Intensive care units
Our incubators have literally been life savers for some of our hedgehogs, with only one that we used the incubator for dying very soon after
17 April, 2019
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Our incubators have literally been life savers for some of our hedgehogs, with only one that we used the incubator for dying very soon after
These guys and Girls are in our ‘soft release’ pens in the garden getting acclimatised prior to being fully released. We have already returned a few to where they came from, and have loads left to do. This process will take us a while to get through all the hogs we have (107), but is what we are about – rescue, rehabilitate and release.
We maintain several feeding stations for hedgehogs in our garden as we get so many of them visiting, probably because at the bottom of our garden is Lytchett Bay nature reserve, a SSSI. We found several autumn juveniles in the garden, or out on the nature reserve, that were too small for hibernation, so have had them over wintering. These all get released out the back, so it’s nice to be able to see them still around.
This is Kenny, he came to us this evening as he was walking around outside a fish & chip shop, and actually walked up to somebody who was at a cash machine! He is very dehydrated, has lots of broken spines and is covered in ticks, most of which are so small I can’t get them yet. He has big clusters all over like bunches of grapes.
Every year many hedgehogs are seriously injured or killed by cutting machines in the garden.
Please check grass and hedges thoroughly before using mowers, strimmers, or hedge cutters.
Humphrey, the hedgehog that came in with balloon syndrome, has been back from the vets for a couple of days, and is looking fine with no sign of him ‘ballooning’ again.
This little chap is Robbie. He came to us at the end of February with a strimmer wound to the back of his head (you can see where his spikes have been cut by the strimmer in the photos below) and the worst case of pneumonia we’ve ever seen.
The majority of hedgehogs will usually wake up during April and will be preparing for their year ahead. The first priority is to replace some of the weight they have lost during hibernation and they will be very thirsty so make sure some clean ground level water is available for them. Some may come out of hibernation in a very poor condition and may be found out in the day. These will need to be rescued and passed on to a hedgehog rehabilitator.
This is what happens when you see a hedgehog out in the day, and leave it thinking it’ll be ok, and it’s still there the next day. By the time a call comes in to a rescue, it’s too bloody late.
This young hedgehog MIGHT have been saved had we been called earlier, instead it was all but dead when we arrived, and subsequently died on the way home.
IF YOU FIND A HEDGEHOG IN NEED OF HELP, PLEASE CALL US ON 07587 925 476 AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
Following our little piece in yesterdays Echo, we had 4 hedgehogs in overnight and this morning.One from Bournemouth College campus, which was brought in by a member of the college staff, one from Corfe-Mullen which had been found laying on the road, one from Wareham which sadly died before it got here, and one this morning from Upton that was found when a garden shed was being taken down.