Hedgehogs

gunsandbanjos

Awww, well done you for being so lovely and caring for the hogs.

Must admit i'd have got a bit of a start if i found a hog wandering round my house! Though i'm on the third floor so probably unlikey:p

pinkcandyflossprincess

awww Hedgehogs do look cute...i went out hunting for ours the other night after reading this but still not seen it:( my daughter said that georgia our cat was laid next to it when i was away, we put out catfood and its gone in the morning but dont know if thats hedgehog or the cats around here, im thinking of getting a hedgehog house now lol:o
I find it amazing that we still have such an unusual looking animal in our country, they definately need all the help we can give them!

lostinrates

Just a little update to reassure everyone that he's doing well. He really likes meal worms, so I give him a couple of those when refreshing water and bedding, to make up for the intrusion. I got him a plastic hutch/cage thing in the end. NOT cheap sadly (and if this becomes a regular feature of living here I will keep an eye out for second hand ones!) but its better than the box because he has somewhere to hide, but also somewhere to see things from, which he seems to like. He's eating kitten food with gusto.

Only problem still is water spillage. I was wondering if he'd learn to use a drinker like rabbits/guinea pigs/small rodents are given? I worry about him getting wet and then cold: our house isn't that warm!

RedFraggle

I hand reared one that was found next to it's dead mother on a farm. When Spike (not very original!) was little we had him in the house, but once he was weaned
I kept him in a rabbit hutch in my yard, and used to let him wander round for a snuffle on an evening before putting him away again overnight. We released him the following summer. The hardest thing is not turning them into a pet, they are so cute, but wild animals that need to be able to cope back in the wild.

lostinrates

RedFraggle wrote: »

. The hardest thing is not turning them into a pet, they are so cute, but wild animals that need to be able to cope back in the wild.

I agree with this (infact, wrote a paper on it many years ago under a different guise and not about hedgehogs but other free living animls!)....and was really worried about it. I went to a wildlife rescue place on Friday (they wrere lovely and amazing people) and they felt it was unlikely to be an issue, showed me how to handle him and were really encouraging. TBH, I don't really have much time too coo and gush over him and would drive one of my cats mad with jealousy if I tried, so I'm not too concerned about that. However, if he's going to be here till April/early May (which is what the wildlife hospital were suggesting) I'd like him to not be too scared and distraught during his stay.

Paradigm

I love hedgehogs to bits... I rescued a baby many years ago, kept it in the house over the winter. Trouble was it got used to it & the summer after it would always wander in the kitchen in the evening looking for it's food... it got to the point where we had to shut the door when feeding the dogs as it would push them out of the way & nick theirs

It stayed for 2 years or so & would actually respond to it's name (not gonna tell you what it's name was) but it suddenly left never to be seen again.

I read somewhere that they are fast becoming an endagered species, is this true?

Froglet

Paradigm wrote: »

I love hedgehogs to bits... I rescued a baby many years ago, kept it in the house over the winter. Trouble was it got used to it & the summer after it would always wander in the kitchen in the evening looking for it's food... it got to the point where we had to shut the door when feeding the dogs as it would push them out of the way & nick theirs

It stayed for 2 years or so & would actually respond to it's name (not gonna tell you what it's name was) but it suddenly left never to be seen again.

I read somewhere that they are fast becoming an endagered species, is this true?

Sadly it is true.Today proves this.A neighbour found a small hoggie in her garden this morning,wet and cold and shaking.As my friend who takes them in was away for the day i had no option but to make a decision myself.Have handled many so knew instantly that it was not right to wait.Both back legs were floppy and there was a cut to it's tail which was already showing fly eggs and tiny maggots.Thankfully our vets main practice some miles away always has a vet on call so i went over there and they confirmed it was paralysed and there was little chance of recovery.At least it is no longer suffering and dragging itself around.

So another casualty.They face so many dangers and it is no wonder their numbers are decreasing so alarmingly.

Froglet

lostinrates wrote: »

Just a little update to reassure everyone that he's doing well. He really likes meal worms, so I give him a couple of those when refreshing water and bedding, to make up for the intrusion. I got him a plastic hutch/cage thing in the end. NOT cheap sadly (and if this becomes a regular feature of living here I will keep an eye out for second hand ones!) but its better than the box because he has somewhere to hide, but also somewhere to see things from, which he seems to like. He's eating kitten food with gusto.

Only problem still is water spillage. I was wondering if he'd learn to use a drinker like rabbits/guinea pigs/small rodents are given? I worry about him getting wet and then cold: our house isn't that warm!

No,hedgehogs cannot use those tpe of water bottles because of the shape of their mouths.It is quite common for them to tip their water over.Just be prepared to change the newspaper and towels regularly.Whiskas supermeat chicken is a good food for them,packs on the nutrients,and kitten or small cat bsicuits are fine too.As well as mealworms as a treat they alse like suet pellets and sultanas(in moderation!)

They only need warmth if they are ill.The temperature you keep your rooms at for your comfort will be fine.They keep warm under the bedding, 2 fluffy towels are the best as they can curl up inside them.

RedFraggle

Spike was adorable. I had him for about 18 months in the end because it was at the time of the foot and mouth outbreak, and even though he was captive at the start, as they are a natural carrier I was told I couldn't release him. He used to scrab at his hutch at dusk wanting his yard runaround time. We released him at a friends house, who had a big garden. They kept him in the hutch the first night, the 2nd night they put a ramp up and left the door open, and he went out but then went back to his hutch the next morning and the 3rd night he went off to the wild. They are pretty sure they saw him the following spring. Spike had lost his fear of people (and cats because I had one) so didn't curl up or run. The hog was the right size (he was a big lad) and when my friend said "Is that you Spike?" the hog just kinda looked at him. Could be kidding myself but I like to think it was him and he made it.

lostinrates

Froglet wrote: »

They only need warmth if they are ill.The temperature you keep your rooms at for your comfort will be fine.They keep warm under the bedding, 2 fluffy towels are the best as they can curl up inside them.

Thing is...we don't have central heating, we live in a house not far from deriliction ATM and its not that warm through winter. My cats and dogs get heat lamps

thanks for the help with treats and water!:)