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Hedgehog help in the Canton of Graubünden

Have you found an injured, sick or orphaned hedgehog in Chur, in the Graubünden Rhine Valley or in another region of Graubünden? Stay calm, secure the animal carefully and contact a hedgehog station or a veterinary practice by telephone as quickly as possible.

In Graubünden, the Tierheim & Tierhotel Arche in Chur is the central point of contact for hedgehogs in need of help from the canton. Please never bring in a hedgehog without prior notice. First check by telephone whether the animal really needs help and whether it can be admitted.

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A hedgehog in tall grass

Found a hedgehog – what should you do now?

Not every hedgehog needs human help. A healthy hedgehog is mainly active at dusk and at night. If you see a hedgehog during the day, this does not automatically mean that it is sick.

Action is needed in particular if the hedgehog:

  • is injured or bleeding
  • seems apathetic or does not roll up
  • staggers, walks in circles, wheezes or breathes heavily
  • is infested with flies, fly eggs or maggots
  • is noticeably thin or weak
  • lies unprotected in the sun for a long time
  • is a young hedgehog found obviously without its mother

  1. If possible, contact a hedgehog station before transporting the animal. The station can assess whether the hedgehog needs to be taken in and whether a care place is currently available.

    Hedgehog stations

  2. Until the handover, wearing gloves, you can place the hedgehog in a sufficiently high cardboard box. Line it with newspaper and a towel and put the box in a quiet place. Offer fresh water in a shallow dish. Never give the hedgehog cow’s milk and do not treat it yourself with medication or anti-parasite products.

Hedgehog stations in the Canton of Graubünden

Admission capacities and availability can change at short notice. Please register every hedgehog by phone or via the contact form provided before bringing it to a station.

  • Tierheim & Tierhotel Arche – Igelstation Chur

    The hedgehog station of the Tierheim Arche takes in sick, injured, weakened or orphaned hedgehogs by prior arrangement by telephone. The animals are treated, cared for and released back into the wild after their recovery.

    Important: Admission is only possible after prior arrangement by telephone. According to the station, only hedgehogs from the Canton of Graubünden may be admitted.

If the hedgehog station cannot be reached:

Emergency numbers that charge a fee may incur higher call charges. For a seriously injured hedgehog, you can also contact a veterinary practice or animal clinic. Before setting off, call to ask whether they treat hedgehogs or wild animals.

Note on this regional information page · As of: August 2026

This page brings together information and contact points for hedgehog protection in the Canton of Graubünden. It is not an additional hedgehog station or a cantonal authority.

The hedgehog stations and animal welfare organisations listed are independent or privately run services. Responsibilities, availability and admission capacities can change at short notice. Please therefore always get in touch by phone first.

Cantonal contact points

The veterinary office is the right cantonal authority in particular for questions of animal welfare law, reports of problematic animal keeping or questions about care stations requiring a permit.

  • Veterinary office of Graubünden

    The Amt für Lebensmittelsicherheit und Tiergesundheit Graubünden is responsible for questions about animal welfare, permits or the legal handling of protected wild animals. The office also performs the tasks of the cantonal veterinary service.

    The canton’s emergency number is not intended as a general hedgehog hotline. If you find a hedgehog, you should first contact the hedgehog station or a veterinary practice.

Reporting hedgehog sightings in the Canton of Graubünden

Sightings can be recorded on the Wilde Nachbarn platform.

  • Such reports help to:

    • document the distribution of hedgehogs
    • identify gaps in their occurrence
    • locate possible danger spots
    • select future study areas
    • observe changes over several years

  • If possible, note down:

    • the date and time
    • the exact location of the sighting
    • the condition of the hedgehog
    • any particular dangers at the site
    • if possible, a photo taken from a safe distance

A sighting report is no substitute for emergency help. If a hedgehog is injured or weakened, a hedgehog station must also be contacted.

Where do hedgehogs live in Graubünden?

Because of its altitude and alpine landscape, Graubünden differs markedly from many cantons on the Swiss Plateau. Hedgehogs occur mainly in lower-lying areas with a more favourable climate. Particularly suitable are the Graubünden Rhine Valley, the Chur region, the Bündner Herrschaft and other settlement areas with gardens and green spaces.

