Hedgehogs: being cared for by Scottish SPCA Pic: &Copy SSPCA
Ten hedgehogs being cared for by the Scottish SPCA at its Wildlife Rescue Centre in Fife have been put on a strict diet after carers noticed that the animals had put on too much weight over the winter.
The hedgehogs gained the weight after severe weather conditions meant they had to spend longer than normal in the animal charity's care.
Centre Manager Colin Seddon said: "We've had quite a number of hedgehogs coming into our care this winter and if they hadn't been rescued there's a very good chance that they would not have survived the extreme cold.
"It's due to this adverse weather that we haven't been able to release any hogs and instead we've kept them here, warm in their enclosures.
"The combination of readily available food and a lack of exercise over an extended period of time has resulted in a few of our hedgehogs becoming a bit on the chubby side.
"If they get too fat there is a danger that they will encounter the same health risks as overweight humans, plus rolls of fat will make it difficult for them to curl into a tight ball, which is their only defence from predators.
"None of them are at that stage yet, so the diet is a preventative measure, to get them to the right weight to be released fit and healthy into the wild."
Hedgehogs hibernate through the winter months to survive the harsh weather when insects, their main food source, are in short supply.
Their body temperature and heart rate drop the hedgehog survives solely on its fat reserves.
