As of: October 29, 2025 2:07 p.m
At the “Igelhilfe Lüneburger Heide” many baby hedgehogs are currently being pepped up. They are weakened and malnourished – partly because the mother animals cannot find enough food.
Dinner time for Hippo: The little hedgehog is just as big as a human hand and weighs only 131 grams – not enough to survive on his own. He was found on a street. There was no trace of his mother. “A baby leaves the nest with its mother weighing around 250 grams. All those smaller were probably abandoned by their mother,” says Cordula Maria Kellner. She runs the “Igelhilfe Lüneburger Heide” in Jelmstorf (Uelzen district). Hippo is now being pepped up there.
Insect deaths cause food shortages
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According to the Lower Saxony Nature Conservation Association (Nabu), one reason for the many weakened young animals could be a lack of food. The decline in insect diversity has a noticeable impact on insect-eating animals such as hedgehogs. When the natural food supply dwindles, hedgehogs have to travel further distances to find enough food. According to Nabu, they use more energy, are exposed to increased stress and have a greater risk of having an accident in traffic. In the worst case, mother animals can no longer feed their children and abandon them. According to Nabu, initial indications suggest that more hedgehog young animals will be dependent on human help this autumn and winter – but it cannot be said exactly at this point.
Parasites become a burden for hedgehogs
When helping hedgehogs, the animals are weighed every day – weight is an important indication of health.
Kellner and her team take care of up to 450 hedgehogs per year on a voluntary basis. The station is certified by the veterinary office. A doctor even carries out operations on animals here if they have been injured by robotic lawnmowers, for example. The animals are housed in boxes with their own retreat full of toilet paper as a clean substitute for leaves. She can use the excrement to better assess the animal’s health, says Kellner. Many animals struggle with parasites. But right now she is particularly worried about the young animals like hippos, which are often only a few days old. More and more of them are bringing people to their station.
Nabu: Only take hedgehogs into care in an emergency
The Nabu in Lower Saxony refers to the Federal Nature Conservation Act. Accordingly, hedgehogs should only be taken into human care in absolute emergencies, such as an injury or illness. That’s why it’s important to observe the animal closely, says Bärbel Rogoschik from Nabu. “Is he running in circles? Is he injured? Does he have fly eggs or maggots between his spines? Does he feel cold? Then he needs help immediately,” says Rogoschik. In such cases you should contact a veterinarian, a hedgehog rescue center or the Nabu Species Conservation Center.
Fewer hedgehogs in Lower Saxony
The hedgehog is now considered critically endangered. In order to better protect the predominantly nocturnal animals, many municipalities have already ordered a night driving ban for robotic lawnmowers. Nabu is also critical of the use of leaf blowers. These would not only stir up leaves, but also carry away insects and small creatures. A pile of leaves under bushes or on beds, however, quickly becomes a valuable winter quarters for hedgehogs, beetles and butterfly larvae.
Goal: Every hedgehog should be released into the wild healthy
For Cordula Maria Kellner, helping animals is a matter close to her heart. She has been running the “Igelhilfe Lüneburger Heide” for 15 years. This is organized in a non-profit association and is financed through donations. Kellner and her team want to offer the hedgehogs a temporary home. The goal is to release every hedgehog back into the wild healthy. If this doesn’t work before winter, the animals can also stay in their “hibernation house”.
