What do hedgehogs do after hibernation. How long do hedgehogs live in nature and what do they eat

Does the African hedgehog hibernate?

Often I hear the question "Tell me about hibernation?" "How long does it last?" "What kind of diet do you need?" "How do you enter/exit the hedgehog from hibernation?" And once a man foaming at the mouth proved to me that his African hedgehog hibernates for a month once a year, doesn’t eat, doesn’t drink, so they will write such frames with false information, and then people will put hedgehogs into hibernation.

And so, friends, AFRICAN HEDGEONS DO NOT Hibernate. This type of animal was bred exclusively for home keeping, and hibernation is not provided for them.

Why do animals hibernate in nature? Hibernation is considered to be the adaptation and preparation of the animal in adverse climatic conditions. In winter, as you know, most of the food for the animal disappears, and in order not to die of hunger, from autumn, animals, for example, forest hedgehogs, eat up their subcutaneous fat and “eat” it during hibernation.

Do pets need it? Do you stop feeding your thorn with the onset of winter? Of course, you continue to feed the animal, maintain the desired temperature, which means why does the animal need hibernation? No, African hedgehogs do NOT hibernate.

But there are situations when a hedgehog falls into suspended animation...

The spring and autumn periods are very dangerous for our animal. When it is already cold outside, and the heating has not yet been turned on, the temperature in the apartments drops significantly, the hedgehog's body temperature also drops, and the hedgehog "cools down" = anabiosis = hibernation.

One day, falling asleep, the hedgehog runs the risk of not waking up. If your house is cold, you must definitely insulate the hedgehog's cage, install additional heating, use a soft house or a warm fleece bag. If it’s cold at home, and taking a hedgehog in your hands you see that it does not respond to external stimuli, while the hedgehog breathes (this can be seen visually, or you can bring a mirror to your nose and if it fogs up, then the hedgehog breathes) you need to drop everything your business and start bringing the hedgehog out of hibernation, time goes by for minutes!

If there is no heating source at home, then put the hedgehog on your bare stomach, cover it with your hand, and put a blanket on top. From your body, the hedgehog will begin to warm up, just make sure that the animal has access to fresh air.

Another variant. Wrap the hedgehog in a thick cloth, such as a fleece blanket or terry towel. The fabric must be exactly thick so that the hedgehog does not get burned. We wrap the hedgehog so that only the nose sticks out. Next, we bring it as close as possible to the battery, but do not put it on it, otherwise, God forbid, you will forget and fry the animal. Within a maximum of 20 minutes, the hedgehog should come out of hibernation. Every 2-3 minutes, the hedgehog needs to be turned from one side to the other without turning around. Depending on the "depth" of hibernation and the physical condition of the animal, the hedgehog comes out of suspended animation in a period of time from 5 to 20 minutes.

If you realized it very late, then the hedgehog dies. That is why it is important to know in advance and prevent such situations. Make sure that the temperature in the room where the hedgehog lives does not fall below 23 degrees. And in general, throughout the entire cold season, i.e. from mid-autumn to the end of spring, use warm house options as housing for the hedgehog, as I already said, these are soft fabric houses or a fleece bag with padding polyester. If the hedgehog is hot, he simply will not use it.

Remember that the postponed, though temporary hibernation, will not have the best effect on the condition of the animal, which means do not forget to feed the animal correctly and varied, and include vitamins in the diet. I recommend the Hedgehog Multi-Vitamin. By the way, at the moment these are the only vitamins that are designed specifically for hedgehogs.

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In the article I will consider the conditions of life and reproduction of an insectivorous animal hedgehog. I will list the features of all varieties and their distinctive external characteristics. I will consider what other animals they can hunt with. I'll tell you what they eat, how they spend their winters in hibernation and how many years they live. I will answer the question hedgehog predator or herbivore.

