The hedgehog in my garden looks like it’s had one too many

Can hedgehogs (or animals in general) get drunk from eating rotting/fermenting fruit?

A: Possibly, although it is more likely that the hedgehog is sick. We have seen elsewhere on the site that severe dehydration can lead a hedgehog to both daytime activity and a ‘drunken-like’ staggering. In effect, any hedgehog found out during the daytime (excluding a couple of hours either side if dark) and especially those found to be staggering should be provisioned with veterinary care at the first available opportunity. However, dehydration aside, the scientific literature is replete with references animals exhibiting symptoms we typically associate with having too much alcohol to drink. Moreover, a quick search string of “drunk animal” entered into video-sharing websites will bring up numerous home videos of many different species, from domestic dogs and cats to warthogs, squirrels and elephants who are acting in a way construed as being “drunken”.