RSPCA: Helping hedgehogs hibernate

Tuesday, 7 December 2010 12:00 AM

Hundreds of the prickly mammals are brought into our wildlife centres at this time each year in a dehydrated, hungry and cold state and freezing conditions such as those suffered this week just makes the difficulties they face greater. Due to hibernation issues they are rarely released back into the wild until the spring.

Now a new RSPCA project is to explore hedgehog hibernation patterns to help animal welfare groups know how best to take care of them over the winter months and so boost their chances of survival.

The study, carried out in partnership between RSPCA Mallydams Wood Wildlife Centre in Hastings and the University of Reading, follows more than 40 hedgehogs in the wild with tiny transmitters so that behaviour, location and sleep patterns can be tracked and analysed to see how well they cope.

Although there has been previous research done on hedgehogs in summer, this is the first time information about their winter hibernation has been recorded.

Mallydams Wood Wildlife Manager Richard Thompson said: "We are all really excited about this project. It could make quite a difference to what we know about hedgehogs' winter habits and so help us with how we care for them.

"The animals typically have a bit of a tough time during the winter, especially when there are such treacherous extremes as there have been recently, but there really is not that much information out there about them - this kind of study has never been done before."

Hedgehogs hibernate around late November, early December and rehabilitated animals are normally released up until then so that they can enjoy their long sleep in their natural habitat.

However, 'autumn' hoglets, or those born in a second litter, can be too small to hibernate at this time as they don't have enough weight to draw on and last them through a whole winter.

These latecomers are typically kept in wildlife centres over the winter and then re-introduced to the wild in the spring, when the hibernation season is over.

The decision about whether and when to bring these animals into wildlife centres is usually based on the hedgehog's weight. The RSPCA usually recommends that if the hedgehog is under the target weight of 500 grams then it needs to come in.

Senior Scientific Officer Adam Grogan said: "This new research should help us when advising whether hedgehogs need to brought into care by providing more information on how they survive hibernation.

"Our ethos has always been to keep wildlife wild. We hope that these hedgehogs can teach us ways of helping other hedgehogs through this difficult time."

How to do your bit to help look after hedgehogs through the winter

- If the weather is mild, hedgehogs do not need to come into care. However, if you are worried that they are too small to hibernate, you can feed them in the garden with things like minced meat, scrambled eggs, or a commercially available hedgehog food, and fresh water. It is a myth that they enjoy bread and milk - in fact they are intolerant to cow's milk.

- They will also need a hedgehog-friendly area of the garden with heaps of leaves and brushwood for them to hibernate in - or a purpose built hedgehog box.

- Be careful with your strimmer in longer grass as hedgehogs may be sheltering there

- Make sure there are no animals sheltering in the middle of bonfires by disturbing the foundations or pile it up immediately before lighting.

- Call the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999 if you find a sick or injured hedgehog or take it in to a wildlife centre. Put them into a large box with plenty of clean, fresh hay, newspapers or dry leaves until the hedgehog can be picked up and keep human contact to a minimum.

Notes to editors:

Images and interviews are available on request. Please call the press office on 0300 123 0244/0288 for more information.

RSPCA, Wilberforce Way, Southwater, Horsham, West Sussex RH13 9RS
Press office direct lines: 0300 123 0244/0288 Fax: 0303 123 0099
Duty press officer (evenings and weekends) Tel 08448 222888 and ask for pager number 828825
Email: press@rspca.org.uk Website: www.rspca.org.uk

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