Veterinarian Sabine Moser says that the time of retreat for many animals is now beginning: “Nowadays it is possible to observe the flight of wild geese. Birds have fun because when it’s cold, they can just fly to where it’s warmer. Many animals cannot do this, they have to find other solutions. Some animals develop thick fur to protect themselves from the cold, others hide. Squirrels are busy stockpiling food. Many other animals literally eat fat that they can live on all winter.”
Many animals sleep during the winter
And energy savings also apply to animals, says Moser: “That means they move less or not at all, so they save energy and need to eat much less. There are also many small mammals that sleep throughout the winter. Hedgehogs, bats, voles and marmots hibernate. They can significantly lower your body temperature and your heartbeat becomes very slow.”
Even breathing is reduced, said the veterinarian: “For example, the hedgehog only breathes twice a minute instead of 50 times. The heart beats only five times per minute instead of 200 times. Hedgehogs usually sleep from November to April. Animals also wake up from time to time. They then change their sleeping position, eliminate feces and urine, but do not eat anything.”
ORF hedgehogs are now hidden
Reptiles and insects hibernate
The increase in hibernation and hibernation is hibernation: “For example, fish, frogs, lizards, turtles, and insects hibernate. When it gets too cold, their bodies freeze and they only wake up when it gets warmer outside.”
Frogs burrow in mud or hide in rat holes, insects crawl through wood and small cracks: “They also have something very special in their bodies, a kind of antifreeze. Even when it’s below freezing outside, your body fluid doesn’t freeze but remains liquid.” Winter-active animals, such as many species of birds, deer, foxes and hares, often depend on human help: “They now depend on supplemental feeding in harsh winter periods,” says Moser.
Herwig Winter CC BY 4.0 Dormouse hibernate
Leave space for animals in the garden
Veterinarian Moser appeals to garden owners: “Especially in autumn, the beds are cleaned, mulch, compost heaps are removed, bushes are cut, wood is trimmed. Please remember to be careful and consider the possibility that many animals have already created their hiding places.”
When preparing the garden for winter, you should consider: “Leave the clippings in the garden and arrange them in a pile. This is a valuable hiding place for hedgehogs, insects and reptiles. Hedgehogs like to use several nests during the winter and another hedgehog may move in mid-winter or another will look for a new hiding place.
Hannah Assil / BirdLife Austria Titmouse at bird feeder
Don’t wake up hibernators
Now is also a good time to hang up bug hotels and nesting boxes. If you discover a hibernator, please do not wake it: “If hibernators are disturbed frequently, it can be fatal for them. This costs energy. They need food when they wake up, but unfortunately they can’t find it.”
Pets that spend the winter in apartments and houses with people do not need to do any winter preparation. However, shedding depletes its strength: “Shedding is a natural metabolic activity, but it requires energy and can be alleviated by individual doses of vitamins, minerals and oils,” said the veterinarian.
ORF dogs must be protected from the cold
Protect older animals from the cold
Even with winter fur, the effects of cold and humidity should not be underestimated, especially in older animals: “The proximity to the ground, which is often freezing, must be taken into account. Suitable warming textiles can help. Please make sure you warm up your stomach, not just your back, the problem is of course also osteoarthritis or stiffness.”
Anyone who goes on long walks with their dog in the forest should keep an eye on them: “Ingesting mushrooms can be fatal for our dogs. Inedible and poisonous mushrooms can sometimes give off an attractive carrion smell and dogs find this interesting and may ingest these mushrooms,” says Moser.