Guernsey Hedgehog Rescue Centre | What is Hibernation?

WHAT IS HIBERNATION?

Photograph taken at the Guernsey Hedgehog Rescue Centre by William Watling

Hibernation is when an animal passes the winter in a dormant state, when the body temperature falls, the metabolic rate reduces, and so energy consumption is at its lowest.

The triggers that cause hedgehogs to hibernate are cold and a lack of food, and males are thought to hibernate first, although they will wake up earlier than females.

Hedgehogs have two sorts of fat, brown and white - the white fat (which is about 1/3 the total body fat just before hibernation) supplies the energy during hibernation, while the brown fat supplies the energy used when the hedgehog may wake up for brief periods during the winter, and when the hedgehog comes out of hibernation in the spring.

If the hedgehog does not have sufficient fat stores, it will not survive hibernation - hedgehogs should weigh at least 700 grams (about 1 & 1/2 lbs) if they are to hibernate successfully.

Hedgehogs sleep in a nest or hibernaculum - the hedgehog brings grass and leaves to its nesting site, builds a pile and then burrows inside and turns round and round packing the leaves flat and ending up with walls up to 10cm thick. A new nest is built in this way every winter.

Hibernating hedgehogs are occasionally found by people working in their gardens - they may look dead, but they are not!

If you find a hog like this, please contact the centre - if it is a good weight it may be best to leave it where it is, but if it is a small one, the centre will take it. It seems that these hogs take several days to wake up properly, but then they are fine and eat well - if they are too small and are left to hibernate, they might not survive until spring.

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