The hedgehog with the same appetite will consume both, fresh and a bit unfresh food. Defence mechanism Quick muscle contraction to make a spiky ball. A hedgehog can stay like that for a long time until he feels the danger is gone. Warning Hedgehogs like many other animals are in the danger of extinction caused by a constant decrease of their living places like bushes and hedges and intensive traffic. They are VERY thirsty, and desperately try to find something to drink.
Milk given at that time can even cause their death.
More than on searching for food they are concentrated on searching for the love partner. It can take several hours of running around a female before the male is admitted. His role ends up here. Female is searching for a safe and calm place for the nest for her and small hoglets, which are born around 30 days after. They are fed by mother's milk for 4 to 8 weeks.