Advice please – mange or just muck

[igil talu]

I have three regular hedgehogs and yesterday i downloaded the videos from my wildlife cam and had a shock. It looked like someone had painted HI in capital letters on the girly. (Nearly had a heart attack as currently we have an abusive neighbour pouring weedkiller on our tree)
Luckily she turns up early to beat the boys to the food, so I took a couple of quick snaps and let her get on with things.
Whatever it is, it doesn’t look like paint – more like pale muddy stuff. But a friend mentioned the dreaded word “mange”. Whatever it is seems to be on the tips not the base of her spines, which makes me think it’s muck. But there is a similar post on this forum from last year, at almost the same time, which makes me wonder if mange has a ‘bloom’ phase.

Here’s a link to some images (fingers crossed the link works)
Hedgehog mystery

Any help greatly appreciated; I don’t want to leave her with mange but I don’t want to distress her unneccesarily by capturing her

[Nic]

Hi igul talu

It seems unlikely that the hedgehog would have got mange in the shape of HI in capitals. So it seems most likely that someone has marked the hog. Not necessarily your neighbour, it might be someone who is trying to count how many hedgehogs they have visiting. Very sadly it is becoming more common for people to mark hedgehogs. Totally unnecessary and unkind to the hedgehogs. Not to mention the possibility of people thinking it’s a skin complaint or it even covering up a skin complaint.

However, if you are at all worried you can find the contact details of your nearest carer from the BHPS on 01584 890801. You can explain it to a carer in more detail and get the hog checked out if necessary.

[igil talu]

Thanks Nic, I appreciate your help

[Granny Edie]

I’m not sure if I’m on the right forum but wanted to tell you that I have a heavy heart this morning!
Early yesterday morning around 4.30am there was a hedgehog all curled up on the grass in my back garden near to the food and water I leave out every night! I have a bird feeding station on the patio next to it and there were lots of Magpies and Crows around eating food! My husband and I scared off the birds and waited nearly 45 minutes on the hog to uncurl, it didn’t so we lifted it and put it in one of the houses we have, we gave it water and left it! Last night around 11pm m.y husband checked to see if it was still in the house but it was dead! It had turned around facing the opposite direction and drank all of the water! We think there was sick or poo on the grass where we found it which was a yellow colour! I’m feeling so sad this morning and wondering why it died and if there was anything else we could have done to save it! By the was it was a big size. Thank you!

[Hoglet]

I agree with you Igal Talu I think you will find it is mud I have had ones with stripes, V’s and one had a perfect heart. It is more noticeable when they come out of hibernation and it seems to stay on them for ages but it does fade. I asked at a hedgehog rescue and showed her the pictures and she said it was mud.

[Hedgie Lover]

with all the rain we’ve had lately, it could be mud –

I saw a lively big hog last night – and he had a patch on him on his rump – and I think it might have been Walter (who I released a month or 2 ago from a hog hospital) It appeared white to me in the dark – and I worried it could be a bunch of fly eggs –

I’m hoping it’s just mud, will keep an eye on him

The foster carer, told me, when she handed Walter back to me to be released, that his rump looks a bit strange as he had an abcess which had to be drained regularly whilst at the hospital, but then the foster carer looked after him for 3 weeks to make sure the abcess didn’t return, which it didn’t.

I didn’t get a chance to look at his rump to see what it looked like – because I left him in the release box – however when he chose to come out of the box, I didn’t see his rump looking any different to the other hogs.

So crossed fingers it’s just mud.

[Nic]

Even if it was mud, I think it would be beyond the skills of a hedgehog to write the letters HI by itself!

[Hedgie Lover]

saw yet another one last night with a white streak on it – I didn’t have this problem last year (just Huffy with a white spiral on his rump) but a lot of seen this summer, just lately has got white patches on them.

I feel really angry and upset that someone might be picking these hogs up, who appear to me, at the mo, healthy, therefore picking them up for no reason.

And plus, in addition to that, it makes me panic a bit cause we have to go through asking ourselves ‘is it fly stike, mange.’ or whatever. Which causes me to be concerned about them, wonder if I should pick them up myself and check if they are ok and then cause them additional trauma.

[Author]

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