Hedgehog care

[5-element]

I have a fairly small town (ish) garden - and a cat who loves it there and tries to catch anything she can (lizards, snakes, dragonflies, grasshoppers, birds, etc.).

Today OH saw her behave strangely and went to investigate, it turns out she was stalking a little hedgehog - no evidence she had tried to attack it. He took the cat indoors and locked her in. I went to see the hedgehog, thinking it might be sick/injured, since I have never seen one in daytime - but have on occasion left a saucer of the cat's milk (that she didn't want) at night as I knew there might be hedgehogs around. This hedgehog was shaking, and seemed a little stunned, and moving rather slowly - not running when I approached it. I brought it a saucer of milk (good idea or bad?) and then left it to its own devices, never touching the hedgehog as I didn't want to scare it.

I am not familiar with hedgehog behaviour, but I did think they come out only at night. I am very keen to encourage it to stay around (there are piles of logs, and probably enough places where it can hide). Very very keen, and even hope it has siblings and relatives nearby. But I am concerned that the cat might be a danger to it. Would my cat try to attack it, and if it did, would it succeed? My (female) cat is small (3.4 kilos) but very fierce and fast.

How can I keep both the cat and the hedgehog happy? Is it a bad idea to encourage the hedgehog by providing it with the odd saucer of milk? And is it normal for the hedgehog to be out and about in broad daylight?

[Russethouse]

This site may help http://www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk/FAQS/faq.htm

I have a feeling that Cows milk may not be great for hedgehogs - please check this out though.....I know that dog or cat food is preferred

Good Luck

PS. Found another link : http://www.thehedgehog.co.uk/diet.htm

Even dog or cat food looks as ii it is only good in the very short term.....

 

[Nicos]

Best thing for the hedgehog is dried dog biscuits as they will have to crunch them and will prevent gingivitis.

No milk - just water.

If you can get maggots or meal worms from a fishing shop they'll love that.

Cat food JELLY ( not gravey) and NOT fish is good if they are sick too.

Dried leaves to sleep under.

I have nursed baby and sick hedgehogs for the local wildlife hospital- expect about 90% to die.

If they are out during daylight hours then there's generally little you can do to help them survive.

Slug pellets and foxes are their worst threat ( after cars in the towns)

If you can pick it up then remove any ticks- that will certainly help to increase it's ability to survive.

Good luck with it- Just keep it away from the cat for nowif you can.Once it's strong enough the cat should leave it well alone.

Oh..and if you do handle the hedgehog, do so as little as possible so as to encourage it to want to curl up at any form of danger. Quick, sudden movements and the odd poke should encourage that behaviour.

Internal parasites often cause hedgehogs to die. They are becoming ore and more frequent unfortunately.

Let us know how you get on!!

[5-element]

Thank you for your responses, and for the links provided - which I have read carefully.
Yesterday evening, I kept the cat indoors, and left the hedgehog alone (now I see that perhaps I should not have). The milk I had put out on a saucer for it is cow's milk, but specially altered for cats, which is why I thought it would be suitable for the hedgehog too. Anyway it is all gone now. No trace of the hedgehog this morning, but I think I did hear it squeak yesterday evening.

I will put out a saucer with some of the dried catfood, and keep an eye for the hedgehog, I am sure it was a juvenile - and from what I read, it does not look good, it must have been already unwell. I will try to construct a few places where it could shelter - not just away from my cat, but from the others who regularly use the garden as playground - there is not much more I can do at the moment, and perhaps I will never see it again, if it has crawled away somewhere to die.

At least now I can redouble my efforts to provide an environment that will encourage other hedgehogs to hang around. As there already is have a  family of resident toads, I am very happy to know that hedgehogs are also possible, even in this small 350 sq.mr. garden.

Thanks again.

[5-element]

Well there is an update after all.

Yesterday evening, my husband was sitting in the dark in the middle of the garden (making phone calls, as he does). He felt something brushing his foot: it was the hedgehog, coming to investigate him!!! Then the hedgehog scuffled off and for ages, was scurrying around in the whole garden, moving fast, stopping, starting, obviously looking for food. I was called out and did see it for myself. For a couple of hours after, I could even hear it with its high-pitched little squeaks. Very noisy, hedgehogs!

From its size, (palm of a medium-sized hand?) I gather it is a juvenile. Not a baby, not an adult.

