# Now for a real challenge



## Sheepshape (Jun 25, 2019)

British wildlife is not exactly doing well....habitat loss mainly. I do my best to preserve it. I have 'overwintered' hedgehogs who have turned up on site who are too thin to hibernate over the winterThey live over the winter keeping them  in an old chicken coop in the sheep shed.They are fed jelly cat food. When the spring becomes warm enough I release them back on site without interfering with them much at all throughout the winter so they stay 'wild'. I have released probably 6 or 7 this way, most in very good shape, but one came out positively huge.....a massive male. Since his release the hedgehogs on site seem to have increased in size!

Yesterday I stumbled upon a baby hedgehog out on the drive in full sunlight. It was cold and frightened, but seemed unharmed. A search of the area revealed no other hogs at all. So, back to the house and phone the national helpline. The hog was assessed to be about 3-4 weeks old, still ought to be on milk, needing to have a heat source, and utterly incapable of independent survival. No local carers.

So I have the poor little mite. (S)he has a heating pad, cat food and water and is in a box in the kitchen.

This is going to be difficult.


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## AmberLops (Jun 25, 2019)

Wow...that was really nice of you to care for it!
I studied Wildlife Rehabilitation but we don't really have wild hedgehogs around here...I had a pet one but it's not the same. Here's a link I found about hand-rearing wild hedgies. Hope it helps!
https://littlesilverhedgehog.com/2019/06/14/baby-hedgehogs/


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## frustratedearthmother (Jun 25, 2019)

Hope you can pull her through!


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## Sheepshape (Jun 25, 2019)

Thank you for the link, AmberLops.

The poor little thing is very immature.She is not even good on her feet, but is eating some of the cat food and moving on and off the heat pad which is under the old towel.





She doesn't even roll into a ball yet. Goodness knows how she managed to survive out in the open until i happened on her.


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## frustratedearthmother (Jun 25, 2019)

Ahhhhh - so darn cute.  You're doing a good thing.


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## AmberLops (Jun 25, 2019)

Aw she's so adorable!
Please let us know how it goes


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## Baymule (Jun 25, 2019)

Should you offer her any milk? I know nothing about hedgehogs, other than they are small, rather prickly and cute. I hope she pulls through, you are doing a good thing.


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## Sheepshape (Jun 26, 2019)

Baymule said:


> Should you offer her any milk?


When I contacted the 'Hedgehog Helpline' they said not, but I've read a few articles and they suggest mixing chicken 'recovery' type dog food (a tin of which I had left from when my dog had surgery) with hedgehog milk substitute.....so some 'hedgehog milk' should be with me today.

The little fella......I've noticed that she is definitely a he....is still with us. I was going to call 'her' Pandora.....the Amazon box he was in bought to mind Pandora's box.....you never know what is inside until you open it....so I guess he's Pan.
He is in his box next to the stove with a heating pad. One of his eyes was puffy and closed, but is beginning to open.

Reality tells me that he is unlikely to survive as he is so immature. However...Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

My daughter just says 'How cool is it to have a hedgehog for a pet?' If he does survive, then that is what he will be as he won't have much by way of 'wild instincts' . The hedgehogs which I have found in the autumn, too thin to hibernate and stealing the dog's food, are kept 'wild' They spend their winter in an old chicken coop inside the sheep shed with loads of bedding and tons of cat food.They remain nocturnal and I don't touch then. This little guy has to have his cuddles...


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## AmberLops (Jun 26, 2019)

I love the name Pan. Still super cute 
I hope he makes it and grows up to be a big, strong hedgehog!


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## Baymule (Jun 26, 2019)

I'm with you on that.....you just can't leave him to die. So do your best as I know you will do. At least he has a chance.


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## Sheepshape (Jun 27, 2019)

He seems to be doing well....and has gained 8g in weight. He's lively and his swollen eye has resolved and  looks quite normal now.

My hedgehog milk didn't arrive yesterday although it was supposed to, but he's very enthusiastic about his 'high protein, high calorie canine recovery diet' which I'm getting from the vet and mixing with warm water to give him fluids.

I've changed my view about his chances of survival since yesterday.....he's looking so much more healthy.






