Hedgehogs are struggling to hit target weights and survive hibernation due to mild temperatures this winter.
The slightly warmer winter has meant that hedgehogs are giving birth later than usual, leaving them little time to hit the healthy weight of five hundred grams. Some hedgehogs are barely hitting three hundred grams giving them little chance to survive the hibernation period.
Charities such as the RSPCA and The British Hedgehog Preservation Society, are working extremely hard this winter to ensure that the hoglets are in a healthy enough condition to thrive independently.
The RSPCA have recommended that any unwell or malnourished hedgehogs should be taken to local wildlife hospitals or wildlife handlers, however, hedgehogs between three hundred and five hundred grams can be temporarily cared for by the public. They can be housed indoors, and fed two heaped tablespoons of food every day, until they hit five hundred grams, before being released back into the wild to hibernate.
For more information about the care of hedgehogs or numbers to call, please visit the RSPCA website.