USAG Ansbach: Understanding hedgehogs

ANBSACH, Germany - Who doesn't get excited when a hedgehog runs around in their garden making funny little noises?

Especially when winter comes, many people want to help hedgehogs and take them inside their homes. But hedgehogs are wild animals and don't actually need our help. A healthy, well-fed hedgehog is perfectly able to survive in the outdoors on its own, even in winter. According to the Federal Nature Conservation Act of Germany, only injured, helpless or sick animals may be sheltered, and then only to bring them back to health.

Hedgehogs are nocturnal loners that spend large portions of the day sleeping under shrubs or rocks or hidden in foliage. At night, they roam large areas searching for food.

As a protection against natural enemies, like the badger or the eagle owl, all hedgehogs can roll into a tight ball, causing all of their 5,000 to 7,000 spines to point outwards.

Hedgehogs love to eat insects such as beetles, earwigs, earthworms, and the larvae of butterflies or beetles and they sometimes even eat frogs. In autumn, hedgehogs start to put on a thick layer of fat, which serves as a protection against the cold and is a food reserve.

From mid-November on, they hibernate in a frost-proof winter nest that they don't leave until March or April, when the nest temperature is above 15 °C (59 °F).

A lot of gardeners love hedgehogs since they are a vital component of the ecosystem in gardens. In addition, they consume a variety of insects, which promotes the growth of fruits and veggies.

Nevertheless, metropolitan environments do not often provide hedgehogs with ideal life conditions. Pesticides and insect mortality, for example, limit their access to food sources and nocturnal robotic lawnmowers can injure or even kill them. Plus, there are few hedges or shrubs for them to hide in while completely walled gardens keep them from roaming the neighborhood.

For hedgehog protection, natural gardens are ideal. If you focus on diversity and disorder in your own garden, you support the hedgehog and may even be lucky enough to see the nocturnal mammal at dusk.

The main enemy of the hedgehog is the car. Crossing roads poses a challenge for hedgehogs, whose vision is blurred and fuzzy, and they tend to curl up when in danger.

Hedgehogs rely mainly on their sense of smell and hearing to orient themselves. But by the time they recognize and locate an approaching car as a danger, it is often too late. Drivers should therefore drive with particular attention and foresight, especially from dusk to dawn.

Visit the USAG Ansbach Environmental Management Division webpage for more environmental news and information.