Description of the appearance of an ordinary hedgehog

The common or European hedgehog is a small animal. External characteristics, description and information about the breed:

• The body length of the largest representative of this species reaches 30 cm.
• The weight of an adult individual is not more than 800 grams.
• The body is reliably protected by a shell of needles. Their length is in the range of 2 to 3 cm.
• Elongated muzzle with constantly moist nose.
• The mouth has sharp teeth that allow it to chew on molluscs and insects.
• Small, mobile ears.
• The hind limbs are longer for ease of movement. The animal moves in small steps.
• The color of the fur on the muzzle, legs and belly of ordinary hedgehogs varies from yellowish-white to dark brown.

Varieties

What are hedgehogs and what are they called? Zoology studies 23 species of hedgehogs. The following animals are of interest:

• Common hedgehog.
• the species lives in Asia and has an unusual structure of the hearing aid.
• The oriental hedgehog has a light color of the needles.
• The brown African species snorts and squeals when danger approaches.
• Hedgehog with needles up to 4 cm long.
• The Ethiopian species has an unusual color.
• has unusual stripes on the head.
• Gymnura is a beautiful animal covered with needles and needles.

Habitat

Where do European hedgehogs live and their habitat? The hedgehog can be found in the temperate climates of Asia, Europe and even China. Animals easily adapt to the conditions of Siberia and the Caucasus. They can be found in the Alps.

Mammals prefer to live in clearings or forest edges. They do not live in swampy or coniferous areas. An ordinary hedgehog settles in bushes or grassy areas. The mammal independently builds holes in the soil or tree roots. From this area, hedgehogs do not depart for long distances.

Terms of life in nature and at home

The life expectancy of hedgehogs under normal conditions is from 3 to 5 years. At the same time, it should not have a negative impact on the part of a person.

Lifestyle and nutrition

For the normal existence of a hedgehog, insects, caterpillars and worms must be present in its diet. Additionally, it eats berries, fruits, cereals, mushrooms, acorns and moss. They were met for the absorption of waste in summer cottages. The mammal attacks reptiles and vertebrates. In the northern regions, their diet includes frogs, snakes and lizards. They can steal eggs from nests. During the hunting period, they can eat a third of their own weight at a time.

The animal is accustomed to lead a nocturnal lifestyle. They can walk up to 3 km to search for prey. The mammal is especially active on a cloudy day. From morning to evening the hedgehog sleeps. It curls up into a ball in the nest and is additionally covered with leaves. The hole can be located 20 cm deep into the roots of the tree. Thanks to this, the animal feels completely safe.

Male hedgehogs protect the territory, so they can be aggressive towards other representatives of the species.

When hedgehogs go to bed for the winter

The animal hibernates after gaining the required amount of fat. The process starts from the beginning of the winter period. Before it starts, the animal tightly closes the entrance to the dwelling.

Hedgehogs sleep anxiously and periodically emit fukaning, hissing. When an animal goes to winter, metabolic processes slow down in the body, and the temperature drops by 2 degrees.

The animal always sleeps for 240 days.

In winter, it can leave the nest for a short period of time. Spring for them comes after the consumption of accumulated fat.

Character and habits

If an enemy is encountered on the way of the hedgehog, then he pricks him with needles and curls up into a ball. Thanks to this, the enemy himself stumbles upon the peaks and leaves. The deceptive method is used for hunting. It is not carried out in a pond, because a hedgehog cannot curl up in it.

The animal easily enters into a fight with a snake and confidently wins it. The hedgehog grabs her by the tail and curls up into a ball. Additionally, it was possible to establish that the body of the animal does not react negatively to its poison. A hedgehog cannot be poisoned with acid, arsenic or opium.

In autumn, the mammal begins to store fat for the winter, unless it lives in a warm region. In winter, he has a decrease in the intensity of the heartbeat. If the beast does not accumulate enough fat, then he will not be able to live until spring. His death is inevitable.

The hedgehog fiercely defends its own possessions. They can spread over 10 hectares. If the border is violated by an animal or a person, then the animal begins to sneeze and snort.

Reproduction and care of offspring

The animal enters the mating season in the spring after the end of the cold weather. Males arrange violent fights for females. They bite and push each other. They also use needles to gain victory. The mammal sniffs and snorts loudly to intimidate the enemy. The fight looks cruel, but the males do not inflict serious injuries on each other.

