcome to the wonderful world of looking after hedgehog visitors! It really is so rewarding, isn't it? I must warn you - it can become very addictive! Do you feed them dry biscuits at al? Isn't the noise of them crunching away just the most amazing thing? I am glad to hear that your smaller hog has grown - I'm sure it will be fine for hibernation - keep providing a ready source of food and it will just keep bulking up. Thank you for taking the time to comment.
@@HedgehogsHollow hi! Thanks for the reply! We're already addicted 🙈🤣 . Yes, I feed them brambles dry biscuits, they love them and the sound of them merrily crunching away is so adorable! The last few nights, we've started leaving two bowls of food out as they were getting through the first bowl before we went bed so we'd been topping the bowl back up again. I'm definitely a hedgehog lover for life now 🦔❤
@@ashleyroberts1968 I have a similar story and now I am, as Mike warns, completely addicted! I have two trailcams that I set up every few evenings so I can see what the activity has been with the two hedgehogs we have in the garden. Also I have one (his name is Ignatz) that we found end of Sept. and have been caring for inside. He is almost 650g (he was 100g when we found him) so in a few days we will be putting him out in a little enclosed area we prepared for him. Thank you so much, Mike, for the explanations about hibernation, a question I have been asking myself and wondering about. Now I know!! LOVE your videos!!
Hm ... very good. Thank you. I currently have one hedgehog who receives cat food from me. Whether that's ok, I don't know. But he or she is very grateful no doubt.
Greeting from Switzerland. well, I can't say I was a Hedgehog enthusiast per se. However, since I got adopted by an adult female in July, 2021, things have gone ballistic!! I am now the "proud care giver " to 4. hedgies. Mother and two young and most likely an adult male. Could even be the father of the young. Because of the coming winter, I build one hedgy house myself. However, as the male(?) decided to move in, in ordered the second. Presently, I am feeding them with dried cat mix with a chicken base. In the summer months, I fed the female with wet catfood labelled chicken, Turkey, beef and Lamb. As I only have a "Terrace or Patio, they live literally right "there", I am at work however until the evening, so the stress levels are manageable as far as I can ascertain. The young seem to be triving measured on the amount of faeces.
That is amazing to hear, and welcome to the world of hedgehog carer! If your hedgehogs have moved in and are spending the time in the house and around your garden, then the stress levels must be manageable for them. They seem to be pretty resilient little critters and fend well for themselves. Each has its own personality too - you may find a more timid-natured hedgehog may not appreciate the house so close to you - but then they simply may only come for food and not move in. I hope you are enjoying your caring duties. The next step must be to get yourself a camera - then your addiction is complete. 😀
Interesting fact: When temperatures drop far below zero, hibernating hedgehogs shake themselves awake, so that they don´t die during hibernation. Nature is awesome, and so are our hoggies. :-) Greetings from a hog rescue in Nothern Germany.
Hello Mery - thank you so much for visiting and watching the videos, and welcome to you from Germany That's such a great fact, I didn't know it before, thank you for sharing that
Very interesting and helpful. Our hedgehogs (in Scotland) are still out and about and active. I was wondering when they would disappear into hibernation. Could be a wee while yet, then :)
Hello Fiona, thank you for your kind comment. I am pleased you enjoyed the video. I'd have thought that yours would go in to hibernation sooner than mine down here in the Cotswolds - but it may still be a few weeks for us both.
I have a fairly large grassed over garden bordered by medium and small sized shrubs. I would like to place two hedgehog homes in it, but have not seen any hedgehogs around. Are there such places as hedgehog orphanages or the like, where I could adopt two ?
Hello Ana, welcome from the south of Portugal, it's so great to have people watching the videos on the channel from so many different places. I guess with your temperatures being much milder, your hedgehogs have a very different hibernation pattern to ours in the north of Europe. Thank you for taking the time to leave a message
I’m worried about my little hedgehog. I haven’t seen him for over week. He has been nest building in the house I’ve bought him, but hasn’t been for his food. Is it possible he has hibernated already?
