Hedgehogs...

Froglet

Paradigm wrote: »

He/She weighs about 750g & must have eaten it's own bodyweight overnight Not having a cat I had to go to the shop & buy a can of food, sucker or what :rotfl:He ate all my chicken!

He seems healthy enough so I think I'll wait 'till it's dark, feed him & take him back to the woods, hopefully he'll be ok.

If you think it's likely your dog disturbed him from hibernating or maybe he was just rambling around looking for food in this mild spell then yes ,putting him back in the same place is the best thing to do.

Have you checked for ticks ? If he is free of those then he is unlikely to be ill,as ticks usually only attack when a hog's immune system is weakened.

He was obviously hungry!

Froglet

OneYorkshireLass wrote: »

Aww, how cute (the one eating chicken, not the ones squashed on the road)

I saw a small-ish one in the garden last saturday night, but when I went outside for a closer look it had disappeared into the undergrowth.

I also wondered if it's the mild weather affecting their routine.

If you spot it again please bring it inside and weigh it.If it is less then 700 grams it needs to go to a carer and be kept inside over the winter or it will not survive.Even in this mild spell there is very little food around.

The best thing you can do meanwhile is put out some cat food for it,or dry kitten biscs,and some water,which will give it a chance to survive until you can catch it.

Paradigm

Froglet wrote: »

If you think it's likely your dog disturbed him from hibernating or maybe he was just rambling around looking for food in this mild spell then yes ,putting him back in the same place is the best thing to do.

Have you checked for ticks ? If he is free of those then he is unlikely to be ill,as ticks usually only attack when a hog's immune system is weakened.

He was obviously hungry!

Ticks are usually on the face aren't they? If so there are none, a bit hard to check anywhere else

He was a little sluggish when I first picked him up but after some food he was all over the place. He didn't seem scared at all & was more interested in "my" chicken.

Froglet

Paradigm wrote: »

Ticks are usually on the face aren't they? If so there are none, a bit hard to check anywhere else

He was a little sluggish when I first picked him up but after some food he was all over the place. He didn't seem scared at all & was more interested in "my" chicken.

No,they can be anywhere,but like you say,not always easy to check.If he was sluggish it does seem likely he was hibernating.

rising_from_the_ashes

Froglet wrote: »

If you spot it again please bring it inside and weigh it.If it is less then 700 grams it needs to go to a carer and be kept inside over the winter or it will not survive.Even in this mild spell there is very little food around..

We found a couple of quite small ones wandering around during the day late autumn time - they were far too wee to winter out & luckily we've a local rescue who takes them .... they said they were probably a 2nd late litter and they'd have no chance outside - they've asked if they can bring them back when they're ready to be released as we're in ideal hedgehog habitat (can't wait!)

OneYorkshireLass

Froglet wrote: »

If you spot it again please bring it inside and weigh it.If it is less then 700 grams it needs to go to a carer and be kept inside over the winter or it will not survive.Even in this mild spell there is very little food around.

The best thing you can do meanwhile is put out some cat food for it,or dry kitten biscs,and some water,which will give it a chance to survive until you can catch it.

Hi, I've put some kitten biscuits out but I think the local fox and rat population eat them ... we also have a number of cats who prowl round our garden, so I bet they think we've become rather friendly all of a sudden.
I will keep an eye out for the hedgehog

Paradigm

Right, I heard him moving about around 5 ish so he's demolished another half tin of Whiskas (with chicken... what is it about chicken) & it's now 7.30. He's not happy & climbing up the wire of the hutch he's in.....
I'll give it another hour to make sure all the dog walkers have finished, try him with the last bit of the can & take him down to where I found him.

I can't wait to get rid, he eats more than I do

Welshwoofs

I'm a registered hedgehog carer and if anyone is interested in helping the little creatures I'd recommend doing the hedgehog care and rehabilitation course run by Vale Wildlife

Anyhoo - hedgehogs do go off for a trundle every few days even when hibernating so it's perfectly normal to see the big ones about. As mentioned in the thread, the minimum for hibernation is 600gm so if you find them under that during Winter months they need bringing in.

Do not feed them dairy - even goat's milk! The best food for them is a combo of wet and dry cat food in meat flavours only (they won't eat fish flavours). The dry food is good for their teeth. Every hedgehog I've over-wintered has loved chicken...but obviously that gets expensive. They must have lots of fresh water on hand. Most hedgehogs that come into care are dehydrated.....I often have to syringe Hartman's fluid under their skin when I first get them.

Things which can make them ill? Well if you see ticks they'll need removing - don't smear ticks with oil or vaseline because that makes them regurgitate into the host and some carry Lyme's Disease. A tick remover is best. The other things they often suffer from are Fluke and round worms....and the new danger to them is thorny headed worm which burrows straight through their intestine and causes death by pertonitis. Fluke and roundworms can be tested for - in fact you can send a poo sample off to Vale Wildlife and they'll tell if the hedgehog has fluke/worms and what medication is needed. If they have thorny headed worm....well unfortunately you won't know until they suddenly die and even then you'll only know if you dissect them.

Katiehound

The hedgehog centre near here has more than double the number of hedgehogs this winter as the weather was so bad last year and the babies were born very late......so the little ones won't survive the winter, unless rescued.
If you find your hungry hog again I would contact your nearest wildlife centre because maybe he/she should be inside being fattened up!

juliebunny

Welshwoofs wrote: »

Do not feed them dairy - even goat's milk! The best food for them is a combo of wet and dry cat food in meat flavours only (they won't eat fish flavours). The dry food is good for their teeth. Every hedgehog I've over-wintered has loved chicken...but obviously that gets expensive. They must have lots of fresh water on hand. Most hedgehogs that come into care are dehydrated.....I often have to syringe Hartman's fluid under their skin when I first get them.
.

This probably explains why I see them in my garden - I can't leave out food due to the local cat population (most of them mine:rotfl:) who have managed to break into every hedgehog feeding attempt so far - but I always leave out a big bowl of fresh water for any passing cats or whoever needs it. Amazing how many of my neighbours leave their cats out night and day with no shelter or water...grr...