Dead Hedgy :( – Fireworks?

[el_tigre]

Hi,

I tried to rescue a hog this evening. I noticed him in my wildflowers this morning and he was still there this evening so I put him in a box and brought him inside. He was only small and had seen him in my garden a few times recently. Do you think the fireworks over the weekend could have startled him?

Also, are they safe to pick up? I used gloves but he was covered in bugs.

I am new to this forum. And have recently had my first resident in my hog house. Any feedback appreciated.

Thanks
Luke

[Paulinegreen]

Hi there , if this is a small hedgehog weighing under 600g it will most definitely need help as its to under weight to survive hibernation and the rescue centre in your area will help and save this small hedgehog and also they will remove any bugs or fleas that this wee hog has…. but please call your local rescue centre and get him the help it needs as its not going to survive this winter, if its a small hedgehog… Cant help you regarding the fireworks but your local wildlife rescue will also be able to tell you if its petrified of fireworks which so so animals suffer with at this time of year!!
I just helped a small hedgehog 2 days ago and i had to weigh it and he weighed 498 grams and had to call my local wildlife centre and i was told these small hogs need to be around 600g by October to be able to survive the winter hibernation .. hope you let us know how you get on with your wee hog my friend… Xx

[stef]

I think from the title of this that your hog is dead? The fact it was covered in bugs ( I assume you mean fly eggs/maggots ) means it was likely ill for a while.
It is unlikely the fireworks bothered it unduly as they are pretty tolerant of noises the more they come into our human habitats

Small hogs at this time of year are often in need of help. There is a number on this site for the BHPS helpline who will link you to a carer in future.

Meanwhile, hogs only need to be 450g in order to survive hibernation. The old advice of 600g is dated. Obviously the more weight a hog has the better it’s chances but it’s no guarantee it will survive hibernation. There are a lot of other factors involved.

Hogs of 400g plus that are active and healthy and coming to gardens for supplementary feeding do not need rescuing. It is far better and less stressful for the hog if it is just monitored.

Hope this helps

[el_tigre]

Thanks for getting back to me both. I have found a local rescue center now for any future instances. I have also reported the death to GWH and sent the carcass to ZSL for an autopsy.

Wasn’t a nice experience but hopefully it can help them build a better picture of the threats that threaten them.

[MalG]

I had two rescue hedgehogs come to me in early November one was 205g Sage and a possible sibling of 294g.Oakley. Both were treated for dehydration and the then began eating and drinking well. I sent off poo samples as soon as I’d got them to Vale Wildlife, got the results back and booked an appointment with my hedgehog friendly vet for the following morning. That night there were a tremendous number of fireworks that went off. The next morning I found that Oakley had passed away and I’m convinced that this was down to the noise of fireworks. Sage has done really well and while my other rescue hogs were already hibernating by new years eve Sage who now weighed 698g hadn’t yet settled. The fireworks of new years eve really upset her and she was trembling to such an extent that I ended up hugging her in a fleece blanket for an hour in the dark to calm her down. It took a week before sleeping, eating, peeing and pooing returned to normal. A week later she entered her first short hibernation.

[stef]

It is highly unlikely the noise of fireworks scared the hog to death. Being cuddled by a human predator may well have contributed though!!
We have to remember hogs are wild animals, not pets. They do not think of us as their rescuers, they are terrified of us and all handling of them should be kept to an absolute minimum
However it almost certainly died of whatever parasites had been found. When hogs are found they are nearly always in an advanced stage of illness

I keep seeing posts about hogs being scared of noises, but they live in proximity to us and are getting used to us and the noises we make

[MalG]

Stef, had you actually taken the time to read my message properly, you would have seen that the hedgehog I referred too as having passed away Oakley, passed away in November. The hedgehog that was hugged in a fleece blanket Sage is alive and well and was distressed at on New Years eve.

As the fireworks were not little fizzes and pops but sounded like an ongoing military onslaught, I suspect that this was more likely the cause rather than the roundworm eggs discovered in his poo.

Don’t be so quick to attack a fellow hedgehog carer.

[stef]

Noted on the dates, my apologies I skimmed your message.
However, I stand by my comments about hugging a hog. We are not their comforts – they are stressed by us, and stress can kill.
We also had heavy fireworks and not one hog was shaking in fear. In fact shaking is not a sign of fear in a hog it’s usually a sign of illness/hypothermia which I’m sure you know if you’re a carer.

[Author]

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