Does it mean it is now "feeling better"? This morning I did find some evidence but it could be a cat's, not the normal hedgehog droppings which I am familiar with. More like an unhealthy liquid splatter on the terrace. I had left a saucer with some good quality dried cat food around, this morning of course nothing remains, but that could have been taken by one of the passing cats. Tonight I won't leave anything except saucers of water, in case the hedgehog ate the cat's food and got sich because of it! Anyway if it is well, it can find its own food.

It was wonderful to see the hedgehog who seemed to behave normally. However, I am surprised that it seems so undisturbed by human presence, it is behaving more like a pet than a wild creature.

I will keep an eye out for it tonight.

[andyh4]

 More like an unhealthy liquid splatter on the terrace.

 

Could be due to a number of things.

Reaction to the Cat's milk.

Reaction to the cat food

Poisoning - ask around your neighbours if anyone is using slug pellets or slug bait.  If they are ask them to stop and tell them that they have a much better and cheaper cure for slugs and snails - a hedgehog.  Hedgehogs devour many but if the slug or snail has been poisoned then the poison passes into the hegdehog.

[5-element]

Hedgehog update (more help needed I'm afraid!)

 

This late afternoon, I find there is not one hedgehog, but TWO. They are both scuffling around dead leaves and woodpiles, both are young, perhaps a little more than babies. Both let me approach them, and are just starving. So I give them more special cat's milk, and more dried cat food, and they eat practically out of my hand! They seem quite lively, but lost (mother got killed?) and frantic.

Now, I realise they are not supposed to feed on cat food, but what can I do, try and dig up earthworms for them? There are no slugs/snails, earth totally dried up in these parts, I also put saucers of water everywhere, now my cat is grounded as she does seem very interested in the little hedgehogs - although maybe she is just watching them but I don't want to risk anything.

I will have another good look at the hedgehog sites, to see what else I could do, apart from making a safe shelter for them out of roof tiles etc.... and trying to feed them something more appropriate, but taking them to a vet is not really an option  - however I would like to do all I can if there is a way to help them grow into healthy adults!

 

Andy - the neighbours do not use slug pellets - next door have nothing but concrete and swimming pool, the other next door has more concrete and pine trees and magnolia and othe shrubs. None of my neighbours is interested in growing anything that would warrant using pellets, plus the fact that here in the south the ground is completely parched and there are no slugs or snails.

Nicos - I think I can get to a fishing shop tomorrow - so this is what I will do. I have not dared pick them up yet, but I doubt they would have any ticks as this is a semi-urban environment. I am feeling a little inadequate since I couldn't even tell how old these hedgehogs might be! The size of the palm of a woman's hand, roughly. 

[Les Ponts]

Hi

We went through exactly the same situation as you 3 weeks ago.......in brief we're now 3 weeks into looking after 2 hoglets and they seem to be responding. They were about 85 grammes when we were first advised to take them in ...today's weight was almost 400 grammes. We're no experts and it's been a massive learning curve but we've talked to hedgehog people in the UK (because of the importance of the matter) and we are doing as much as we can to keep them alive. If you want to contact us we can pass on what we've been through already. We were of the opinion that wild animals should be left alone to be wild but we were persuaded by people who know a lot more than we do that if they are out during the day there is a problem and should be taken in and looked after. Taking them in is not an easy option and it will take over your life a bit....but when I weigh them every day & see them putting on the weight it's worth it!

PM us for our contact details.

Jocelyn

[5-element]

Jocelyn, thank you. I have PM'd you.

 

[chris pp]

I'll leave it in your capable hands Jocelyn.[:D]

Chris

[Russethouse]

Jocelyn - it may help other members, who may find themselves in the same position,  if you posted a few guidelines or general advice ?

 

[Les Ponts]

I'm going to post our experience of "taking in" two little hoglets so that you can see why we did it, what we went through, what we did and what we are still going through as it may help others - in the meantime a really good, clear website for immediate help is The British Hedgehog Preservation Society website which has a good clear advice in the section:  Leaflets & FAQs  . No point re-inventing the wheel!

Hedgeblog coming soon....

[5-element]

Jocelyn, thank you for your help and for providing me with enough confidence to take appropriate steps in trying to look after our 2 little hedgehogs. I am looking forward to your hoglet blog, I can imagine it has been a round the clock commitment!

