Hedgehogs in July • Kay Bullen, BHPS

Betty found out during the day

During July you can expect to see the first of the season’s hoglets coming out of the nest with mum. 

They will start to come out with her at around 4 weeks of age and continue to do this until they are around 8 weeks of age, after this time they will become independent and disperse.

There will still be new born hoglets arriving, born perhaps to last years later youngsters or perhaps when a mother loses her litter and starts a second one and later still when an early successful litter is followed by a second one.

Hedgehogs are not territorial although they can have home patches.  The females’ home patches will be smaller than the male’s.  She just needs enough space and a good food supply to rear her hoglets.  The males will wander further in the breeding season so have a larger home patch during this time.  Once the breeding season is over they will tend to range over a smaller area, concentrating on building a good fat reserve for their hibernation.

If the weather becomes very hot the ground will dry out and this can make foraging difficult as their natural food may burrow deeper into the leaf litter or retreat underground or under stones and paving slabs.  Putting out extra food during these times can help a mother hedgehog feed her hoglets and once they are coming out with her they may visit your feeding station for food. Good quality hedgehog food, meaty cat or dog food or cat biscuits are suitable things to offer.  Don’t forget to put out water for all your wildlife visitors as well, and keep ponds topped up so hedgehogs don’t topple in when looking for a drink.

If you are concerned about a hedgehog it is much better to seek advice sooner rather than later it is better to be safe than sorry.

If you need advice about any hedgehogs contact the British Hedgehog Preservation Society, they can give general advice and perhaps details of a local hedgehog rehabilitator that you can contact.  Contact them on 01584 890801 or for general advice and leaflets visit their website.

Hedgehogs in February by Kay Bullen (BHPS)

Surprisingly there may still be a few hedgehogs around this month especially where people put out food regularly. This extra food allows the smaller hedgehogs to decide when they are ready to hibernate rather than be forced into a hibernation because of lack of food. However, some of the smaller hedgehogs will not have sufficient fat stored to allow them to even contemplate hibernation and the extra food is a real-life saver for them.

Tidying the garden

Do take care when tidying the garden, piles of leaves and compost heaps may well be providing sanctuary for hibernating hedgehogs.  Some hedgehogs hibernate in pampas grass so burning the grass to remove the dead leaves can be very dangerous for them, indeed any burning in the garden should be undertaken with caution.

What to do if you find a hedgehog 

If you should find a hedgehog out in the day, particularly if it is wobbling or has fallen asleep in the open, this is some basic first aid for it. It needs to go into a high-sided box, use a piece of towel or similar to pick it up without getting prickled and bring the box indoors. Cover a hot water bottle with a towel (use warm/hot water so as not to scald the hedgehog but to provide a nice gentle heat) and place the hedgehog on this leaving the cloth you that you used to pick it up covering it. It can have some meat-based dog or cat food and a dish of water.  Don’t forget to keep changing the water in the bottle as if allowed to go cold it will do more harm than good. If you don’t have a hot water bottle use a plastic milk carton or drinks bottle and loosely wrap a towel around the hedgehog and bottle to keep them together, remember this will lose heat more quickly than a hot water bottle so keep changing the water or swapping the bottles. Make sure the water isn’t hot enough to damage a plastic bottle, but warm enough to offer some heat for the hedgehog.

Where to find help 

If you are concerned about any hedgehogs you should contact the British Hedgehog Preservation Society, they can give general advice and perhaps details of a local hedgehog rehabilitator that you can contact.  Contact them on 01584 890801 or for general advice visit their website (follow link above). 

The Year That Was 2017

2017 was a year of successes and a year of frustrations. So, I wanted to share with you some of the highs and a lows. So here goes!