Hello Iris, No, I don't think he would be hibernating just yet. Hedgehogs haven't been visiting my garden in big numbers either and I'm not sure if that's because it's still quite mild and frost and cold hasn't yet set in. Be patient - hedgehogs have a way of finding their way home again when needed, so I'm sure yours will return soon
Hi Mike I've got a few questions for you. Is there an email address for you so I can send you some pictures and film from my hogs. My main concern was the appearance of a young hedgehog last week who appeared one night and stayed for 2 nights in my hedgehog house I saw it sleeping when I was filling up the food dishes. I don't know how old they were but it was the smallest one I have seen so far. Also after they left another hedgehog moved in and I thought was getting ready to hibernate as he had covered himself in hay and I only discovered him by accident. He too stayed for 2 nights but then left. Every day I fill 2 little dishes with food and every night they are emptied. At one point I saw 3 different hogs in there at the same time but if Hogs are visiting every night would that put off one of them hibernating? I wonder if that was why that one left? I'd love to send you some pics and clips!
Hello! And thank you for your informative videos! I’m binge watching them since my cat found a baby hedgehog in our garden about 2 months, we’ve been feeding him since then. So now he decided to move into our car garage (inside some old fabrics) so I leave food for him everyday. But now winter comes( I live in Finland) and I’m new to this situation, temperatures can drop to -25 in winter. What can you recommend me in this case? Do we build a home in the car garage or maybe could be too loud?, it is open so he can come and go out any time, or find a place in the garden and build it there ? I don’t want him to go Anywhere far, there are foxes and owls that can eat him. And as we call him he is our “guest” to our b&b 😬 any advice is appreciated!!
Hello Jirina, how wonderful to have someone from the Czech Republic watching and commenting. That is so interesting that yours are already hibernating. I wonder if they will wake sooner or later than ours in spring? We will have to see! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment.
@@HedgehogsHollow we fed all five little hedgehogs we saved well, so we hope they can handle the winter.I also bought a camera so we could watch and learn more about the life of hedgehogs
Hi just watching your video on Hibernation will me leaving food out upset the hedgehogs body clock that tells it to Hibernate when food declines making it vulnerable ; or is there a time to slow down on putting the food out for it ? Sorry I have so many questions as had an tortoise for over 60 years , but have never had an Hedgehog visiting ever before . Jean
Hi Jean, No leaving food out won't necessarily upset their body clock. They will take advantage of food that is available, but even if you continue to leave food out, they may still decide that the balance of energy to wake up to get that food, versus the energy gain is such that it is simply time to hibernate. Leaving food out during winter will generally be useful for any hedgehog that does wake up briefly, takes a snack and then continues to sleep. All that said, I just had a winter with one hedgehog hibernating and one hedgehog staying active throughout, both living in my garden. SO hedgehogs will generally do exactly what they want to do...
Really helpful video, thank you. I was reading up a lot about hedgehog highways and around 3 weeks ago I built my own in the back of my garden. I have a hedgehog home with lots of leaves and twigs around and inside, with a feeding station where I have been putting out food and water each night. I have also cut a hole in the fence to allow access as well. However, using my night cam I have had no visitors as to now 😪 I wonder do you think I have done this too late for them to find? I should still continue to put out food and water just in case they do eventually find the home and food station? Thank you for any advice you have 😊
Hello Charlotte, It sounds like you've done some great things on behalf of your hedgehogs - even though they have not yet visited. I would suggest to certainly keep providing small amounts of food, and lots of fresh water, for them. Depending where you are, it is entirely possible that they are still active, and if so, they may just be looking for a cosy place to hibernate. So I don't think it's too late, and I'd encourage you to keep providing food and water at least for another couple of weeks and see how it goes. And let me know what happens Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment.
