Hedgehog tick removal

I have noticed that quite a few of you are having Hedgehogs visiting,If you find your Hedgehogs have ticks (look like lumps of grey chewing gum) it is a very simple procedure for you to remove them. Its important that you don't leave the head and jaws behind..a very easy way to remove Ticks is to grasp the Tick as close to the point where it has its head burried, then just twist..you will hear a click noise as the head and jaws release. Do not just drop your Tick as it will just wander off to find a new host, you will need to drown or squish. This is the method that we use in the vets, at the moment we are removing loads of these every day,seem more than ever this year. Ps do remember to wash your hands afterwards.

 

Poppy33, some people have all the best jobs!!! :D

In the wild, will the hedgehog just roll up and let you do that? Presumably you need a good pair of gloves? Suppose it is real bad news for the hedgehog to just leave it there?

Have not seen a hedgehog here, but my daughter occasionally gets them so just curious?

 

Hi Dag, wild Hedgehogs don't object to handling..they are very passive creatures.Its not life threatening to have a few ticks but if they get loads then it can weaken them. You might want a glove on the left hand to stop Hedgie rolling away, but once they have rolled up the spines seperate and it is easy to get your fingers down amongst the spikes.
Its not as bad as picking maggots off of Rabbits with fly strike..that has to be the worst :(

 

Thanks for that Poppy, you really do get the best jobs then!!! :D After the maggots that don't sound quite so bad, but don't hedgehogs carry a lot of fleas with them too?

 

Yes they are covered in them, unfortunatly this does give the Hedgehogs worms, when we have them bought in with a real worm burden it is quite a simple remedy just to worm them as you would do a cat or dog. The flea treatments that are licensed for cat/dog use are not licensed for wildlife as they sometimes react differently to the chemicals invoved. Yes your quite right Dag, I really do get all the best jobs..never show those bits on Animal Hospital :D

 

eeeeuuuuuwwwww!!!!! Sorry - can't do ticks!!!! Even more so after Bramble had one last year, I got some special tick tweezers, went to sort her out and it had fallen off - IN THE HOUSE!!!!!!NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!! Never found it.... was told they could survive for years tucked away in the carpet, under your bed....UGGHHHHH!!!!! I'm all itchy now.....

 

Poppy33, I can confirm that it's very easy to remove ticks this way, my dogs occasionally get them and that's what I do. I've seen some nasty little sores where people have tried to pull them off. Horrid creatures- even after reading 'What good are bugs?' I fail to see their use.

[ 04. July 2006, 03:37 AM: Message edited by: Liz ]

 

A friend used to get them off by holding a cigarette on the tick till it stopped clenching..
How do you spot worm burden in a hedgie though - easier to see in cats, dogs & horses but hedgehogs??

 

ohhhh i wouldnt fancy that job, will have to remember in the future not to have them as pets, will admire them from afar

 

Jay, worm burden usually shows itself as poor condition, diarrhoea, and they tend to get very hyperactive..this is when they are spotted out during the daylight hours, simple faeces slide under the microscope can detect the amount of worms present.

 

sound as iff they have a hard life one way or another :rolleyes:

 

No its not a hard life...I love my job,thats just a yucky bit, there are lovely bits as well as the sad and yucky bits.I love the puppy parties we hold for all the new pups, to socialise them :D get to play and cuddle them all

 

so sorry that you misunderstood what i said as i did not mean you, was talking about the hedgehogs having a hard life and its good that they have someone like you to take care of them, but a lot of the times they must suffer with all of those conditions and in the wild iff they dont get found a lot of ticks kills them, as for domestic pets they are lucky as they have us owners to watch out for them the minute something is wrong.

 

its not you rosa..its me :rolleyes: think i need to find my reading glasses :eek: sorry yes THEY do lead hard lives, and numbers are falling :(

 

pleased everything is ok i went to bed last night worrying that i had really upset you, thought i had mis-read something and that was with my reading glasses on Ha! Ha! put it behind us and move on from rosa