Our volunteers and supporters 
As always without the physical help and the generous support of the local vets and our supporters I'd never be able to do the work with the hedgehogs that I do. So thank you to the following vets for their continued support:

• The A120 Medivets
• Stansted Abbots Medivets
• The Bishop's Stortford Veterinary Hospital 
• Mercer and Hughes

One of the many lovely paths
in Birchanger Woods

Plus:

• Elaine - for taking on our latest disabled hedgehog
• Monique - for stepping in to take hedgehogs when we couldn't
• Rob and Di, Maddi and Helen - for being fab fosterers
• Michelle, Jayne, Michelle, Anne and Phil - for taking on the care and release of our successes
• Pat from Mutts in Distress for your support and supply of towels.
• Karen for running a quiz night for us and raising a staggering amount!
• Pat (warden of Birchanger Woods) - for your continued care of our two disabled hedgehogs and  allowing us to use the woods as a release  site 

AND everyone who kindly and generously donated either much needed supplies or cash!

Stats - calls

The shed after its revamp

I never keep a log of the phone calls I take but I'm guessing it's in the low hundreds. However, I've taken more calls this year from outside the area we cover. For example I've spoken not only to those local to us but also people in Watford, Hatfield, Luton plus a few from the other side of London.

Stats - costs
Last year was an expensive year with our paid for outgoings of just over £1,600. This figure doesn't include the generous donations that were paid directly into our local vets to cover vet bills (this was a couple of hundred - so THANK YOU). However, it does include the purchase of a lovely new hutch and run and the revamp of the shed (both we were only able to do because of all those lovely people who came along to the quiz night organised by the even more lovely Karen). I've just completed the end of year books and we're in credit! It may be just under £10 but we've covered all our bills for 2017 - so I'm a very happy hog carer (because that doesn't happen often).        

Stats - Hedgehogs
Since keeping records (prior to the year 2000 I didn't bother) we've had 761 hedgehogs come to stay in the hedgehog shed. This year we took in and cared for 42 hedgehogs (I only count those who come into the shed, not those who sadly didn't make it to us because they died at the vets). Of those 42, 19 survived and 23 died. Unfortunately the high mortality rate this year was because of the salmonella outbreak. It was perhaps one of the hardest times I've had to go through with the hedgehogs.  

Came in around 75 grams each.
That's a 50p next to them!

Ending on a high
Although part of this year was the hardest it's always outweighed by the successes and without a doubt these six little bundles of cuteness were that success. Sadly their mother died but the person who found them acted quickly and got them to us whilst they were still in good health. It may have taken a lot of late nights and a lot of very early mornings but all six survived and were released in late summer. Their survival is also due to the  wonderful 'day care' service provided by everyone at the A120 Medivet. I wouldn't have been able to juggle caring for them and keeping down a day job without that support.

Your continued support
Just before Christmas I was informed by Waitrose in Bishop's Stortford that we're in their blue token charity pot for January. So if you shop in Waitrose or know someone who does please do pop that blue token in our slot.

Lastly THANK YOU for your support during 2017 - it is appreciated more than you'll ever know.

How To Help Us Help Hedgehogs

I'm often asked by people who are passionate about hedgehogs how they can help us. Apart from spreading the word and making gardens a hedgehog haven there are a number of ways supporters can support our work and they are:

Method one: 
Do your online shopping via The Giving Machine and we receive a commission on all your purchases. It's free to join, they have a free to download app (so you won't forget to shop via their website) and now partner with over 1,500 different retailers, including many of the big chains.

Method two:
Buy something from our Amazon Wishlist by clicking on this link. An address is now linked to the Wishlist, so you shouldn't be asked for one. However if you are just email me at lynne@hertshogline.com and I'll provide an address.   

Method three:
Help us cover our vet bills by adding credit to the hedgehogs account at one of the vets below:

• A120 Medivet just outside Little Hadham - click here for their contact details
• Bishop's Stortford Vets on Rye Street - click here for their contact details

Method four:

Hold a fund raising event e.g. tea party, sell items on a stall, bring and buy sale etc. Then either give one of the vets above a call or purchase something from our Wishlist.   

THANK YOU!

You Learn Something New...

