I study from home on a Friday, this week I went to make a cup of tea about 2pm (and check that the hens were okay (because it was a windy day and I was worried they would get cold). On looking out of the back door however there was no sign of the hens but Harry (one of the hedgehogs we’ve been feeding) was awake and making his very determined way towards the back door. One of the things I learnt when I visited St Tiggywinkles was that if a hedgehog is out during the day its generally in trouble. I grabbed some gardening gloves (you shouldn’t pick hedgehogs up with your bare hands as you can transfer scent which stresses them and they can carry ringworm which will be transferred to you) and the cat carrier and brought him inside. I phoned Tiggywinkles & they advised to put towels inside the pet carrier with him and a hot water bottle wrapped in a towel underneath. We’d already got hedgehog food so a bowl of that and some water went in as well and then I went back to studying and left Harry in peace/quiet/warmth of the dining room till Jam came home with the car.
He was about 200g I think and I noticed when I put him in the carrier he had a wound on one side so he definitely needed to be checked by the Tiggywinkles vets ASAP. We arrived with Harry and his refreshed hot water bottle (the water bottle has to warm but not boiling at all times or can do more harm than good) about 7pm and there we signed the little chap over to the care of Tiggys. I was really sad to see him go as that’s one less hedgehog in our garden but he will receive the best care possible & can overwinter safely. I have to say though the little guy picked an ideal moment, any other day and I wouldn’t have been here to see & rescue him!
You can find more tips on when to rescue and when to leave alone here and the Tiggywinkles website page on hedgehogs is here
