Hi Hoglet
I know you are trying to help the hedgehogs, but mealworms don’t have good nutritional value for hedgehogs at any time of year. By feeding them mealworms, you may be encouraging them to eat those rather than something more nutritious, including natural foods they can find in the ‘wild’ during the Summer months. Please see the following regarding the dangers of mealworms.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZ7Y3a4vgqU
It is really good that you have lots places for all the hedgehogs to go, but it isn’t safe to assume that because some of the hedgehogs didn’t hibernate last year that the hoglets this year will not try do so. Underweight hoglets may try to hibernate and then not have sufficient weight to survive. They may continue to come for food and they may not. So I agree, keep leaving food out, for any late hibernators – and all winter if you wish (it is quite common for there to be hoglets still around quite a long time after adults have gone to hibernate, but that doesn’t mean they won’t hibernate they just might hibernate later). With the very small underweight hoglets, it is likely that they won’t survive if they do try to hibernate. So if any of the hoglets are very small – under 450g they will probably need ‘rescuing’. Please see: http://www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk/pdf/Hibernation-Weight.pdf
Hibernation is not related purely to food availability. Whilst some hedgehogs don’t hibernate, I believe that is the exception rather than the rule.
Good luck with the hoglets there. I hope they survive the winter one way or another.
