Hedgehogs in January - written by the British Hedgehog Preservation Society

Most of the hedgehogs seen at this time of year will be unable to hibernate – there may be some regular visitors that decide to keep eating because there is a regular supply of food but these will be in the minority.  Having said that, if the weather turns mild at the end of the month some hedgehogs may wake from hibernation but judging from previous years this is unlikely.

It is always helpful to leave some food out, but in the cold weather, when it is less likely to be taken, you can put out dry cat biscuits, these will not go off so quickly and will be less wasteful.  Leave a dish of water out as well not just for the hedgehogs but for all the wildlife in your garden.

If you are tempted out to do some gardening remember that there could be hedgehogs hibernating in your garden.  An unusually large pile of leaves could well be a hibernaculum (hedgehog’s winter nest) as could any piles of vegetation, so do take care when raking or forking over any suspect areas.  If you should discover a hedgehog then pile the leaves etc. back over it and perhaps check the pile the next morning – it is likely the hedgehog will have woken properly and moved to a new nest.  Provide some fresh water and some food as it will be very thirsty and hungry; the food will also help replace some of the fat it had to burn up when rousing.

If you see any hedgehog out and about at this time of year it is best to contact the British Hedgehog Preservation Society on 01584 890801 (if you can weigh the hedgehog first that is always helpful).  Out of hours you will be directed to other numbers but whatever the time, with patience, you should be able to speak to a real person.  For more information about hedgehogs and how to help them visit The BHPS web site at www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk 

Looking For a Very Special Home

On the 8th October 2013 we took in a little hedgehog weighing just 218 grams. She'd been taken to Cheshunt Medivets who discovered wire wrapped right around her body. It had caused a horrific injury. Gemma (one of the nurses) spent ages carefully removing the wire and cleaned the wound. For the following two weeks Gemma (named after the nurse who originally helped) was taken to our vet (A120 Medivet) every other day for the next two weeks, so the wound could be checked and cleaned. To begin with her chances of survival were low. But she proved to be a fighter.

Gemma's wound three weeks after coming into us.

Against the odds Gemma has survived and is now thriving. However she has left us with a little bit of a problem, or rather the person who carelessly left the wire lying around has. Gemma is now unable to curl up. This means she can never be released. The following images show the damage the wire has done.

This is how a hedgehog should look from the back.

This is Gemma - the muscle that should enable her to curl up is badly damaged.

This is how a hedgehog should be able to curl up.

This is Gemma trying to curl up. 

So we are now on the hunt for the perfect home for Gemma. As you can see she has very special needs and will be the same sort of commitment as taking on a pet. Although she is used to be handled she is never going to be tame. It would be unfair of us to expect her to live her life in a small hutch and run. So we are going to be very, very choosy about where she will spend the rest of her life. So here is what she will need:

• Someone willing to take on the full responsibly and cost of looking after her, all year round for the rest of her life.
• Somewhere very secure, large (much larger than the average garden) that predators such as foxes cannot enter and with lots of vegetation for her to sniff around and enable her to be a hedgehog. 
• A place that is large, full of lovely things to sniff and warm for the winter months.

So if you are lucky enough to have a totally walled mature garden and a very large green house then you may be the person Gemma is looking for. Alternately do you work somewhere that has these things and you think you could talk the manager (or you may even be the manager) into offering Gemma a home.

If you are willing to help and think you have what Gemma needs please contact me at lynne@hertshogline.com 

Note:

Please be aware the average garden will not do - the place we are looking for needs to be very special indeed. 

And the IFAW Vet of The Year is .....

A few months ago I saw a form asking for nominations for the IFAW yearly awards. One of the categories was 'Vet of The Year.' I knew exactly who I wanted to nominate and so picked up the form, took it home, completed it and sent it off. I thought no more of it until I received a call from Helen (from the A120 Medivets) asking me if I wanted to join her at the IFAW awards ceremony.  

She'd won! Now I don't want to sound surprised because she really did deserve to win, but you never think that when you nominate someone they'll win. However I wanted to thank Helen for all the hard work she does for us and other local organisations, such as Mutts In Distress and nominating her was the best way I could think of doing it.

