When Herts Hogline first started caring for hedgehogs there was just me. However that was around 20 years ago. Now I have a lot, and I mean a lot of help from my hedgehog loving friends. As of January 2012 Herts Hogline is made up of:
- 2 full-time fosterers caring for disabled hedgehogs
- 3 supporters who donate food and collect used printer cartridges and old/foreign coins
- 1 supporter who makes and donates for resale fab key-rings and fridge magnets (click here to see the key-rings)
- 14 carers who look after hogs in their back gardens
Plus the support of Helen and her team of nurses at the
A120 vets just outside Little Hadham, Bishop's Stortford.
Without the help and support of this dedicated 'team' Herts Hogline would not be in the business of rescuing hedgehogs. To prove this point I wanted to share the story of a visit to the A120 vets on 9th March 2012.
Our first hedgehog of 2012 came in covered in ticks, very skinny, unwilling to eat and she had something wrong with her eye. So off she went for a full examination. This entailed a whiff of gas followed by:
The deft removal of a grass seed that had become lodged in the eye, with the help of a damp cotton wool bud.
This is the offending grass seed
The expert removal of the many, many ticks that had not been killed by the tick treatment the previous day. You can just spot a huge tick under her chin!
A good feel of all limbs to ensure there were no cuts or breaks. As it is common for hedgehogs to come in with horrendous leg injuries. And yes those grey ovals are ticks making a run for it!
And once given the all clear this is 'Helen the Hog' (as she has been named) wrapped in a towel next to a hottie to recover from all the TLC she had just received.
'Helen' is doing well and is beginning to find her appetite. Although I doubt she'll be released back into the wild in time to have a spring litter of hoglets. I'm hopeful with a little help from a carer she'll be back in the wild in time to make some autumn babies.