The hedgehog is not a typical animal of the high alpine landscape. In Graubünden, however, an exceptionally high record is known: near Siat, a hedgehog was observed at approximately 1’300 metres above sea level. This is considered the Swiss altitude record. Such observations are, however, not representative of the species’ usual habitat.

Suitable habitats are provided by:

  • natural gardens and green spaces
  • native hedges and shrubs
  • woodland edges and embankments
  • leaf piles, brush piles and deadwood piles
  • properties connected to one another by permeable boundaries
  • sheltered, dry spots for day nests and hibernation

In intensively maintained, heavily sealed or high-altitude areas, on the other hand, hedgehogs find much less food and shelter.

Chur in the Graubünden Rhine Valley with settlements and green spaces between the mountains
A hedgehog among stones

How many hedgehogs live in Graubünden?

It is not known how many hedgehogs live in the Canton of Graubünden as a whole. There is no comprehensive population count from which a reliable number could be derived. Individual sightings or animals taken in by a hedgehog station must not be equated with the total population.

What is known is that hedgehogs occur mainly in the lower, warmer regions of northern Graubünden. The Graubünden government identified in particular the area from Thusis via Chur to Maienfeld as an important distribution area. There, hedgehogs find suitable habitats in gardens, green spaces, along woodland edges and in richly structured built-up areas.

A study in the city of Chur in 2018 provided concrete information on local distribution:

  • In Chur, 130 footprint tunnels were set up.
  • Hedgehog tracks were found in 25 of these 130 tunnels.
  • Hedgehogs were detected in 7 of the 13 square kilometres studied.
  • There were marked differences between the neighbourhoods studied.

These results show that hedgehogs still occur in Chur. However, they do not allow the number of animals in the city or in the canton as a whole to be calculated.

A hedgehog being weighed in a bowl at the hedgehog station

The hedgehog is protected in Graubünden

In the Canton of Graubünden, the hedgehog is a protected wild animal. Healthy animals must therefore not be caught, kept as pets or moved to another location without good reason.

Temporarily taking in an animal is only permitted if it is genuinely sick, injured, weakened or orphaned. It should receive expert care as quickly as possible and be released back into the wild after its recovery.

Anyone who finds a hedgehog should therefore always first contact a specialist body and agree on how to proceed. Overwintering a hedgehog privately without expert guidance is not recommended.

Naturally designed area with deadwood, stones and shrubs

How to make your garden in Graubünden hedgehog-friendly

Hedgehog protection works across property and municipal boundaries. A single natural garden is valuable. Even more helpful is a whole neighbourhood with permeable fences, native plants, safe water points and interconnected green spaces.

Private individuals, municipalities, schools, companies and farming, horticultural and property businesses can help to preserve safe routes and refuges.

In new developments and redesigns, not only individual green spaces but also their connection with neighbouring habitats should be taken into account. Permeable property boundaries, unsealed surfaces and native planting help not only hedgehogs but also amphibians, insects, birds and other native animal species.

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We are also available by phone and are happy to help you with advice and practical support.

Whether you are looking for our hedgehog magazine full of helpful tips, information about hedgehog talks or materials for school projects – we provide everything free of charge to promote the welfare of hedgehogs.

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Expert knowledge on the care and treatment of hedgehogs

Free hedgehog courses for veterinary practice assistants throughout Switzerland

Hedgehog Help Switzerland offers free hedgehog courses for veterinary practice assistants throughout Switzerland. These courses are specially tailored to veterinary practice assistants who want to familiarise themselves with the particularities of hedgehog care and acquire professional knowledge of the medical treatment and care of hedgehogs. In veterinary practices, hedgehogs need special attention and expert care that differs from other wild animals – and this is exactly where our hedgehog courses for veterinary practice assistants come in.

In our courses you will learn everything about caring for and treating hedgehogs in a way that suits the species. We cover important topics such as correct feeding, stress management during treatment and recognising typical hedgehog diseases. Our hedgehog courses are offered both at our hedgehog station and directly at your veterinary practice – we work throughout Switzerland and adapt to your location and your schedule.

Registration form for hedgehog courses

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