New Beginings

The hedgehog breeding season for hedgehogs in Scotland is from May to September, though this can vary slightly depending on the weather.  The gestation period is 30 to 40 days.  Female hedgehogs can have two litters of hoglets within a breeding season, in May or June and again in August or September.  Litters vary in size form one hoglet to as many as eight hoglets.

If a hedgehog is threatened or distressed around the time of giving birth, there is a very real risk the mother hedgehog may desert or kill her babies.  This is also the reason that captive breeding of hedgehogs is rarely successful.

Hedgehogs tend to be very good at rearing their young and they do so with out any assistance from the father.  A hedgehog recognises her babies by their scent and if the nest is disturbed or touched by humans the mother may abandon the nest and her babies.

Hoglets will stay with their mother until they are fully weaned at around 41 days.  Whilst being fed by their mother the hoglets will receive antibodies from their mother’s milk. Between six and eight weeks of age the youngsters leave the nest and are completely independent of their mother, who shows no further interest in the youngsters.  By now they will have learned to find food and must gain sufficient weight before the winter to enable them to hibernate successfully.  A hedgehog needs to weigh at least 600g to survive Hibernation.  This is a big problem for hoglets born in second litters late on in breeding season.  Some youngsters are orphaned when their mother goes into Hibernation before they are completely weaned.  Without human intervention these autumn juveniles will sadly have no chance of survival.

Surviving hoglets will lead solitary lives with little interaction with other hedgehogs, even siblings.  Fighting is rare.  Youngsters reach sexual maturity between eight and twelve months of age.