Hi Hal_Chase
The little hedgehog does look quite small, although it isn’t always easy to tell from photos. The best thing to do is try to weigh it. Not the best time to be catching hedgehogs at 5.00 in the morning, I know, but it’s the only way to be sure. You may find that now the hoglet knows where to find food, that it turns up earlier.
I would contact a hedgehog carer in advance to get their advice and see if they are able to take in another hoglet. Have a temporary night time container ready, in case. So – high sided box/pet carrier with lots of newspaper in the bottom to soak up any spilt water, etc. I usually use torn up paper strips for bedding, but enough so that the hog can hide underneath. Make sure there is food and water available. Hogs are excellent at escaping so make sure if using a box it is secure, but that it also has air holes.
Take your scales into the garden in advance, to avoid stress to the hoglet. Use gloves to pick it up. I usually use an old 1 litre ice cream container to weigh in. An underweight hoglet easily fits in. Make sure you take account of the weight of the container. The hoglet needs to weigh 450g to have a chance of surviving hibernation. Your local carer (who will know about local weather conditions, etc.) may advise you to leave it for a while if it’s a bit smaller and you are feeding it, in the hope it will put on weight quickly. It is very stressful for hogs to be taken into captivity. If it is over 450g let it go as soon as possible and move away as quickly as you can so that it can get on with it’s life. Some hogs will stay firmly rolled up when being weighed and others will try to escape, so be prepared.
Hogs don’t always seem to mind if it’s cold as long as they aren’t wet at the same time. The hoglet who didn’t hibernate here last year continued to visit in well sub-zero temperatures.
Good luck.
