In winter
How the garden becomes a cozy hedgehog shelter
Hedgehogs need a suitable hiding place when it’s cold.
© Anne Coatesy/Shutterstock.com
When it gets colder outside, hedgehogs prepare for hibernation. How can you support the animals?
In the winter months, the food supply for hedgehogs becomes significantly more scarce. Older animals begin to build their winter nest, young animals try to gain weight. Hedgehogs also need a suitable hiding place to protect themselves from the harsh weather conditions and to literally isolate themselves. How can you make the garden a safe winter shelter for the prickly animals? And when should you keep your hands off them?
Create the ideal winter quarters for hedgehogs
Hedgehogs especially love natural gardens. The animals are most likely to seek shelter for their hibernation in gardens with many natural elements such as hedges, trees, water, native plants and moss. They prefer to hide under wood, roots or compost heaps. If you want to attract hedgehogs to your garden, According to the German Nature Conservation Association (NABU), you can create a hedgehog corner in your garden. The hedgehog likes things messy: dead wood, autumn leaves or brushwood should simply be left lying around. Hedgehogs feed mainly on insects that are found in the garden.
You can also offer the animals a hedgehog house as winter quarters. The hedgehog can benefit from this all year round, but it should be ready to move in by November at the latest. Hedgehog houses can be found prefabricated in stores, but a self-made wooden hut, an old box or an upturned flower pot will also work. According to the Hedgehog Center Zurich, there are the following requirements for the ideal house: The cavity should therefore be around 30 x 30 x 30 centimeters and the entrance should be around 10 x 10 centimeters. The house should provide protection against rain and protection against moisture from below. Nesting material such as straw can be helpful. The hedgehog doesn’t care what material the house is made of.
When can you help a hedgehog?
Other than good shelter and maybe a bowl of water, most hedgehogs don’t need any winter help. As tempting as it may seem, hedgehogs should not be fed and especially not with milk. The animals cannot tolerate milk and it could even be fatal to them.
So when should you help? If a hedgehog is out and about during the day in permanent frost or a blanket of snow, you can be suspicious. The animals should actually be in deep hibernation at this time. According to NABU, you should then observe the hedgehog for a while without disturbing or touching it. Only injured or sick hedgehogs need help. If the animals lie around during the day, are noticeably thin or behave apatheticly, then these are alarm signals. In such a case, you should take the animal to the vet, an animal shelter or a hedgehog station.