He's also 'emptying out' regularly now.....took a while for anything to come through.


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## Baymule (Jun 27, 2019)

Poor little guy, he would have died had you not rescued him. He has a good Mommy now!


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## AmberLops (Jun 27, 2019)

Aw! He does look a lot better


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## lilipansy (Jul 3, 2019)

You are such a good mama!


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## BreanneRN (Jul 3, 2019)

They are so cute...  Sorry they are having troubles over there, but glad you are helping.  I have read somewhere that they were kept in the cottages to control bugs that they would come out and eat at night.  Wish I had one, but non-native animals are not legal here (at least not without all kinds of paperwork and some kind of license).  But did get to see some at the County Fair one year, for a small fee.  Good luck with your boy, looks like he is doing well!


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## Sheepshape (Jul 4, 2019)

This little boy is an eating machine now. Weight approx 145g now, and with a fat little belly. 

Having contacted the local Hedgehog Preservation Society again, they reckon he should be fine to go out into my old rabbit/broody hen pen which is in the sheep shed. I need to keep him there until he weighs about 600g, introducing him to live worms, slugs etc. He can then be released back onto wild land and should cope fine, hibernating in October/November.

He is really funny now, trundling over immediately I fill his little dish with his milk substitute (which he loves).


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## Baymule (Jul 4, 2019)

I'm glad that you can return him to the wild, but I bet he remembers you! He'll probably hang around the area. You might have to put him a pan of milk out from time to time.


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## AmberLops (Jul 4, 2019)

He sounds like a sweet little guy! I'm so glad he's doing well


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## Sheepshape (Jul 15, 2019)

So.....just a bit of an update. pan has been outside in an old hen coop with a 'mesh' fronted run and is in the sheep shed. 

He's more than double the size he was when I found him and is very active. He is now on cat food alone and has a huge appetite. His spines are fully hardened and he rolls into a ball.

I'm planning to get him used to earthworms and slugs soon and will release him into the garden when he weighs about 500g. He'll still have his dishes of cat food left out at least until he hibernates in October/November time.

I have no idea as to what happened to him in the first place, but am so pleased with his progress.


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## AmberLops (Jul 15, 2019)

I'm so glad he made it! You did such a great job taking care of him


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## Baymule (Jul 15, 2019)

Do you think you can return him to the wild? Or will he be a cute yard pet? You have done great with him.


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## Sheepshape (Jul 16, 2019)

Baymule said:


> Do you think you can return him to the wild? Or will he be a cute yard pet?


Well, I'll try to release him into my back garden which already has a number of hedgehogs. The back garden is continuous with the front garden. To be honest 'garden' is a bit fanciful as most is rough grass and trees. The front garden opens out into a large rough area which continues to a big gully and more fields. The lane is about 300 yards or more away, so the very light traffic on this road doesn't affect wildlife much. He'll be getting his food and water, too. Hopefully he'll find himself a prickly lady friend or two.


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## BreanneRN (Jul 25, 2019)

Sheepshape said:


> Well, I'll try to release him into my back garden which already has a number of hedgehogs. The back garden is continuous with the front garden. To be honest 'garden' is a bit fanciful as most is rough grass and trees. The front garden opens out into a large rough area which continues to a big gully and more fields. The lane is about 300 yards or more away, so the very light traffic on this road doesn't affect wildlife much. He'll be getting his food and water, too. Hopefully he'll find himself a prickly lady friend or two.


I am filled with envy!  I so want a garden filled with hedgehogs!  Post a pic sometime if you can, and so glad he is doing well!


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## Sheepshape (Jul 26, 2019)

I weighed him yesterday to find he was 595g.....that's almost 100g per week in weight gain and almost 5 times his weight of 25th June.. 

So...plan to release him when the current dry weather breaks (whilst providing him with food and water).

He's looking HUGE and very prickly now. I'll take a pic on his release.


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## Mini Horses (Jul 26, 2019)

We only see them in pet stores here.   Occasionally  there is a listing on CL.   They aren't wild here.    He's cute.

We have ground hogs here...they will sure eat your garden veggies!!!   Grandad used to bring them home for dinner.  They get large!


