This summer’s dry weather made life very difficult for lots of wild mammals because their natural water supplies dried up.

This may have affected the breeding capability of some species, and the number of young being born and surviving, or caused a delay in breeding.

The latter seems to be the case with hedgehogs and we’ve had several juvenile hogs brought to us in the last couple of weeks (like little Tink, pictured), more than we would normally see at this time of year, which means that they have been born later than usual.

This is a problem for hedgehogs because they need to be a certain body weight before they can hibernate, which they normally do in November through until March. The juveniles we have seen have been around 200gms in weight, which is a long way off the 500gms they need to be before hibernation.

If you find a small hedgehog at this time of year, especially during day light hours when it should be asleep, it will need some help. Please place it in a ventilated box with rolled up newspaper or leaves for it to hide under, and put a hot water bottle underneath one half of the box. This way the hog has a choice between a heated or a cooler environment. Please also supply the hog with a small bowl of dog or cat food (not the fish variety) but do not give it milk. This will keep the little creature comfortable for a few hours.

If you are able to weigh the hog to confirm it is below the 500gm target, then that would be useful, but if in any doubt please bring it to us here at Ard Jerkyll.

We have pens that can accommodate underweight hedgehogs during the winter months. They are not heated which helps the hogs to go into semi-hibernation, causing them to slow down and spend more time sleeping, but they can still eat and drink periodically and continue to gain weight.

Come the spring we will release the hedgehogs into a safe environment, and provide them with food for as long as they need it.

If you want to attract more hedgehogs to your garden, either because you want to observe these magical creatures or because you want some help controlling slug and snail numbers, then there are several things you can do:

- Create a wild area where leaves and logs can pile up, making an ideal hiding spot for hedgehogs

- Make sure you have hedgehog-sized holes in the bottom of your garden fence so that it forms part of a ’hedgehog highway’

- Don’t use slug pellets

- Cover drains.

If you are lucky enough to have hedgehogs to your garden you will need to take extra care when strimming and using garden forks; and if you’re stock-piling wood for a bonfire in a few weeks’ time be prepared to check it thoroughly in case a hedgehog is buried inside. Ideally, the pile of wood should be removed to a completely new site on the day of the bonfire, so maybe think about your stock-pile being in a spot that is a few metres from where you’ll ultimately be lighting the fire.

If you come across an injured hedgehog then please wrap it carefully in a towel or place it in a box, and take it straight to a vet. The vet will treat the hedgehog free of charge and provide the emergency treatment it needs.

And if you are interested in helping a juvenile hedgehog through the winter by accommodating one in your garage or shed, please contact Jane Gregory on [email protected] for more information.