So there we were on Tuesday (22nd October) in the Houses of Parliament, holding a glass of wine and nibbling on the most delicious food, listening to Bill Oddie as he introduced the winners of each category. Needless to say we had a fab time and what follows are just a few images of our day.

Bill Oddie introducing the winners

Helen receiving her award - couldn't get a better view there were these official photographers in the way! 

Helen with her award

The view across the river taken from the House of Parliament 

P.S. My claim to fame - I've now heard Bill Oddie say Herts Hogline. He's very unlikely ever to remember that but I certainly will.  

Hedgehogs in October by Kay Bullen (British Hedgehog Preservation Society)

Some of the really large hedgehogs may go into hibernation this month but the smaller hedgehogs will still need to put on weight.  The colder weather makes some of the hedgehogs’ natural food become less active and eventually disappears, so putting out extra food for the hedgehogs can be a lifesaver.  It is not the cold that will kill these juveniles but the lack of food brought about by the cold, so even in really cold weather they will have to continue to forage.

Do take care when raking up leaves and tidying your garden.  Check there are no hedgehogs in pile of rubbish that you intend to bin or burn.  If you can perhaps leave a pile of leaves in a sheltered dry spot for a hedgehog to use.  Other creatures may also use it e.g. a toad perhaps.  The birds also like to turn the leaves over looking for worms and other invertebrates.  If you are clearing any drains of leaves try to find a cover for the drain to stop both leaves and hedgehogs from falling into that drain.  Make sure any netting from the Runner Beans, fruit trees etc. is stored away safely so hedgehogs cannot become tangled in it.  There can be so many dangers for hedgehogs in our gardens and if there is something to get caught up in then the hedgehog is sure to find it.  Have a look at our ”Gardening with Hedgehogs” leaflet on our web site.

People often say to me hedgehogs are full of fleas.  I have to say that when I started to rehabilitate hedgehogs over 20 years ago this was the case.  However this no longer seems to be the case.  Many of the hedgehogs taken in by rescue centres do not have fleas, some will of course, but a large proportion do not.  This is a worry because will the cause of the flea decline work its way up the chain and eventually affect hedgehogs.  If you want to find out more about hedgehogs visit the British Hedgehog Preservation Society’s web site at www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk  We have a leaflet called “Autumn Juveniles” that you may find of help and interest at this time of year.

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.  

Arthur Formerly Known as Spike

On the 3rd August we received a call from Medivets in Chestnut who had taken in a hedgehog that had a broken leg. Sadly the leg could not be saved and they asked if we could rehabilitate a three legged hedgehog. Our answer was yes, as long as a back leg which thankfully it was. So they kindly removed the leg without charge.

Spike a day or so after his big operation

Weighing just 395 grams

Once they were happy with his progress he was transferred to Medivets in Enfield then to our local vets, the A120 Medivets, so he could be collected. Due to work commitments HQ was closed, so one of our fab carers (Michelle) stepped in and took over his care. She named him Spike, she names all her hedgehog visitors Spike. Now Spike was kept inside on towels for just over a week to allow his wound to heal. Whilst in Michelle's care he was found to be very partial to meal worms and would hiss like a trooper when picked up to be checked. Once happy the wound had healed he was moved outside into a hutch and run, to allow him to get used to being on grass. He was still being closely monitored to ensure he was adapting to have a leg missing.

Healing well, enjoying the evening sun outside and

now weighing a whopping 465 grams

He adapted quickly to only having three legs and was able to keep his face clean, so he was moved to his new forever home where he was renamed Arthur.

Temporary home whilst larger premises more suitable 

for winter were located

Arthur has been in his new home for just under two weeks. He has settled in, is coping well with life and at 674 grams he is ready for hibernation.

Arthur as he is now - ready for winter

It's great to see Arthur doing so well and as and when I receive up-dates I'll keep you posted on our Facebook page. 

Lastly I'd like to thank everyone who helped in saving Arthur - a great team effort.