@@HedgehogsHollow thanks so much for the advice! Really appreciate it. I'll keep you posted if I notice any activity. Look forward to seeing another hedgehog video of yours! 😊
when Hedgehogs hibernate never seen one doing it, how would you no its Hedgehog hibernate, and not just sleeping, or worst sick or passed on as in RIP, if the body temp down to 10c, there not going to be warm, and I cannot image they will be braving very deeply,
So climate change could actually be a good thing for wildlife...... If temperature remains warmer during Wintertime then there will be no requirement to hibernate..... Fascinating.......
Hi i have a question i made a hedgehog house about a year ago and I'm glad to say that at least 2 hogs frequent it regularly. However I assumed that they would stop coming when they thought it was time to hibernate as I think their nest is somewhere else although they do come into the house eat the food and then fall asleep then they go away and come back the next night. But they still keep coming is the fact that i'm giving them a regular access to food keeping them from hibernating? Are there any health concerns for hedgehogs that don't hibernate? I don't want to stop them from their natural behaviour and its February and they are still coming every night! When I came out of the house the other day about 8am a hog was just leaving the hog house! Any advice gratefully received.
Thanks so much for taking the time to visit and ask your question - and I think it's a very valid question too. I don't believe you're doing the hog any harm by providing food and it not hibernating. Hibernation is a reaction to the environment, and a mechanism for the hedgehog to survive a period of there being less food available, and certainly less food energy available than the energy required to find that food. I'm not sure what country or area you might be in, but even though we've had more snow than is normal, it still feels like a far milder winter than might have been expected - we have spring bulbs already growing very well. So yes, I suspect that your source of food is a factor in the hedgehog not hibernating, but not the only factor and not likely detrimental tor harmful to them. As for them returning to the garden 'late' - yes, Walter is much the same, he would often return just before sunrise, often around 8am, but then hedgehogs don't know time, they only know the level of light and use that as a guide to return to bed. It sounds like you are doing a great job for your visitors.
@@HedgehogsHollow Thanks for the reply! I live in the UK in Derbyshire. I'll let you know how things develop! And see if I can upload some pictures too!
Hi Christina, thank you so much for taking the time to write a comment - it's lovely to have you watching from Denmark! I have seen that weather conditions through other parts of Europe have been quite cold, and so it's entirely possible that in your area, that may have reduced food supplies (beyond what you're leaving out) and the hedgehogs have decided it's time to hibernate. They may still wake up from time to time though. I hope you will keep watching and enjoying
Hello Nina, That's an excellent question - if you hadn't seen the hedgehog go into the house, there's going to be very little, to no evidence of there being one during winter. The only way you might no is after Winter, once you are certain that there's no further activity, to explore the inside of the house itself, and you may then see the material the hibernating hedgehog had filled the house with.
What has been your experience of hedgehogs hibernating in your garden?
And when have they started their hibernation?
The science behind it is fascinating, and it explains just why hedgehogs would start hibernating at different times
Im currently looking after a foster hedgehog. She was born late September so too young to currently survive alone. I have her in a huge hutch and a few weeks ago she terrified me by going in to hibernation. It was deep and no response to her spikes. The rehab hospital suggested bringing her indoors and seeing if she responded as she warmed. Thankfully she went in to a responsive sleep. She’s now back in full hibernation but in worries me that come spring she won’t wake. She warmly covered and safe. My garden hedgehog has a little shelter he’s still eating weekly
@@Michelle-vq1zg I hope the smaller hog does make it through the Winter
Salute to you sir for helping hedgehogs because some of them cant find a borrow to hibernate and they hibernate in the roads and people thought they are dead. Thank you for helping them ❤️
Gr eat video re hibernation my two hedgehogs (George and Mildred) went into hibernation 2days ago (20th December) I have a camera going 24/7 I’m so looking forward to seeing them again. George was the first one to come into our lives when he came into our extended kitchen section to eat the cat food I have a lovely picture of him with the cats just sat there watching him.I named him George cus it’s. Y favourite name and a couple of months later Mildred appeared in the feeding station I built. ( I couldn’t resist not calling him/her Mildred. Best regards. Colin
Thank you so so much for sharing with us all 👍🏻
Great vid
Thank you
Another tipis go easy with piles of leaves in tht a some may be very cosy in such So to all out there no fires or mangling machinery -
Had a friend in Kent who had a family of hedgehogs .They had a house with a roof where only once in a while would they carefully check by looking .( pre the days of these super cameras. )Terrific informative video 👍
Thank you Helena, and yes, absolutely - especially this time of the year with bonfires and large leaf piles, hedgehogs are at risk of being simply forgotten about by us going about our festive activities.