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## Sheepshape (Jul 31, 2019)

And so to release.

This is Pan today....just over 5 weeks since I found him.....and I've released him into the garden. Almost 550g heavier than his 107g when I found him (765g today).




 




 

Now he's huge and a bit fat, so plenty of reserve to start off with. I'm leaving food and water out for him, too, so he has time to adjust.

Good luck (not so little) Pan.


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## B&B Happy goats (Jul 31, 2019)

Great job on saving the little guy and getting him to thrive  I hope he finds himself a lady and has a little family that stays around your place and share your home


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## AmberLops (Jul 31, 2019)

Sheepshape said:


> And so to release.
> 
> This is Pan today....just over 5 weeks since I found him.....and I've released him into the garden. Almost 550g heavier than his 107g when I found him (765g today).
> 
> ...


He's so adorable  He looks so fat and happy!


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## Mike CHS (Jul 31, 2019)

I wish him continued luck since he has had a better than fair share of it already.


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## Sheepshape (Aug 8, 2019)

I haven't seen him since, but somebody is polishing off the food I leave for him nightly (I think it is him). I'm sorry to see him go really, but if he's gone back to being the wild animal he should be, then this is the best possible outcome.


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## Baymule (Aug 8, 2019)

You did your part, now he is doing his. He is alive because of you. He has a life now and is busy doing hedgehog things. You did good.


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## AmberLops (Aug 8, 2019)

He wouldn't be wild and free if it weren't for you!


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## YourRabbitGirl (Jan 27, 2020)

AmberLops said:


> Wow...that was really nice of you to care for it!
> I studied Wildlife Rehabilitation but we don't really have wild hedgehogs around here...I had a pet one but it's not the same. Here's a link I found about hand-rearing wild hedgies. Hope it helps!
> https://littlesilverhedgehog.com/2019/06/14/baby-hedgehogs/


Wild hedgehogs are not really a good animal to pet. for all I know they have poisonous spikes.. I would not let any of my daughters near one.


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## YourRabbitGirl (Jan 30, 2020)

Sheepshape said:


> He seems to be doing well....and has gained 8g in weight. He's lively and his swollen eye has resolved and  looks quite normal now.
> 
> My hedgehog milk didn't arrive yesterday although it was supposed to, but he's very enthusiastic about his 'high protein, high calorie canine recovery diet' which I'm getting from the vet and mixing with warm water to give him fluids.
> 
> ...


What A cute little critter. I was told that the spines have poison.. is that true? coz if it's not. we have some pet stores that sell them.. and I'm planning to have a couple.


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## Sheepshape (Jan 30, 2020)

YourRabbitGirl said:


> I was told that the spines have poison.. is that true?


No, those spines make them 'hard to handle', but are only to deter predators from eating them.
We have quite a lot of hedgehogs locally, though they have undergone a dramatic national decline in Little Britain. Currently they are hibernating here, and, being nocturnal, a lot of folk have never seen wild 'hogs'.
I fed that young man for a couple of months after releasing him and assume that he's now hidden somewhere around the garden.


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## YourRabbitGirl (Feb 10, 2020)

Sheepshape said:


> Well, I'll try to release him into my back garden which already has a number of hedgehogs. The back garden is continuous with the front garden. To be honest 'garden' is a bit fanciful as most is rough grass and trees. The front garden opens out into a large rough area which continues to a big gully and more fields. The lane is about 300 yards or more away, so the very light traffic on this road doesn't affect wildlife much. He'll be getting his food and water, too. Hopefully he'll find himself a prickly lady friend or two.


Hmn. I can't imagine having a hedgehog as a pet. Bit in your situation I think taking care of it then releasing it to the wild is really a difficult thing to do.


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## Duckfarmerpa1 (Feb 10, 2020)

Yes, I would think it would be very hard to raise a little guy to be healthy and then set him free.  A very selfless act of love!!  . We have a friend who took in a baby weasel...raised it...she fed it dead mice....she let it outside and and ran back into its cage.  Then one day she set him free.  That situation I thought was a bit...odd, since weasels do a lot of bad things.  But, she loved him and so it was a good deed.  I just hope he never finds his way to our farm!!


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