The winner immediately proceeds to courting the female. He begins to walk in circles, puffing and snorting. The process continues for several hours. After its completion, the female lowers the needles and mating begins.

The period of gestation lasts from 5 to 6 weeks.

For offspring, the animal equips a nest. Inside the hedgehog inflicts grass and dry leaves. There can be from 2 to 9 cubs in one litter. For their birth, the period from May to October is considered favorable. If the nest was discovered by other animals or humans, then the female carries the offspring in her teeth.

Hedgehogs are born helpless. They don't have needles or vision. The skin has a light pink color. The weight is within 20 grams, and the length of the body is not more than 7 cm. Soft needles will grow in just a few hours after birth. Over the next 1.5 days, they will turn dark. For a short period of time, they will also be able to see. The period of growth and development in hedgehogs passes quickly.

Mothers will need to warm the offspring in the first hours of life. Babies will learn to roll themselves into a ball only after 11 days. The needles will be fully formed at the end of 3 weeks after the birth of the babies. The female breastfeeds them for 1 month. After this, individuals begin an independent life.

The offspring will turn into adults in two months. In the second year of life, they will become sexually mature in full. In wildlife, individuals live no more than 5 years. However, in a zoo, this period can be extended to 10 years. At the same time, attention is paid to, and optimal conditions for the winter period are created.

The hedgehog is an animal familiar to every inhabitant of our country. He is often the hero of children's fairy tales. He is met while walking through the forest and even within the city. Hedgehogs easily adapt to life around humans and are popular pets these days. The animal is prickly. It can protect itself.

To the question Where and how do hedgehogs hibernate? given by the author ORNI YATAGAH the best answer is



A source:

Answer from User deleted[guru]
they dive to the crayfish and winter together!

Answer from Crazy00[guru]
They dig holes and live in them until spring. This is where the offspring is born.

Answer from Katerinka[guru]
Where do hedgehogs winter? And how do they spend the whole winter?
Hedgehogs, with the advent of autumn, also rebuild their life routine in a new way in accordance with changing conditions.
environment. With lower night temperatures, they appear less and less from their nests - and what should they do in gardens and on
fields on such cold nights. It's time for winter hibernation. Therefore, during rare evening walks, hedgehogs collect dry leaves, grass and other plant material and drag it to their nest, trying to warm it as much as possible. With the onset of frost, the animals tightly close the only inlet connecting them to the outside world from the inside, and fall asleep. The first time before the onset of stable frosty weather, hedgehogs sleep quite sensitively. If disturbed, they wake up, angrily sniff and snort, loudly expressing their displeasure. With a further decrease in temperature, the hedgehog's sleep becomes stronger and stronger, and he falls into a deep stupor - hibernation. During hibernation, the level of metabolism and other life processes is reduced to the minimum limits at which life is still preserved. For example, the body temperature of hedgehogs at this time drops from 33.7° to 1.8°C. In this state, the hedgehog can be up to 240 days. Due to reduced vital activity, an animal can go without food for a long time and thus avoid starvation. An important and decisive role in this is played by a significant amount of fat stored in the body of hedgehogs since summer, which is used to maintain its existence in winter. If in the autumn the hedgehog falls asleep without having accumulated enough fat, then he runs the risk of not waking up in the spring, and dying of hunger during hibernation. With a long autumn, and sometimes winter thaw, hedgehogs can leave the nest, interrupting hibernation, in the hope of finding something to eat. But, convinced of the futility of their attempts and bitterly disappointed, they again take refuge in their cozy nests to wait for better times.

Answer from Yovetik L.[guru]
They go into the cellars. We used to have so many of them falling that in the spring we are tormented to get them out of there))

Answer from Maria S.[guru]
They dig minks for themselves, they are quite deep and hibernate, although I used to think that they fly south to warmer climes))

Answer from Alex[guru]
No, they make a nest of dry leaves in a secluded place, curl up in a ball and fall asleep. For many years, a hedgehog lived in our garage, he wintered under the flooring in a nest of rags and dry leaves.