I'm glad you're enjoying the videos.
Thank you Mike for sharing your knowlege, insights and garden with us. Very helpfull and interesting.
Cherrs, Karl, N.Devon UK.
Once again Mike thank you for taking the time to provide another link, which I'm off to read.
Just a thought I don't know if you have already covered it, but with the amount of rain we are having lately if someone is going to provide a hedgehog home make sure it is in an area that doesn't flood.😊👍
Thanks for the feedback, Pete, I do appreciate it.
You are absolutely right about the placement of the house, and though I never went in to specific detail, I mentioned this when talking about the setting up of the hedgehog house that it had legs or feet to lift it up out of water. But you do raise a valid point
Great video, thanks Mike. I always wondered about hibernation triggers, now I know! The stat about amount of energy used during activity vs hibernation is a real eye-opener 🦔
Hi Michelle, thanks for your comment and feedback. I was also wondering, and didn't think the answer could be as simple as "when it gets cold" 😀 I could see that different hogs were starting to behave in different ways and so it seemed like something quite individual to the hedgehog and the location, so I was really interested in finding out too. I am pleased you enjoyed the video
Very interesting and helpful video. Great hedgehog footage as well! Thanks Mike 👍
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for your kind comments
This is fascinating. Our two large hedgehogs stopped visiting a few week ago so hopefully they have safely hibernated (maybe even in our garden!). We have just one left who is still trying to fatten up - hopefully he will make it without us needing to intervene.
I'm pleased to hear that you've got a regular group visiting.
I personally believe that hedgehogs can still keep fattening themselves up before there's need to hibernate - just watch out for any sudden cold snaps - but it's still mild enough here that I'm seeing small snails and slugs, so beyond the food I leave out, there's still a good source naturally available.
Omg so cute. Thank you
Appreciate all you have explained. I feed the hedgehogs that come in the garden and love sitting quietly and watching them. Recently our neighbour found a small one in some leaves in his garden. But it wasn't really covered. He brought it to my hedgehog house in the garden and I covered it withe leaves. I have put plastic around the box loosely, against rain and wind. Question,...should I take it out and weigh it? And if necessary take it to a rescue centre, or should I not disturb it. It hasn't come out to eat for a week now. Thanks. Kathryn.
I remember long time ago we had a rubbish corner. Filled with stumps and branches. We decided to clear it and came across a hedgehog. There was no movement at all. We thought the was dead. (Lack of of info) but looked it up so we left the rubbish till following year then cleared it. We still had hoggy around the garden. Must have found another place.
Disturbing a hedgehog can be quite nerve wracking - I mean to you finding it... I remember discovering a mother and her hoglets last year and hoping I'd not disturbed her too much that she abandoned them. Fortunately, she didn't I hence we had Halle and Henry stay with us and grow up for 6 months before they left too.
It's amazing the little places they do find to nest and hibernate - you always need to be extra careful, given their skills at hiding
His way of explaining is great and the way he speaks shows how fascinating he find this things and even made me curious. Great video. (The reason no dislike)
Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment, and thank you for your kind words - I am glad you enjoyed it
Hi! Although we've always had the odd hedgehog visitor, this is our first year of really caring for them so thank you for this video! We found a very small hedgehog visitor early September, I was concerned he would be too small come hibernation time so we've been feeding him each evening. He's grown ALOT now and we've now got another hedgehog around the same size and also a big one that visit each night too. I'm not sure if they're a family or whether they just arrive at the same time for the food. They all eat from the bowl together though. We've bought a hedgehog house and put some hay in it so I'm hoping it'll be a nice home for at least one of them once they do hibernate. We've really come to love these little guys and sit watching them through the window in the evenings as they happily munch away on their supper 🦔🦔🦔❤
Hello Ashley, welcome to the wonderful world of looking after hedgehog visitors! It really is so rewarding, isn't it? I must warn you - it can become very addictive!
