There are more than 120 hedgehogs at the East Winch Wildlife Centre in Norfolk at the moment and the numbers are likely to reach many more than the 144 which came into the centre during the whole of November 2006.

At the Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre in Cheshire, this autumn (1 September to 20 November) has seen an increase in the numbers of juvenile hedgehogs coming in.

This year has seen the number of hoglets rise to 121, more than double the 60 brought to the centre in 2005.

At West Hatch Wildlife Centre in Somerset, there has been an increase in the number of hedgehogs from almost 30 in October 2006 to more than 55 in the same month this year.

There are several theories on why more hedgehogs are coming in. The warmer weather in September and October may have resulted in more autumn litters, with the cold snap in November meaning that those youngsters not big enough to hibernate are struggling.

A general lack of food may also mean that many hedgehogs will be too small to hibernate.

East Winch Wildlife Centre manager Alison Charles said: "Hedgehogs need lots of food in order to gain weight before they can hibernate and will desperately try to find food wherever they can. The problem comes when they cannot find enough food, possibly where the ground is cold and hard, and they then become emaciated and dehydrated."

Hedgehogs weighing less than 500g are most at risk at this time of year. Wildlife centres can feed them on a special diet to help them to bulk up so that they can be safely released and go into hibernation.

What you can do to help

• If the weather is mild, hedgehogs do not need to come into care. However, if you are worried that they are too small to hibernate, you can feed them in the garden with things like minced meat, scrambled eggs, or a commercially available hedgehog food, and fresh water.

• They will also need a hedgehog-friendly area of the garden with heaps of leaves and brushwood for them to hibernate in – or a purpose built hedgehog box!

• Be careful with your strimmer in longer grass as hedgehogs may be sheltering there

• Make sure there are no animals sheltering in the middle of bonfires by disturbing the foundations or pile it up immediately before lighting.

• Call the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999 if you find a sick or injured hedgehog or take it in to a wildlife centre. Put them into a large box with plenty of clean, fresh hay, newspapers or dry leaves until the hedgehog can be picked up and keep human contact to a minimum.