I have a hedge hog in my garden
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A hedgehog arrived at 8 pm in our garden he stayed in the hog house for 1 hour then the hog cafe for 15 mins at the same time a cat came to try to get the food but was unsucsesfull the hog then came out of the cafe and is now in the hog house
Hi forbie
That sounds brilliant. Maybe the hog will make a nest in the hog house. That would be good.
Hello.Im new to the forum and been lfeeding 4 large hedgies throughout summer/winter.The big ones seem to have hopped it but I have a small one about as big as a coke can who is feeding in the garden.I don’t want to disturb him/her by weighing.Will it be ok ?should it be rescued.
Hi trishP
Welcome to the Forum. It’s good to hear you have had hogs there.
The only way to be sure about the small hog is to weigh it. It depends a bit on whereabouts you are in the country and whether the hoglet is visiting every day for food, in which case they might get away with being a bit lighter at this stage, but the minimum recommended weight to survive hibernation is 450g late autumn.
Hoglets don’t normally mind being weighed, too much, especially if they can be released again straight away. So if you choose a dry night and if you have an outside light, I would put the scales outside ready, then scoop the hoglet up into a container (underweight hoglets usually fit easily into a 1 litre icecream container, which are handy to weigh them in), if over 450g, then let it go. You will need to wear gloves, their spines can be very sharp, especially if they roll up and some may be quite active and try to climb out of the container.
Have a box/pet carrier ready in case the hoglet is underweight. Newspaper on the floor as you will need to provide food and water which they might spill, and torn strips of paper for the hog to burrow into.
I would contact your nearest carer before catching the hog to see what weight they are recommending for this time of year in your area. Also to see if they have any space to take the hoglet in if necessary. You can find the number of your nearest carer from BHPS on 01584 890801.
If the hoglet is coming every day for food and it is close to the recommended weight, personally, I would be inclined to let it go. They tend to put on weight quite quickly at that stage. It’s a risk that they might go off and hibernate too early, but it’s also a risk them being in captivity. It can be very stressful for them and not all will survive. Any given weight is not a guarantee that a hog will survive hibernation. It is possibly the most dangerous time in a hog’s natural life and not all will survive.
Good luck. I hope the little hog is heavy enough and you can immediately release it. Let us know how you get on.
Thankyou Nik I followed your advice and called the nearest sanctuary.They told me to take the baby in because very small and out in daytime.When I returned,there was another one which looked even smaller so brought him in,popped in box with hot water bottle,food and water.Just before leaving to go to sanctuary I had one last look out and found a third.All in care now,hoping they have the best chance.I have to admit,it was hard to give them up and take them out of their natural habitat but couldn’t sleep knowing they might’ve died.
Well done, trishP. If the hoglets were very small, they wouldn’t have survived, so you’ve done the best thing for them. If they all survive, you should be able to get them back to release in your garden at the appropriate time. If you have any news about how they are getting on, let us know.
Phew, thankyou feeling relieved that I did the right thing I will let you know of any news.They did say that if they did survive they would be released there though
Hi trishP
I’m really sad to hear that they have said they will release them there. Not only for you, but for the hogs themselves. Also because it seems to indicate that the Sanctuary have not read the information from BHPS about releasing rehabilitated hedgehogs – i.e. that they should be returned to where they came from.
This is the link: http://www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/BHPS-Guidance-For-relasing-Rehabilitated-Hedgehogs.pdf
I would be inclined to contact them as soon as you can and give/send them a copy of the leaflet and tell them that you are happy to have the hogs back for release in your garden at the appropriate time – where you can continue to provide supplementary food, etc. I can’t see how they can possibly release all the hogs which come into their care where they are. It’s possible it might not help the hogs you rescued (they may be muddled up with others already – although they shouldn’t be) but it might help other hoglets in the future.
Good luck
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