Do you feed them dry biscuits at al? Isn't the noise of them crunching away just the most amazing thing?
I am glad to hear that your smaller hog has grown - I'm sure it will be fine for hibernation - keep providing a ready source of food and it will just keep bulking up.
Thank you for taking the time to comment.
@@HedgehogsHollow hi! Thanks for the reply! We're already addicted 🙈🤣 .
Yes, I feed them brambles dry biscuits, they love them and the sound of them merrily crunching away is so adorable! The last few nights, we've started leaving two bowls of food out as they were getting through the first bowl before we went bed so we'd been topping the bowl back up again. I'm definitely a hedgehog lover for life now 🦔❤
That's great to hear. They eat a remarkable amount - probably more than my adult cats do!
@@ashleyroberts1968 I have a similar story and now I am, as Mike warns, completely addicted! I have two trailcams that I set up every few evenings so I can see what the activity has been with the two hedgehogs we have in the garden. Also I have one (his name is Ignatz) that we found end of Sept. and have been caring for inside. He is almost 650g (he was 100g when we found him) so in a few days we will be putting him out in a little enclosed area we prepared for him. Thank you so much, Mike, for the explanations about hibernation, a question I have been asking myself and wondering about. Now I know!! LOVE your videos!!
You are welcome, Michelle.
And all the best with releasing Ignatz
Hm ... very good. Thank you. I currently have one hedgehog who receives cat food from me. Whether that's ok, I don't know. But he or she is very grateful no doubt.
Greeting from Switzerland. well, I can't say I was a Hedgehog enthusiast per se. However, since I got adopted by an adult female in July, 2021, things have gone ballistic!! I am now the "proud care giver " to 4. hedgies. Mother and two young and most likely an adult male. Could even be the father of the young. Because of the coming winter, I build one hedgy house myself. However, as the male(?) decided to move in, in ordered the second. Presently, I am feeding them with dried cat mix with a chicken base. In the summer months, I fed the female with wet catfood labelled chicken, Turkey, beef and Lamb. As I only have a "Terrace or Patio, they live literally right "there", I am at work however until the evening, so the stress levels are manageable as far as I can ascertain. The young seem to be triving measured on the amount of faeces.
That is amazing to hear, and welcome to the world of hedgehog carer!
If your hedgehogs have moved in and are spending the time in the house and around your garden, then the stress levels must be manageable for them. They seem to be pretty resilient little critters and fend well for themselves. Each has its own personality too - you may find a more timid-natured hedgehog may not appreciate the house so close to you - but then they simply may only come for food and not move in.
I hope you are enjoying your caring duties. The next step must be to get yourself a camera - then your addiction is complete. 😀
Interesting fact: When temperatures drop far below zero, hibernating hedgehogs shake themselves awake, so that they don´t die during hibernation. Nature is awesome, and so are our hoggies. :-) Greetings from a hog rescue in Nothern Germany.
Hello Mery - thank you so much for visiting and watching the videos, and welcome to you from Germany
That's such a great fact, I didn't know it before, thank you for sharing that
Makasih bang
Very interesting and helpful. Our hedgehogs (in Scotland) are still out and about and active. I was wondering when they would disappear into hibernation. Could be a wee while yet, then :)
Hello Fiona, thank you for your kind comment. I am pleased you enjoyed the video.
I'd have thought that yours would go in to hibernation sooner than mine down here in the Cotswolds - but it may still be a few weeks for us both.
This was so helpful thank you
You are very welcome, I am really pleased you found it useful.
Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment
I have a fairly large grassed over garden bordered by medium and small sized shrubs. I would like to place two hedgehog homes in it, but have not seen any hedgehogs around. Are there such places as hedgehog orphanages or the like, where I could adopt two ?
