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Hedgehogs in Moscow are getting ready for hibernation and are trying to build up their fat reserves before the cold weather sets in. Therefore, if an animal is not injured and does not need help, it should not be touched. This was warned by the Moscow Department of Nature Management and Environmental Protection.
"If you encounter a hedgehog somewhere on the edge of a forest, in a clearing, in a park, on a path by a river, or even on a garden plot, do not touch it and do not take it home," says a message on the department's website.
According to experts, before the onset of cold weather, the hedgehog must have time to hide in a shelter and fall into hibernation until spring. And for this, it needs to bring its weight to about 750 grams. Then there will be enough energy for the cold months.
"Hedgehogs willingly eat beetles, earthworms, and readily consume slugs, snails, and even mice. Hedgehogs are real predators. Contrary to myths, they do not eat apples, but search for worms and larvae inside the fruits. There is no point in feeding them, and by the way, hedgehogs cannot drink milk. Now the main thing is not to interfere with hedgehogs hunting and not to disrupt their seasonal rhythm of life," the department noted.
Experts also strongly urge not to take a hedgehog home if it is not injured and does not need help.
"If you keep a hedgehog indoors and then release it outside in the cold, it can harm it. If you do not interfere with it, it will calmly consume the necessary amount of food, build up fat, and hibernate until April. Interestingly, in a state of hibernation, a hedgehog's body temperature drops to 2 degrees Celsius, its heart rate slows down, and its metabolism slows down. Everything will change in the spring when the sun warms the air and the earth. It will wake up and come out of hiding," the specialists said.
It is important to remember that a hedgehog is a wild animal, it is better not to disturb it, not to pick it up, not to try to pet it, to avoid being pricked by needles and bites. Like any animal, it can be a carrier of infections, even if it looks healthy.
"If you are walking a dog, keep it on a leash. It can attack a hedgehog and get injured itself," the message says.
Specialists also emphasize that hedgehogs in a normal state do not sleep outside of shelters.
"If you notice a sleeping hedgehog on an open surface, it most likely feels bad. If the hedgehog is sick, injured, or in danger, you should call the Moscow Government Unified Information Service hotline at +7 495 777-77-77," the message says.
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