hedgehog

my husband has just brought home a tiny hedgehog
i dont know if its been hurt or not,its about the size of a womans clenched fist, i went to the shop and got some cat fod, poor wee thing was starving,i have put it in a large plastic box with shreaded paper and dry leaves,a lid with water and a lid with some more food,,i put it in the green house where it cannot come to any harm,dont know if thats the the thing to do ,please can you tell me wat to feed it should it ge hibernating,thanks in advance kathy

 

Kathy,I rescued two baby hedgehogs a few years ago around this time of the year but later in the month and named them Holly and Ivy{as it was near xmas}
I rang the British Hedgehog Preservation Society of which I am a member and they told me that a baby hedgehog would not survive hibernation if their weight was below either 600 or 800 grms,can't remember which as it has been quiet a few years ago.Mine were well below that so I took on the task of looking after them until the spring when they could go out and survive on their own.

I kept them in a rabbit hutch in the Conservatory where I used to live and had to clean them out every few days because the smell they produce from their poo is quiet stong.I used to line the run part of the hutch with plenty of newspaper and the sleeping part with newspaper and then hay on the top of it.

I fed them on either tinned dog or cat meat which they ate and enjoyed.I tried them on slugs found in the garden right from the start but were not interested in them.I also made sure that they had fresh drinking water at all times.If you keep yours you will understand why they are called hogs lol.

They would sleep during the day and then would wake up at night.When they were really tiny I used to let them have the run of the lounge but then found I had to keep cleaning the carpet after them so they were better off in the hutch.The hay I found helped to keep them warm as I had no heating in the conservatory at the time

I always wore rubber gloves when handling them,and they always had their own set of everything,even the gloves.I never used any of my dog or cat bowls in case of infection between all of them.

When we went away for the Xmas and New Year I had to find someone to look after them through the BHPS until we came back.

Once the Spring weather arrived and they were bigger and more active I then released them in fields near to where I lived and that was the last I saw of them.

Here are a few numbers you could ring for help in either caring for it or to find a new home with an expert hog carer.

The British Hedgehog Preservation Society{BHPS.}
01584-890801 [email protected]

Kessilhead Wildlife Rescue Trust..
01505-502415

Wormit Hedgehog Care Centre..
01382-541311

Spikes Sanctuary..
01721-723131

South Of Scotland Wildlife..01387-860461

Middlebank Wildlife Centre..
01383-412520

Apart from the BHPS which is the main Society all the others are rescue centers that are listed on their site for Scotland.
Good luck and do let us know how you get on...

 

thanks kandyfloss ,i am going to keep him/her it would never survive alone ,
there are to many cats ,foxes ,and wild life , i will go and get straw,thanks for that
i will keep you posted ,actually i would like it if when older would stay in my garden
thanks for the phone numbers will call the scottish no tomorrow, kathy x

 

Hi Kathy if you want to keep it in your garden you would have to make sure there were no escape routes like gaps under gates for it to get under.They have the ability to flatten themselves spines included to get under the smallest gap.I saw a programme once that said they could also climb great heights but am not sure if that is true or not.

The idea to keep it in your garden sounds good in theory but thing with hedgehogs is that they like cats have the instinct to roam in search of not only food but also to mate so that they can keep their genes going.

Wait until you have rung up one of the rescue centres and have had a chat with them and see whether they think it fesable for you to keep it.

The main dangers for hedgehogs are ponds with no form of escape,road traffic vehicles and also cattle grids where they cannot get out of them.Oh and also humans who have been known to use them as footballs.Other than that they are whiley little creatures,though thery are getting rarae now in some places due to more traffic on the roads.

I would be most interested in how you get on.:thumb:

 

Good luck Kathy and keep us posted, could you post a picture diary so we can follow his/her development up to release?

 

Just an additional note, never ever give hedgehogs milk, it's poisonous to them.

 

hi all have just phoned a sanctuary in south Scotland,she has advised me to take( pinky
hedgehog) to my vets ,to make sure he is fit and well,he hasn't eaten this morning,cant see him under the paper and leaves as yet ,she says he might have had his fill yesterday
i will check him in another two hours,if the foods not gone then i will get him down to the vet ,she wants him weighed anyway,i was trying to let him feel safe and secure ,so tried not to disturb him to much,will keep you all posted ,thanks for your interest Kathy

 

hi John ,i cant just leave him ,and i have a good vet so we shall see what he says
you get your reward in heaven,he he

 

I would love to see a photo diary too. I hope pinky's doing well.

 

here he is little pinky

 

phoned the vet have to take him down this afternoon
i was worried yesterday he never showed face all day
dug him out this morning put down fresh food and water,put him in this pot to make sure that he eats,will let you all know the outcome thanks kathy :luv:

 

Hi Kathy,just popped indoors to have a quick mug of hot drink and saw your photo.He is about the same size as one I found at the end of last year and even though I tried everything I could it died in the end.I thought I would have the same success as I did with my other two but I think that by the time I found him he was too far gone with starvation.
:(
Hope everything goes ok for you at the vets and that he pulls through.:thmb:

I will sort out a photo of the one that died and will also sort out some of the photo's of Holly and Ivy and will either get Mr K to scan them for me or will take some photos of them with my digi camera.