Answer from Kate. Barefoot))[guru]
In the forest, in the foliage, hibernate

Answer from Anna Moreva[guru]
In adverse conditions, hedgehogs are able to hibernate. European hedgehogs usually go into deep sleep for the whole winter, reacting not so much to the cold as to the lack of food. Some desert subspecies hibernate during the hottest and driest seasons, hiding from overheating in burrows. In this case, they are talking not about winter, but about summer hibernation. During the summer months, the Western European hedgehog often gets fat, almost twice, accumulating reserves of subcutaneous fat for a long winter. With the approach of cold weather, he arranges a warm wintering hole, choosing a convenient place under a barn, in a hedge or a pile of garden debris. The nest is lined with a layer of dry leaves and grass up to 50 cm thick and compacted tightly. Thanks to this, a constant temperature is maintained inside in any frost, never falling below zero.
Hedgehogs willingly arrange their winter quarters under stacks of boards, under low-hanging branches of shrubs, under heaps of turf. You can make life easier for your hedgehog by making a winter shelter for him. This may be a low canopy under which fallen leaves are swept away, or a loose pile of brushwood covered with a layer of foliage. It is only important that no one disturb these places until spring, and it would be good to stretch a wire around them to protect against dogs.

Answer from Lyokha[guru]
Hedgehogs have been having a really hard time lately, winters are warm and they can't hibernate.

Most of us are accustomed to close proximity to our feathered and four-legged friends. People willingly share shelter with parrots and canaries, cats and dogs, ferrets and decorative rodents. There will be a place next to a person for hedgehogs - prickly small and agile forest dwellers, which, with proper care, care and affection, can become wonderful pets. But first things first, and speaking of how to keep a hedgehog at home, you should first find out where hedgehogs come from in the homes of modern animal lovers.

Acquisition issue

You should definitely not fall for the cheap offers of Bird Market sellers. Hedgehogs bought there often turn out to be terminally ill and potentially dangerous to people and other pets.

The question of maintenance and feeding

So, hedgehog at home. What will he need first? Of course, the shelter. It is not recommended to let the new tenant freely explore the apartment. The hedgehog can get tangled in the wires, climb into places where he can’t get out himself, injure himself or ruin valuables. Therefore, the hedgehog is best placed in a cage, preferably a metal or wooden one with a pull-out tray. The option with an aquarium can only be temporary, since the microclimate behind solid glass is detrimental to hedgehogs.

Straw or sawdust can be laid in the cage, there should also be plastic bowls with food and pneumatic drinkers. Hedgehogs do not eat mushrooms and apples at all, but meat and insects. Hedgehogs are carnivores. Therefore, the bulk of their diet should be raw chopped meat.

In nature, hedgehogs also willingly eat snails, caterpillars, all kinds of beetles and earthworms, so after a walk in the forest it is quite possible to treat your pet to its natural food. A good substitute for it can be, for example, a bloodworm. Someone is ready to feed their pets and mice, although there is no great need for this, because at home hedgehogs get everything they need from insects, meat, boiled liver, fresh fish. By getting a pet hedgehog, its owner can simultaneously acquire useful contacts and establish the process of supplying crickets and cockroaches for his pet.

However, a hedgehog will not refuse a carrot or an apple either, and rumors about the passionate love of hedgehogs for milk are by no means exaggerated. Bread soaked in milk can also be given to hedgehogs. It is advisable to clean the cage and feeding area daily to avoid dirt and unpleasant odors.

Anyone who decides to have a hedgehog in their home should know a few facts about the life of these cute, but not the easiest animals to keep at home:

1. Hedgehogs are predators, as mentioned above. Proper nutrition is the key to health and long life.

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2. Hedgehogs are loners. When keeping more than one hedgehog at home, they should be placed in separate cages. The exceptions are young animals and heterosexual couples during the breeding season.

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3. Hedgehogs breed in the spring, shortly after leaving hibernation, but in captivity it is not so easy to get offspring from them. To do this, you need to correctly choose the appropriate period and bring individuals of different sexes together. Hedgehogs are polygamous, “breaking up relationships” does not cause stress for them.