Although I've been caring for hedgehogs for almost 25 years I'm always learning new things and so are the wonderful vets that provide their expertise. Yesterday was one such day. A hedgehog had been found in a garden, wandering around during the day screaming. Now if you ever hear a hedgehog scream it's not something you can quickly forget. Yes, hedgehogs do make noises but you know there is something seriously wrong when you hear this scream.

Thankfully the lady who found him contacted me and immediately took to a local vet. The hedgehog was then taken to Helen Pringle (A120, Little Hadham Medivet). On first examination all that could be found were two small bite wounds. The issue with bite wounds is you never know what damage they may have done inside, so Helen decided to X-ray. Sadly within a very short period of time the hedgehogs condition deteriorated rapidly, so it was decided the kindest action would be to euthanise.

Now in typical Helen fashion she decided to do an autopsy. It was discovered the hedgehog had a very large internal abscess and a lot of his muscle had died (photographs were taken but they are too graphic to put up). Helen then decided to check the X-rays again and this time also check them against the X-rays of a healthy hedgehog.

So here's what a healthy hedgehog looks like inside.

Side view of a healthy hedgehog

Top view of a healthy hedgehog

As Helen looked at the X-rays side by side she noticed a small difference, but one that will make a big difference toin helping her come to a more accurate diagnosis.

Very, very unwell hedgehog 

What is that small difference? 

Well you have to look really closely to see that there is a line running between the spine and the skin, this is the muscle that helps a hedgehog roll up. On the healthy hedgehog you can see this clearly and constantly around the entire body of hedgehog. However on the very, very unwell hedgehog you can see the line which then disappears (becomes fuzzy). Where it disappears was exactly where the abscess and the dead muscle was (see the close-up below). 

The muscle can clearly be seen just above the red line
then is becomes fuzzy and disappears  

Now Helen is aware of this indicator she can look out for it and can use it to help fathom out what is happening inside. It will also help us decide when it's best to fight and when it is best to do the kindest, but hardest thing.

A call to hedgehog carers:

Please do share this blog post with your vet. It would be great to have Helen's work shared, so the hedgehogs we all care for have a better chance of survival. 

Hedgehogs in April by Kay Bullen (BHPS)

Can be lethal to our wildlife

Many hedgehogs will be out and about now, while a few may be having a lie in.

The winter has been milder and shorter this year although the wet weather may have affected some of the winter nests (hibernaculum).

Even now hedgehogs will be looking for dry bedding. The males, with their nomadic lifestyle at this time of year, may make do with some overhanging twigs and a few leaves seeing as they will not be staying around. However the females need a good dry nest for their nursery. A dry patch under some conifers or similar dense undergrowth would be an ideal place for a nest. Under sheds is another favourite place although often prone to disturbance when sheds are pulled down.

Wound caused by an elastic band

The current “Clean for the Queen” project can only benefit hedgehogs. Litter can be death traps for them. The plastic drink cups, yogurt and ice-cream cartons, crisp packets indeed anything smelling of something edible will all attract hedgehogs and encourage them to put their heads somewhere that they cannot get out of. Plastic multi can holders, the handles of plastic bags, elastic bands and any type of netting can also cause problems. So if there is a scheme near you removing litter (why not join TUBS in Bishop's Stortford on their next litter pick), may help save a hedgehog’s life or indeed any other unfortunate creature that might get tangled up. Or why not like The Litter Challenge Facebook page and pledge to pick up three pieces of litter per day - as they say every little helps.   

Having said that do not be too tidy in your garden, do leave piles of leaves and small twigs in a pile for any local visiting hedgehog. Of course if a blackbird gets there first it will soon spread a pile of leaves over the garden in its search for food.

If you need advice or find a sick or injured hedgehog contact the British Hedgehog Preservation Society they can give general advice and perhaps details of a local hedgehog rehabilitator that you can contact.  Contact them on 01584 890801 or for general advice visit their web site alternately (to contact us visit our website for details.