hedgehog

Under the floor

After its nightly food hunt the hedgehog is headed home to suckle its young in a nest under the floor of a barn. A house mouse lives next door.

Brief encounter

The male and female meet only to mate, which takes place during the spring after hibernating. In a nest concealed in a heap of leaves and grass, the female gives birth to the young. They are blind when they come into the world in early summer.

Lone mother

The female looks after the young without any help from the male, providing them with care and milk for the first three weeks. They then follow her about for several more weeks, after which they part company and the young are on their own.