In south of Portugal I saw an active hedgehog in the garden until January. and When the temperatures dropped low he disappeared.
Hello Ana, welcome from the south of Portugal, it's so great to have people watching the videos on the channel from so many different places.
I guess with your temperatures being much milder, your hedgehogs have a very different hibernation pattern to ours in the north of Europe.
Thank you for taking the time to leave a message
I’m worried about my little hedgehog. I haven’t seen him for over week. He has been nest building in the house I’ve bought him, but hasn’t been for his food. Is it possible he has hibernated already?
Hello Iris,
No, I don't think he would be hibernating just yet.
Hedgehogs haven't been visiting my garden in big numbers either and I'm not sure if that's because it's still quite mild and frost and cold hasn't yet set in.
Be patient - hedgehogs have a way of finding their way home again when needed, so I'm sure yours will return soon
Hi Mike I've got a few questions for you. Is there an email address for you so I can send you some pictures and film from my hogs. My main concern was the appearance of a young hedgehog last week who appeared one night and stayed for 2 nights in my hedgehog house I saw it sleeping when I was filling up the food dishes. I don't know how old they were but it was the smallest one I have seen so far. Also after they left another hedgehog moved in and I thought was getting ready to hibernate as he had covered himself in hay and I only discovered him by accident. He too stayed for 2 nights but then left. Every day I fill 2 little dishes with food and every night they are emptied. At one point I saw 3 different hogs in there at the same time but if Hogs are visiting every night would that put off one of them hibernating? I wonder if that was why that one left? I'd love to send you some pics and clips!
Hello Puggzy,
You are welcome to email mike@hedgehogshollow.com
Do hedgehogs ever stay together throughout the year or just during the mating period ?
Hello! And thank you for your informative videos! I’m binge watching them since my cat found a baby hedgehog in our garden about 2 months, we’ve been feeding him since then. So now he decided to move into our car garage (inside some old fabrics) so I leave food for him everyday. But now winter comes( I live in Finland) and I’m new to this situation, temperatures can drop to -25 in winter. What can you recommend me in this case? Do we build a home in the car garage or maybe could be too loud?, it is open so he can come and go out any time, or find a place in the garden and build it there ? I don’t want him to go Anywhere far, there are foxes and owls that can eat him. And as we call him he is our “guest” to our b&b 😬 any advice is appreciated!!
Mike, is it one hedgehog to one house when hibernating, or is it possible two or more might share the same house?
In our country, hedgehogs have been hibernating since the beginning of November. Czech Republik
Hello Jirina, how wonderful to have someone from the Czech Republic watching and commenting.
That is so interesting that yours are already hibernating. I wonder if they will wake sooner or later than ours in spring? We will have to see!
Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment.
@@HedgehogsHollow we fed all five little hedgehogs we saved well, so we hope they can handle the winter.I also bought a camera so we could watch and learn more about the life of hedgehogs
Does domesticated hedgehogs hibernate as well?
Hi just watching your video on Hibernation will me leaving food out upset the hedgehogs body clock that tells it to Hibernate when food declines making it vulnerable ; or is there a time to slow down on putting the food out for it ? Sorry I have so many questions as had an tortoise for over 60 years , but have never had an Hedgehog visiting ever before . Jean
Hi Jean,
No leaving food out won't necessarily upset their body clock. They will take advantage of food that is available, but even if you continue to leave food out, they may still decide that the balance of energy to wake up to get that food, versus the energy gain is such that it is simply time to hibernate.
Leaving food out during winter will generally be useful for any hedgehog that does wake up briefly, takes a snack and then continues to sleep.
All that said, I just had a winter with one hedgehog hibernating and one hedgehog staying active throughout, both living in my garden. SO hedgehogs will generally do exactly what they want to do...
