Imagine: a summer evening, you step out onto the porch with a cup of tea and suddenly see a small, gray, prickly ball scurrying along the path. A hedgehog! In your garden. This is not just a nice 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

The common hedgehog is most often found in gardens in the middle belt of Russia. It's a creature weighing from 600 grams to one and a half kilograms, with a body length up to 30 centimeters. Its main weapon and protection are its spines, which number 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 as soon as a dog or a fox approaches, the hedgehog instantly 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, it sleeps in a secluded place: under tree roots, in a pile of twigs, or in an old burrow. And with the onset of dusk, it goes out for a 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 its spines. It's a myth. In fact, it's a predator. Its natural diet is beetles, caterpillars, snails, earthworms, and snails. And that's why the hedgehog is the best friend of a gardener.

Why is a hedgehog in the garden good

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

Moreover, the hedgehog aerates the soil. When he looks for earthworms and larvae, he digs in the ground, improving its structure. And at the same time, he doesn't damage the lawn as much as the mole does. The traces of hedgehog 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 owner who doesn't poison the plot with chemicals.

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 feces (excuse the naturalism). On the paths, you can see small holes — the traces of night feeding. Sometimes you can hear whistling and 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 pawing. And if you're lucky, he will come out into an 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 plate of milk. Milk is a poison for a hedgehog. Adult hedgehogs do not have an enzyme that breaks down lactose. From milk, the creature starts having severe diarrhea, dehydration, and can die within a few days. The second mistake is to feed it sweet things: cookies, candies, bread. Sweetness destroys the hedgehog's teeth and ruins its stomach. The third mistake is to leave old nets, ropes, and pieces of film on the plot. The hedgehog gets tangled in them and dies. The fourth is to try to take the creature in your hands. The hedgehog is not aggressive, but its spines can prick. And if it bites — it's painful and then it swells. The fifth is to take the hedgehog home to your apartment. This is a wild animal. At home, it 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 observe 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, chopped 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 be sure to put a bowl of clean water nearby. Feed at the same time, so the hedgehog will get used to it and come exactly for dinner. The main rule: don't overfeed. A fat hedgehog doesn't survive winter well.

How a hedgehog spends winter

In the fall, when it gets cold, the hedgehog starts looking for a place for winter hibernation. He chooses a dry, secluded place: a pile of leaves, an old log with a hollow, a gap 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. While sleeping, 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 creature wakes up in winter — it will die. Carefully cover it with leaves and go away.

Dangers for hedgehogs in the garden

Unfortunately, the garden is not only a dining table for a hedgehog 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 plot 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 creature is poisoned and dies. The fourth danger is open holes, concrete wells, pools without a ramp. The hedgehog falls in 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 it wanders through the grass at noon, looks weak, staggers, or has visible wounds — it is sick. Don't take it in your hands, wear thick gloves. Put it in a box with rags and hay. Give it water with a syringe. And immediately contact a wildlife rehabilitation center — they exist in many regions. Don't try to treat it yourself. Hedgehogs have many specific diseases (tick-borne borreliosis, capillariasis) that are also dangerous to 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 it is forbidden to 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 its own — that's its right. And your right is to be happy and create safe conditions for it. No more than that.

Why is a hedgehog joy

Finally and most importantly: a hedgehog in the garden is a sign of a healthy ecosystem. If there are hedgehogs on your plot, it means you use little chemicals, don't burn grass, leave wild nature in the corners. It is an honor for a gardener. Moreover, watching hedgehogs calms the nerves. In the era of eternal hustle, 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 delighted. Start a tradition: go out to look at the "hedgehog trail" in June at night. 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 poison snails with chemicals, remove wires and ropes. And if he wants to and comes to you — he will come out to you on the light of the flashlight. And then your dacha life will become a little more magical.

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