Babies Maximum Ammount
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How many hogs do the female
Hedgehogs produce at one time:
9 weeks ago mum came, them 3 nights ago 3 hogs; Then that same night heard a squeal and a bang against the shed; the following evening I counted 5 possible 6 in total : what shall I feed them ? I haven’t seen mum yet!!!!
How do I submit photos please :Hi, I think they can have maybe 7-8 babies in a litter, but they’re doing well to get more than three or so old enough to be independent. So the five or six hoglets you have seen are probably from two or more litters, especially if they are wandering around without their mum.
You can offer them meaty dog or cat food (there’s also hedgehog food but dog or cat food is easier to get) and please make sure they have access to water- a shallow bowl like a plant saucer is perfect for this.
Gosh that’s a good number. Does sound like 2 litters and perhaps the bang was mum pushing some of the other litter, though adults do seem very tolerant of hoglets. I have two hoglets and several adults that often let them feed as a priority. Mum is still around with them though they are becoming more independent and appearing earlier than the adults – tonight it was 7.30pm. I am feeding them Kitten biscuits from Purina (the pink bag) they gobble them. Lots of water too as Kitty878 mentioned. Good luck
Hi Poll69
From Hedgehogs by Pat Morris:
“the average family size is about four or five, although some females have six or even seven babies. …… It is … unlikely that all of those young would survive. A more realistic expectation would be that the average mother manages to rear two, perhaps three babies per season”
So whilst it’s possible for them all to be the same family, it seems unlikely. But hoglets do seem to mingle quite readily (i.e. in feeding areas), even ones of different ages, so they could easily be from different mothers. It would be almost impossible to tell if they were related from looking at them as one litter could have more than one Father, so they could easily be quite disimilar in appearance.
If they are old enough to be going it alone, you can offer them the same food that you would offer an adult hog – cat or dog food or cat/kitten biscuits. Water is best left available all day every day. Shallow but wide plant saucers are ideal for that, but make sure they are not so deep that a hoglet could become trapped in them.
You can submit photos to the gallery. Accessed via home page or https://www.hedgehogstreet.org/gallery/ Once images are on the gallery, you should be able to include the link in a post on the Forum. Alternatively, if they are already somewhere else on the internet you can add them with a link.
Good luck and happy hog watching!
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