October Babies Now Released

On the 10th October 2012 we rescued an entire litter of four hoglets (who were still suckling) and their mother. If you didn't read their story click here.

Mother and four hoglets 

It's unusual to have such young hoglets come to us that late in the year and even more unusual for their mother to come with them. It caused a slight problem in that none of our indoor hutches were big enough for such a large family. So we had to be a little inventive and create a large indoor run using a pet carrier as a house and sheets of A2 mount board as the walls.

Their new home

Thankfully their mother wasn't too stressed and did a great job of looking after them. They grew and grew and soon we were able to take them away from her and she was released (during a mild spell) into a gorgeous garden that belongs to Di and Rob (two of our fab carers).

Just a small part of Mum hogs new home

Soon those little prickly balls were big prickly balls, well three of them were; you always get a runt in the litter. So these three were packed off to the same garden as their mother to fatten up and hopefully hibernate.

The little hog who stayed at HQ rather than go 'out' with his brothers and sisters

They spent the winter putting on weight and eventually when all were nearing or over 800 grams they were placed outside in a large escape proof run.

What a run!

The problem was there was already a hedgehog in there hibernating. So a wall was created centrally along the length of the run. They were given two lovely houses to live in and loads of interesting things to sniff in and around.   

Their cosy new home

After a couple of days Di decided to check  on them and started to root around in the hay filled houses. The couldn't be found anywhere! Out of desperation she decided to look in the hutch on the other side of the fence. To her astonishment all three had moved into the hog home with the hibernating hog in. 

Four bodies in one hog house - not a lot of room left!

We decided to leave them together as they appear to be getting on and Di took down the wall. All four continued to live together until they were released over the bank holiday weekend. Food will be left out for them and they will still have access to the houses. So with fingers crossed they'll quickly make the adjustment to being wild hedgehogs. 

A night camera has been set up to monitor the comings and goings over the next few weeks. So watch this space!     

The Hedgehog Shed Re-vamped

At the beginning of the year we applied for a grant from the Stansted Airport Community Trust to cover the cost of new hutches and shelving. 

The 'before' shot

We were delighted when they contacted us last month to inform us we'd been successful in our bid.

As a small not-for-profit organisation it has meant our old wooden cages could be replaced with easy to maintain plastic cages plus provide some much needed storage space. So over the last couple of weeks we have been busy spending our grant.

The first step was to source six new hutches suitable for hedgehogs. Thankfully we have Fin & Fur pets stores almost on our door step. So we contacted them and Karen not only took the time to find us just the right cages, deliver said cages but supported our work by selling them to us at cost.

Six new hutches just delivered

The next step was to empty the hedgehog shed ready for the work to start. We also took the opportunity sweep, scrub and re-home a myriad of spiders.

Almost empty - hedgehog still hibernating!

Keith of Orchard Carpentry & Property Maintenance arrived and started to work his magic with wood and nail.

Half of shelving in place

Within a few short hours the job was complete. We made up the new cages, slipped them onto the shelving and stood back and admired the:

drawers that are just the right size for storing tins of food,

shelving that's ideal for storing newspaper, hay and towels

and a hutch all ready for it's first 'lodger' 

The last thing to do was to move Grundy (who'd spent the day snoozing in the garage, away from all the noise) into one of the new cages with clean towels (he'd had an eye removed, so is on towels whilst he heals).

Grundy sleeping the afternoon away

We would like to thank the following people for their help:

Stansted Airport Community Trust - for covering the cost of the new hutches and shelving

Fin & Fur - for sourcing, delivering and supporting our work

Keith of Orchard Carpentry & Property Maintenance (Waltham Abbey) for his carpentry skills

Pippa King Ceramics and The Bishop's Stortford Chiropractic Clinic for sponsoring our new hog houses.

The 'after' shot - what a difference!

Bubble Boy Is Back Home

On 2nd December 2012 one of our carers (Di and her husband Rob) received a call from a friend. She had seen a small hedgehog out during the day. After a short conversation said hedgehog was caught and came to stay with us. He weighed just 432 grams, so was not heavy enough to survive the winter. However on inspection it was noticed he was wonky (he was called wonky hog for a few hours). So off to the vets he went and it was discovered by our fab vet Helen (A120 Medivets) that this poor chap has a small hole in one of his lungs.

Showing the build up of air under his skin

Each time he was taking a breathe in a little air was escaping into the body cavity. So she worked her magic and syringed off the build up of air. He was put onto a course of anti-biotics and the process of drawing off the air was repeated a couple more times.

The air being syringed off by Helen

Soon Bubble Boy (as he was re-nick named) was fully recovered and had managed to reach the magic 600 grams. So he was picked up by Charlotte (another of our wonderful carers) and spent the winter hibernating in her garage.

Bubble Boy finally woke a few days ago and today (17th April 2013) he was released back to the garden he came from.

Back in 'his' garden

Home sweet home

Now because he'll never say thank you, I'd like to thank Aasta for finding this little chap, Di for picking him up and dropping him off, Helen for providing her veterinary skills and Charlotte for looking after him over the winter. A team effort that paid off!     

    

Hedgehogs in May - by the British Hedgehog Preservation Society

By now all the hedgehogs should be up and about after their long hibernation and their thoughts will be turning to procreation.

If you see a hedgehog in your garden that is visiting regularly then it is more likely to be a female.  Females tend to stay fairly local and have a small area in which they forage.  However the males will wander over a large area in the search for receptive females.

If you are thinking of demolishing your garden shed then do it sooner rather than later.  Around this time of year we get lots of calls starting “I have just been knocking down my old shed and …..”  Yes, we know you have found a female hedgehog with babies – it happens every year!

Hedgehogs out in the day are usually in trouble. However sometimes a female about to give birth will put some finishing touches to her nest.  She may appear in the daytime and will be carrying leaves and such items to a certain place in the garden, often making repeated visits.  In this case her being out in the day has a definite purpose and she should be left alone.  Count 4 weeks and a few days and this might be when you will start seeing her and her new family foraging together across your lawn.

We are firm believers in prevention being better than cure so try to ‘think hedgehog’ and avoid any activities that may disturb nests or worst still may injure, maim or kill them. The BHPS has a leaflet called ‘Gardening “with” Hedgehogs’.  For this and much more visit the BHPS website. If you find a hedgehog needing help or if you need more advice call the BHPS on 01584 890801 – it is better to be safe than sorry.

P.S. Remember we also have information on this blog - just click on the pages at the top for help and advice. 

New Page for Vets and Nurses

We have been asked several times recently if we can provide notes for vets and nurses, who are wiling to provide treatment to hedgehogs. So this has prompted us to add a new page just for vets and nurses. If you are a vet or a nurse please feel free to click on, copy and paste into you own document and print off. If you have ever taken a hedgehog to the vets or find you need to please let them know about our new page. Then together we can hopefully return more fit and well hedgehogs back to the wild.