Imagine: a summer evening, you step out on the porch with a cup of tea and suddenly see a little gray spiky ball scurrying along the path. A hedgehog! In your garden. This is not just a cute encounter. It's a whole event for a hobby gardener and a naturalist. But what to do next? Be happy, feed it, or carefully shoo it away? Let's figure it out.

Who is the garden hedgehog

Most often, the common hedgehog is found in gardens in the middle latitudes of Russia. This is an animal weighing between 600 grams and a kilogram and a half, with a body length up to 30 centimeters. Its main weapon and protection are the spines, of which there can be up to five thousand. Each spine is hollow inside, with a muscle that raises it in case of danger. In a calm state, the spines lie along the body, and the hedgehog looks like a fluffy creature. But if a dog or a fox gets close — the hedgehog immediately rolls into a ball, the spines stand on end, and it's painful to touch it.

The hedgehog is a nocturnal animal. During the day, he sleeps in a secluded place: under tree roots, in a pile of twigs, or in an old burrow. And with the onset of dusk, he goes out to hunt. And that's where the most interesting things begin. Contrary to children's fairy tales, the hedgehog does not carry apples and mushrooms on his spines. This is a myth. In fact, it is a predator. Its natural diet is beetles, caterpillars, snails, earthworms, snails. And that's why the hedgehog is the best friend of a gardener.

Why is a hedgehog in the garden a good thing

If you are fighting snails that eat up cabbage and strawberries, the hedgehog will be your ally. He can eat up to 200 grams of insects and mollusks in one night. The Colorado beetle? The hedgehog doesn't turn his nose up at it either. The potato bug? Also on the menu. The larvae of the May beetle that bore into the roots? The hedgehog digs them out of the ground with amazing perseverance. So this spiky creature is a natural sanitarian who works for free and around the clock (or rather, around the night).

In addition, the hedgehog loosens the soil. When he is looking for earthworms and larvae, he digs in the ground, improving its structure. And at the same time, he doesn't spoil the lawn like a mole. The traces of the hedgehog's activity are small ditches up to five centimeters deep, which quickly close up. In general, the hedgehog is useful, silent, and ecological. The ideal neighbor for a dacha dweller who doesn't use chemicals on the site.

How to understand that a hedgehog has settled in your garden

The signs are not complicated. In the morning, you find small black shiny berries — this is the hedgehog's excrement (similar to large raisins, please excuse the naturalism). On the paths, there are small holes — signs of night feeding. Sometimes you can hear hissing and the sound of footsteps behind the wall of the pavilion or under the porch. At night, if you sit quietly on a bench, you can hear the hedgehog snorting and picking his paws. And if you're lucky, he will come out into the open space, and you will see his shadow against the moon. A magical sight.

Mistakes of kind-hearted hosts

The biggest mistake is to put a bowl of milk. Milk is a poison for a hedgehog. Adult hedgehogs do not have an enzyme that breaks down lactose. Milk causes severe diarrhea, dehydration, and within a few days, the animal may die. The second mistake is to feed it sweet things: cookies, candies, bread. Sugar destroys the hedgehog's teeth and ruins his stomach. The third mistake is to leave old nets, ropes, and pieces of film on the site. A hedgehog gets tangled in them and dies. The fourth is to try to pick up the animal with bare hands. The hedgehog is not aggressive, but the spines can prick. And if he bites — it's painful and then it swells. The fifth is to take the hedgehog home to the apartment. This is a wild animal. In the house, he will suffer from stress, won't sleep in winter, and will most likely die.

The best care is not to interfere. Remove dangerous objects, don't feed harmful things, leave access to water (clean water in a bowl, no milk). And watch from a distance.

How to feed correctly

If you still want to feed the hedgehog (for example, during a dry summer when there are few worms), do it correctly. The best food is dry or wet cat food without sauces, pieces of boiled chicken without salt, quail eggs, minced boiled meat. You can buy special food for insectivores at a pet store. Put the food in the evening when the hedgehog wakes up. And definitely next to it — a bowl of clean water. Feed at the same time, then the hedgehog will get used to it and come exactly for dinner. The main rule: don't overfeed. A fat hedgehog does not survive winter well.

How does the hedgehog spend winter

In the fall, when it gets cold, the hedgehog starts looking for a place for hibernation. He chooses a dry secluded place: a pile of leaves, an old log with a hole, an empty space under the boards. He fills it with dry grass and moss, rolls into a ball, and falls asleep from October to November to March to April. In sleep, his body temperature drops from 34 to 2 degrees. His heart beats at 6-8 beats per minute. He breathes once every few minutes. He can wake up only from strong heat. If you accidentally find a sleeping hedgehog while cleaning the garden — don't touch it. If the animal wakes up in winter — it will die. Carefully cover it with leaves and go away.

Dangers for the hedgehog in the garden

Unfortunately, the garden for the hedgehog is not only a dining room but also a battlefield. The main enemies are dogs and cats. A dog can bite the hedgehog, tearing the ball apart. A cat can injure it with its claws. The second danger is the lawn mower and the trimmer. Every year, hundreds of hedgehogs die under the blades because they can't run away in time. Always walk around the site before mowing and check if there is a hedgehog in the tall grass. The third danger is chemicals. Snail baits and insecticides that you scatter on the beds get into the hedgehog's body through the snails and beetles it eats. The animal is poisoned and dies. The fourth is open holes, concrete wells, swimming pools without a ramp. The hedgehog falls and can't get out.

Make your garden safe: fence off dangerous places, remove chemicals, mow carefully. And the hedgehog will thank you with a rich harvest without snails.

What to do if you find a wounded or sick hedgehog

What to do if you see a hedgehog during the day? A normal hedgehog sleeps during the day. If he is walking through the grass at noon, listless, staggering, or if there are visible wounds — he is sick. Don't take him with your bare hands, wear thick gloves. Put him in a box with rags and hay. Give him water with a syringe. And immediately contact the wildlife rehabilitation center — there are such centers in many regions. Don't try to treat yourself. Hedgehogs have many specific diseases (tick-borne borreliosis, capillariasis), which are also dangerous for humans. After contact with a sick hedgehog, wash your hands thoroughly with soap.

The hedgehog and the law

The common hedgehog is not listed in the Red Book of Russia, but in some regions — in regional red books. For example, in the Moscow Region, the hedgehog is protected. This means that you cannot catch, kill, or keep a hedgehog at home without permission. The fine is up to several tens of thousands of rubles. So if a hedgehog comes to your garden on his own — it's his right. And your right is to be happy and create safe conditions for him. No more than that.

Why is a hedgehog a joy

Finally and most importantly: a hedgehog in the garden is a sign of a healthy ecosystem. If there are hedgehogs on your site, it means you use little chemistry, don't burn grass, leave wild nature corners. It is an honor for a gardener. In addition, observing hedgehogs soothes the nerves. In the era of eternal haste, to sit on the porch in the evening with a flashlight, listen to the snorting and watch as the spiky ball diligently explores the beds — the best medicine for urban stress. And children are thrilled. Start a tradition: go out to look at the "hedgehog path" in June in the evening. It's cheaper than an aquarium, more fun than a TV, and much more ecological.

So don't chase the hedgehog. He's not an enemy, but a helper and a neighbor. Give him a little space, don't use chemicals to kill snails, remove wires and ropes. And if you're lucky and he wants to — he will come to you on the light of the lantern. And then your dacha life will become a little more magical.

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