Hedgehog advice please

[Zanderk]

Hi All,

First off I’m a big Hedgehog fan with 4 Hedgehog houses occupied in my small garden and currently feeding another 2 October brood visitors and giving them Lactol and water.
So last night a friend found a Hedgehog in the gutter of a main road and asked me to help. I’ve rehoused in a box with some bedding and a warm towel. It’s probably 400gms weight ish. So it doesn’t want to eat and drink, just burrows into the bedding(straw and dry leaves) and curls up. So I’m thinking it just wants to hibernate as I know the October offspring tend to do so around now in previous years if they’re of sufficient weight.
So my question is should I try to feed and give it water and keep it inside or do I just put it in a Hogiloo in the
garage and let it hibernate ?

[Nic]

Hi Zanderk

You need to weigh the little hog. It needs to weigh at least 450g to survive hibernation. Not easy to estimate a hogs weight without weighing it. But it may have other problems as well. So the best thing to do is ring BHPS 01584 890801 to find contact details of your nearest carers. Then ring them and take their advice. In the meantime, continue to leave food and water available to the little hog.

Not ideal timing, but hopefully there will still be someone checking on phone calls.

[Zanderk]

Our local wildlife sanctuary has closed its doors because they’re at capacity with 300 Hoglets. I’ll weigh it and keep feeding it 🙂

[Nic]

Hi Zanderk

I’m sure they would be happy to advise you and possibly check the little one over. If not BHPS may be able to give you the number of the next nearest carers. The little hog may need checking for internal parasites, etc. if nothing else. It’s always much easier talking to someone about how best to proceed.

This isn’t really my area of knowledge, but, if you can’t get any help from local carers, hopefully someone else will see this and be able to advise you further.

Good luck and Happy Christmas.

[Zanderk]

Thanks for taking the time to respond, he or she is snuggled out warm and hopefully happy at the moment. Happy Christmas to you.

[Velvet]

I really can’t stress enough how important it is for this hedgehog to be seen by a rescue. Please get in touch with the BHPS or ask your local sanctuary for any others in the area.

If you tell us whereabouts you are, it may be that another rescue or linked carer can at least check it over and find out what parasites it has, sort out treating them, even if you have it to feed and look after due to lack of space in the rescues.

Not all rescues/carers are registered with the BHPS. Please also call round local vets as there are often rescues/carers who they will have details of. Vets who don’t treat wildlife on an ongoing basis will know which vet in the area does.

If your hedgehog has parasites (and it almost certainly will), unless these are treated it is likely to go downhill and eventually become visibly ill and unless treated before that point almost certainly will not survive despite your care.

If it’s not hibernating but not eating or drinking then it is going to be very poorly indeed. Hibernating hedgehogs do not feel warm to the touch.

[Zanderk]

It is eating and drinking regularly through the night now. It feeds every hour. I use an app called Sleep Talk which records through the night. I will get in touch with my local wildlife Centre and ask their advice for internal parasite treatment and care for it myself until ready to join the other incumbents in my garden.

[Author]

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