How to effectively increase the litter rate in hedgehog farming

In regions where the false hibernation period is relatively short, hedgehogs can produce 2 litters every year; in places where the false hibernation period is long, they produce 1 litter per year. To ensure that domestic hedgehogs produce 2 litters per year, farms (households) that build breeding pens indoors should start heating with a stove indoors in February. When the room temperature rises above 15°C, the hedgehogs will end their false hibernation and come out to move about and forage. Ending false hibernation early prolongs the hedgehogs' activity and feeding period, which is beneficial to their gonadal development and allows them to breed earlier in spring. When a female hedgehog ends lactation early, she can enter the physical recovery period before the next round of breeding earlier, which is beneficial to gonadal development before the next breeding cycle and ensures 2 litters within the current year. Therefore, for farms (households) with outdoor pens, in February, plastic film can be placed over the hedgehog pens to raise the temperature inside the pens so that they end false hibernation as soon as possible.

After hedgehogs end false hibernation, when the room temperature is not too high, their food intake is rather small, and as the room temperature rises, their food intake gradually increases. From the day they begin eating after ending false hibernation, breeding hedgehogs should be fed nutritionally rich feed. That is, the protein content in the feed should be above 16%, and a portion of animal-based feed should be included so that the amino acids in the feed are complete. At the same time, vitamins and trace elements should be added to the feed. In addition to B-complex vitamins, the amounts of vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin D, and vitamin E must reach certain levels. Vitamin E is tocopherol; a deficiency of it affects reproduction, and the daily amount per animal must not be less than 5 mg. Vitamin A is a substance necessary for maintaining the normal and sound epithelial tissue in the hedgehog's body. When vitamin A is deficient, it can cause dryness, degeneration, hyperplasia, and keratinization of epithelial tissue, with the most obvious effects on the urinary and reproductive organs; that is, it can affect the formation of ovarian follicles by the ovarian epithelial tissue and affect reproduction. The amount added to the feed should be no less than 500 international units per breeding hedgehog per day.

There are two types of vitamin D, namely vitamin D2 and vitamin D3, which respectively promote the absorption of calcium and phosphorus and their deposition in bone tissue. Female hedgehogs in particular cannot lack calcium and phosphorus; during pregnancy and lactation, large amounts of calcium and phosphorus must be transferred to the fetuses and baby hedgehogs. Therefore, after hedgehogs wake from hibernation and begin eating, attention should be paid to supplementing vitamin D to promote the absorption and deposition of calcium and phosphorus in the hedgehog's body, which is beneficial to later lactation and birthing. The daily amount per breeding hedgehog is 50 international units. Vitamin C in the hedgehog's body is a substance necessary for certain enzymes to have activity; it protects enzymes and participates in material metabolism and the cell respiration process, and is beneficial for restoring physical condition. During the process of restoring physical condition after hedgehogs wake from hibernation, the supply of vitamin C should be ensured; the daily supply of vitamin C per hedgehog is 5-10 mg. Through the implementation of the above two measures, most female hedgehogs can come into estrus and mate in March to April, and the mating rate and pregnancy rate are both very high, laying a good foundation for pregnancy and birthing that year.