CaliToday (21/10/2025): It’s a sad sight on a cold winter day: a small, spiny body, motionless in a garden or on a roadside path. Your first instinct might be to assume the worst. No one wants to see a dead animal. Your next thought might be to give it a respectful burial or to clear it away.
But from November to March, stop and think again.
That hedgehog you’ve found might not be dead at all. It could be in a deep state of hibernation, and interfering could be a fatal error.
The Great Deception: Hibernation vs. Death
When hedgehogs hibernate, they perform an incredible biological feat to survive the freezing months when their food sources disappear. Their bodies slow down to a state that can be almost indistinguishable from death.
Heart Rate Plummets: Their heart rate can drop by 90%, from a normal 190 beats per minute down to a faint 20.
Breathing Slows: They may take only one or two breaths every few minutes.
Body Temperature Drops: They become cold to the touch, matching the temperature of their surroundings.
This state of suspended animation is a brilliant survival strategy, designed to conserve every last drop of energy. But to the untrained human eye, the hedgehog appears lifeless.
A Desperate Search for Safety
In an ideal world, you’d never see a hibernating hedgehog. They are naturally shy and smart, digging safe, insulated burrows (known as 'hibernacula') under log piles, in dense bushes, or in compost heaps.
However, our modern landscape is making this critical task harder. With shrinking green areas, fewer bushes, and less wooded land, hedgehogs are struggling to find safe places to spend their five-month sleep.
This desperation leads them to make poor choices. Some may crawl into gardens seeking any small amount of warmth or cover. Others, completely exhausted from their search, simply collapse and enter hibernation in shockingly strange and dangerous places: on open lawns, by roadsides, or even on cold pavements. These exposed locations leave them vulnerable to predators, bad weather, and human disturbance.
How You Can Be a Hedgehog Hero
If you find a stationary hedgehog during the cold months, here is what you must do.
Assess the Situation: First, determine if the hedgehog is in immediate danger. Is it in an open area, on a path, or near a road? If it's tucked securely under a shed, in a woodpile, or deep within a leafy border, it is likely fine and should be left completely undisturbed.
Provide a Safe House: If the animal is exposed and vulnerable, you can easily help.
Find a sturdy cardboard box or a plastic storage tub.
Cut a small, hedgehog-sized hole in the side for an entrance.
Fill the box with dry materials like straw, hay, or dry leaves to provide insulation. (Avoid towels or fabric, as they absorb moisture and can freeze).
Gently (wearing gloves to protect both you and the hedgehog), place the animal inside.
Place the box in a dry, safe, and quiet part of your garden—perhaps behind a shed, under a dense bush, or in a sheltered corner where it will not be disturbed.
This simple act provides the dry, secure shelter it was desperately seeking, allowing it to continue its hibernation safely.
Why We Must Protect These Amazing Creatures
This small act of kindness is more important than you might think. Hedgehogs are an endangered species in many areas, and their role in our ecosystem is vital.
They are completely harmless to humans but are a gardener's best friend, feasting on a diet of beetles, snails, slugs, and other common pests.
But their power goes far beyond that. Hedgehogs are nature’s tiny superheroes:
Pest Destroyers: They will actively hunt and destroy mice nests.
Fearless Hunters: They eat frogs, lizards, and even snakes, including venomous ones like adders.
Sting-Proof: Hedgehogs are not afraid of bees or wasps. They can easily destroy a hornet's nest and eat its inhabitants, calmly ignoring the furious stings of the defenders.
A Scientific Mystery: Scientists have long been fascinated by the hedgehog's incredible immunity to strong poisons. Their ability to survive potent insect and snake venom is an "antidote phenomenon" that is still not fully understood.
When you see a hedgehog in the cold, remember you are looking at a fragile, endangered, and truly remarkable animal. It costs nothing to help such a vital creature.
Let's be kind to animals.