Hi daffydill
Don’t forget that many of the females have had hoglets to contend with. It takes a lot out of a Mother hog feeding the youngsters. i.e. Pat Morris writes in ‘Hedgehogs’ talking about when the hoglets wander off alone:
“At this stage they weigh about 250 grams, 10 times their weight at birth. From conception to weaning is ony about 2 months. In that time each baby has been fed mainly by milk from its mother. She has had to provide enough nourishment for the ‘manufacture’ and maintenance of over a kilo of baby hedgehogs (more than her own weight) as well as herself. It must be a tremendous strain and is hardly surprising that 20 per cent of the young don’t make it. ….
So she will need to make up for that effort. That is why female hogs tend to hibernate later than males. She has to wait until the hoglets go it alone before concentrating on herself.
But re. courting – some females will keep a male waiting until she finishes eating before engaging in any courtship activities. The ‘gentleman’ hogs will usually wait until she finishes – but not all of them are so patient. It sometimes almost looks as if she’s saying ‘leave me alone – I WANT TO EAT!’
Yes, I agree, hedgehogs are endlessly fascinating!