4. Hibernation is one of the most important points that the owner of the hedgehog and other types of hedgehogs should remember. Hedgehogs go into hibernation in the autumn after they have accumulated sufficient fat reserves. Therefore, during this period, the hedgehog must be intensively fed. The arrival of hibernation time (approximately the end of October - the beginning of November) is characterized by periods of lethargy and stupor, noticing which, the owner must provide his pet with a secluded place where the air temperature does not exceed 5 degrees Celsius (for example, on a loggia, in a barn, in an attic or in the garage).

Having piled a bunch of dry leaves, straw, hay, sawdust and rags, you can make a nest for the hedgehog in which he will sleep until spring. In the heat, hedgehogs do not hibernate, but this has a detrimental effect on their health, and by spring, animals that do not hibernate often die. Hibernation is the most mysterious adaptive manifestation in hedgehogs, which under extreme conditions can last over 200 days!

5. The hedgehog is a nocturnal resident, and, unlike, for example, cats, they do not adapt to the regime of their owners. While the owners are sleeping sweetly, the hedgehog is busy with his own business, and this is another reason not to let the hedgehog run freely around the house. At least at night.

The vital activity of hedgehogs differs sharply in the seasons, not only in nature, but also at home.

In nature, with the onset of cold weather, hedgehogs living in Europe and the CIS countries plunge into hibernation. Scientists have long watched animals hibernate to find out why. Most often, the ability of animals to fall into a stupor with the onset of cold weather is associated with the imperfection of thermoregulation. African hedgehogs, not familiar with such cold weather as in Russia, do not hibernate - there is no need.

The active period of life in hedgehogs takes, depending on the environment, from four to seven months. In eared hedgehogs, it is the shortest, and the longest is observed in African hedgehogs, which maintain approximately the same daily routine throughout the year.

For hedgehogs sleeping in winter, the wakefulness period can be divided into three parts: awakening, breeding season and preparation for hibernation. The reproductive period in captivity disappears, and only awakening and preparation for hibernation remain (in captivity, hedgehogs breed extremely rarely). Yes, and they do not always sleep in winter, only if the owner has taken care of maintaining the natural temperature regime. For the most part, indoor hedgehogs are awake in winter, although maintaining a natural regimen is extremely important for their health.

Hibernation is an adaptation of animals to adverse climatic conditions. But hibernation can be caused by other reasons. The reason for hibernation in hedgehogs is mainly the lack of basic food, as well as a decrease in air temperature.

In the warm season, hedgehogs actively accumulate fat and, with the onset of cold weather and the loss of food (insects), hibernate. Fat deposited under the skin and in the internal organs during hibernation is used to maintain body temperature.

For hedgehogs living in nature, a real, long and deep hibernation is characteristic. The body temperature drops sharply (up to two degrees), the number of heartbeats also drops to a minimum. Scientists have calculated that a hedgehog can hibernate for up to 240 days, while during the waking period it cannot do without food for 10 days.

A typical hibernation posture looks like this - the animal curls up into a ball, the paws and nose are pressed against the abdomen, and the tail is pressed against the muzzle. This position reduces heat transfer from hairless or bare areas of the body, and reduces the surface in contact with air. During hibernation, the animal loses weight daily, and by the end of hibernation, the weight loss is approximately 50%.

Observation in captivity shows that the period of wakefulness begins to be punctuated by a series of temporary stupor. The duration of sleep gradually increases, and then deep hibernation sets in.

Especially carefully, hedgehogs need to be fed in the fall so that they accumulate the necessary fat reserve. With the onset of the first cold weather, the animal needs to prepare a special place for hibernation. When by the beginning of November (sometimes - the end of October) the weight of the hedgehog exceeds 750 g, the cage is placed in an unheated cold room with a temperature of 0-5 degrees, put more moss and dry leaves. The hedgehog will burrow into the bedding and fall asleep until spring. But as soon as the cage is moved to a warm room, the hedgehog will wake up.

If a hedgehog is kept warm in winter, it will not hibernate. Activity during this period negatively affects the health of hedgehogs, and in this case, the animal dies by spring.

With the arrival of spring and the onset of warm weather, hedgehogs wake up, and they can be released into nature (in a remote and quiet place, among trees, shrubs and deadwood, and away from roads).