Cold, hungry and abandoned by their hibernating mothers, these baby hedgehogs are among thousands left to fend for themselves this winter.
Animal charities are being inundated with reports of young hedgehogs wandering around in a daze instead of hibernating.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]They blame long, hot summer for disrupting the creatures' lifecyle, leading to some breeding long into autumn and producing an extra brood of young.
Babies are usually born early enough to build up enough body fat to see them through hibernation, but those born late in the year have little reserves - leaving them at the mercy of winter.
Usually nature takes it course, with the frailest babies dying from the cold before December sets in. But, this year's mild November weather means the most fragile are still alive.
But, while they might be alive, they are far from well. Many are suffering from hypothermia - and it is feared thousands will die before winter is out.
The animals pictured are among hundreds of hedgehogs given sanctuary at Tiggywinkles wildlife hospital in Buckinghamshire.
There, a combination of first aid and tender loving care will ensure they are strong enough to make it through the winter.
As young as four weeks' old and weighing as little as four ounces, the babies are kept warm indoors in individual cages, each equipped with a blanket for snuggling under.
More than 40 staff are on hand to feed them and muck them out and dispense medicines including worming tablets.
When they reach their target weight of 1lb 5oz, they will be transferred to outdoor pens, before being 'fostered' by friendly householders, who will let them hibernate in their gardens.
The youngest, however, are unlikely to put on enough weight to survive the winter sleep, and so will be kept warm and awake all winter, before release in the spring.
Tiggywinkes' founder Les Stocker said: "We have got hedgehogs everywhere. Every nook and cranny has got a hedgehog in it.
"We've got between 400 and 500 and are taking in around 20 a day.
"There's nothing for them to eat and they seem to know they haven't got enough weight to go into hibernation, so they are confused."
Fay Vass, of the British Hedgehog Preservation Society, said the desperate search for food drives the normally nocturnal creatures to forage during the day.
"If they are hypothermic, they often stagger around and look as if they are drunk," she said.
"Sometimes people think hedgehogs are sunbathing but this is another sign of hypothermia.
"They spread themselves out to try to get some warmth from any sunlight we might have left."
Anyone who sees a young hedgehog in distress should take it inside and provide it with warmth and food before contacting an animal charity for advice.
Suitable foods include tinned cat or dog food, banana, raisins and crushed digestive biscuits.
While hedgehogs like milk, it can cause diarrhoea, leading to dehydration and death.
Britain's hedgehog population is already in crisis, with numbers halving in recent years.
Road deaths, attacks by badgers and modern farming practices are blamed for numbers dropping from around 1.5million to 750,000 in just six years.
The balmy weather, which is likely to culminate in this year being named the hottest ever, has also affected the lifecycle of a host of other animals and plants.
In the spring, blue tits began nesting nine days earlier than usual, while in the summer waterways become clogged with algae and green duckweed, reservoirs dried up and tar melted on the roads as temperatures peaked at 36.5C.
Anyone concerned about the welfare of a young hedgehog should contact Tiggywinkles on 01844 292292 or the British Hedgehog Preservation Society on 01584 890801.
Mon Feb 11, 2013 4:02 pm
