Now for a real challenge

[Baymule]

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.

 

[AmberLops]

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

 

[YourRabbitGirl]

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.

 

[YourRabbitGirl]

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.

View attachment 63752

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

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.

 

[Sheepshape]

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.

 

[YourRabbitGirl]

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.

 

[Duckfarmerpa1]

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!!