"Right now, we've got 23 hedgehogs in our care, and they'll be staying with us for the winter," Siilipusa director Anneli Sinirand said on ETV's "Terevisioon" on Thursday.

She said that the type of injuries the spiny animals sustain can vary widely, ranging from dog bites in spring to injuries caused by grass trimmers and lawnmowers over the summer. Hedgehogs can get stuck in fences too.

"95 percent of hedgehogs end up here with us due to human causes," Sinirand noted. "Our most recent arrival was a hedgehog that had been hit by a grass trimmer."

This year, the rescue took in three pregnant hedgehogs, two of which had been bitten by dogs; all three gave birth at the hedgehog rescue.

"They were in really bad shape, but with our help, they were able to raise their young," she said. Of all the hedgehogs the rescue has taken in this year, around 70 have been babies.

Leaf litter nests

According to the rescue director, most hedgehogs are already hibernating for the winter – or taking shorter naps.

"They may wake up in the meantime too, when the weather warms up," she explained. She added that it's smaller hedgehogs still trying to eat as much as possible before winter that tend to stay up longer.

Sinirand said that it's helpful for people to have dry spots around their yards where hedgehogs can take suitable nesting material and possibly tuck in for the winter.

"So that there's no risk of them being disturbed," she noted. "Like under sheds, under outbuildings. Hedgehogs actually make good use of hedgerows too. They're really good at digging into the ground and covering themselves with suitable [nesting] material."

People should be especially careful when it comes to garden materials, including piles of leaves.

"If you rake up [leaf litter] today and plan to take it to the dump or bag it up tomorrow, a hedgehog may have already made a nest or gone to sleep in there overnight," the hedgehog rescue chief warned. "Right now we have to be really careful when removing leaf litter that has been sitting for a while. The same goes for leaf bags too, as hedgehogs may dig their way into them."

Anyone with an outbuilding that has been left open all summer should make sure before closing it up for the winter that no hedgehogs have found their way in there.

"Absolutely do not give a hedgehog milk!" Sinirand stressed. "But you can give hedgehogs extra food right now, like dry food containing poultry, or dry cat food."

She added that no one should be quick to bring any hedgehogs indoors either, urging folks to consult with the appropriate specialists first if needed.

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