Really helpful video, thank you. I was reading up a lot about hedgehog highways and around 3 weeks ago I built my own in the back of my garden. I have a hedgehog home with lots of leaves and twigs around and inside, with a feeding station where I have been putting out food and water each night. I have also cut a hole in the fence to allow access as well. However, using my night cam I have had no visitors as to now 😪 I wonder do you think I have done this too late for them to find? I should still continue to put out food and water just in case they do eventually find the home and food station? Thank you for any advice you have 😊
Hello Charlotte,
It sounds like you've done some great things on behalf of your hedgehogs - even though they have not yet visited.
I would suggest to certainly keep providing small amounts of food, and lots of fresh water, for them. Depending where you are, it is entirely possible that they are still active, and if so, they may just be looking for a cosy place to hibernate. So I don't think it's too late, and I'd encourage you to keep providing food and water at least for another couple of weeks and see how it goes.
And let me know what happens
Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment.
@@HedgehogsHollow thanks so much for the advice! Really appreciate it. I'll keep you posted if I notice any activity. Look forward to seeing another hedgehog video of yours! 😊
when Hedgehogs hibernate never seen one doing it, how would you no its Hedgehog hibernate, and not just sleeping, or worst sick or passed on as in RIP, if the body temp down to 10c, there not going to be warm, and I cannot image they will be braving very deeply,
So climate change could actually be a good thing for wildlife......
If temperature remains warmer during Wintertime then there will be no requirement to hibernate.....
Fascinating.......
Hi i have a question i made a hedgehog house about a year ago and I'm glad to say that at least 2 hogs frequent it regularly. However I assumed that they would stop coming when they thought it was time to hibernate as I think their nest is somewhere else although they do come into the house eat the food and then fall asleep then they go away and come back the next night. But they still keep coming is the fact that i'm giving them a regular access to food keeping them from hibernating? Are there any health concerns for hedgehogs that don't hibernate? I don't want to stop them from their natural behaviour and its February and they are still coming every night! When I came out of the house the other day about 8am a hog was just leaving the hog house! Any advice gratefully received.
Thanks so much for taking the time to visit and ask your question - and I think it's a very valid question too.
I don't believe you're doing the hog any harm by providing food and it not hibernating. Hibernation is a reaction to the environment, and a mechanism for the hedgehog to survive a period of there being less food available, and certainly less food energy available than the energy required to find that food. I'm not sure what country or area you might be in, but even though we've had more snow than is normal, it still feels like a far milder winter than might have been expected - we have spring bulbs already growing very well.
So yes, I suspect that your source of food is a factor in the hedgehog not hibernating, but not the only factor and not likely detrimental tor harmful to them.
As for them returning to the garden 'late' - yes, Walter is much the same, he would often return just before sunrise, often around 8am, but then hedgehogs don't know time, they only know the level of light and use that as a guide to return to bed.
It sounds like you are doing a great job for your visitors.
@@HedgehogsHollow Thanks for the reply! I live in the UK in Derbyshire. I'll let you know how things develop! And see if I can upload some pictures too!
I look forwarding to hearing more through the spring
please please can you stop music i find difficult to follow what you say, thankyou
Hi. I am Living i Denmark. My Hedgehogs, haven’t ben eating at The fodring station. Maybe they have gone to Sleep, 🦔
Hi Christina, thank you so much for taking the time to write a comment - it's lovely to have you watching from Denmark!
I have seen that weather conditions through other parts of Europe have been quite cold, and so it's entirely possible that in your area, that may have reduced food supplies (beyond what you're leaving out) and the hedgehogs have decided it's time to hibernate.
They may still wake up from time to time though.
I hope you will keep watching and enjoying
How would I know if a hedgehog had hibernated in my hedgehog house ?
Hello Nina,
That's an excellent question - if you hadn't seen the hedgehog go into the house, there's going to be very little, to no evidence of there being one during winter.
The only way you might no is after Winter, once you are certain that there's no further activity, to explore the inside of the house itself, and you may then see the material the hibernating hedgehog had filled the house with.
When do hedgehogs hibernate?
When they feel they need to...
Forgot for write, they havent ben eating in 2 days.