Update so far: The night before last, I put out some goat's milk, and some good quality wet catfood on a saucer, just under a palette on which rests a pile of wood for burning - there is just enough space under there to slide the saucer, making it inaccessible for cats, and the two hoglets seemed to have elected that spot as their HQ. That night, they pounced on the food, letting me watch them, making little attempt at hiding - they polished it all off. I have also put a number of saucers with water all over the garden, which I replenish when I water the plants in the evening. I feel this is important as the soil is cracked, it's so dry around here at this time of the year.

Then last night I repeated the experience, adding a live earthworm to the catfood (I got a box of 15 earthworms for 2€70 from the fish tackle shop, where I was entertained with a story about the the guy who eats hedgehogs in this town...). I put it out at dusk and did not hear a sound, did not see any sign of hedgehogs. A couple of hours later I came back, it looked like the food had been a little disturbed, but not much, and I got rather worried then. But another hour later (feeding hedgehogs does keep you on your toes, no early nights!) both saucers had been consumed - still hearing no sound, still seeing no-one.

This morning at dawn, both saucers licked clean.

I took this to be a positive development - insofar as the hedgehogs are not starving so much, so they don't pounce on food until it is proper feeding time. They have also become much more shy and careful, which seems to me more normal than the way they were before, where they did not seem to care if I handled them or not, and were not trying to hide - they were just too weak and/or lethargic, I gather.

Future will tell. I intend to continue putting food out, perhaps less and less, and include some "live food" in case they don't know quite how they should deal with it in the wild. If I can catch one, I will weigh it and make sure it weighs enough to fend for itself when hibernation time comes (plenty of time yet). Obviously I very much hope that both survive, and realise they will want to venture much further afield (maybe already do, as it is possible to get into the neighbouring garden(s). But I certainly do not intend trying to turn them into pets, as this is not what they are meant to be!

The British Hedgehog Preservation Society website if packed with every bit of information anyone could wish for. As Jocelyn says, there is no point re-inventing the wheel!

Thank you again to those who have helped me out of my ignorance about hedgehogs.

[odile]

5-element - how are you all doing? Here in Leicestershire I have a friend who is a real hedgehog specialist and knows all there is to know! she has reared 1000000s- sadly the ones I have taken to her have had to be put down, apart from one who lives happily on 3 legs in a safe garden. My garden is perfect for them, lots of deep flower beds, compost heaps, fruit trees, hedges - a hedgehog heaven, no concrete and no swimming pool!  Apart that I also have foxes- and they tease the curled up hedgehogs until they run away, then bite the rear legs off = infection, maggots, sceptecimia (sp?) - If you need specific advice pm me for her tel number.

[chris pp]

Keep it up, Bon courage.[:D][:D][:D]

Chris

[5-element]

Thank you all again for the good hedgehog wishes.

Update: Jocelyn if you are reading this, I might yet contact you and pick your brains further!

Late afternoon yesterday, scuffle scuffle, the familiar noises and yes, they were out and about. So I did pick them up and weighed them, one was 137g, the other 162g. This seems consistent with being 4 weeks old. The Hedgehog Preservation Society advises to release them into the wild when they weigh about 450g - so really, I should take these two in - and feed them around the clock, not just that casual once in the evening. On the other hand, I am reluctant to take them in and make up a nest for them, since they are already used to being a little self-sufficient and to run around the whole garden - I don't wish to infantilise them and make them dependent - what to do? I put out extra food last night, (chicken flavoured tinned catfood, some goat's milk, then some dried cat biscuits, and three earthworms). Naturally it was all gone this morning, so I have put out some more this morning - as juveniles they need to eat more than once a day - but putting out food means that ants and flies might get to it. Next I am going to try scrambled eggs, and little bits of cooked chicken, and maybe some soaked muesli (all those foods are advised by the BHPS)

Since WARMTH and FOOD are the 2 things they need most, I might leave them out for the next couple of days since we are going through a very hot spell. But I am preparing the cat carrier as a nest, just in case. I am now dedicated to fattening them up.

[Nicos]

I'd leave them out but as you say feed them little and often. If you take them in they won't be learning how to forage . Perhaps you can put some dried dog food under some dried leaves so they have to hunt it out?? Adult hedgehogs will travel up to 3 miles a night and don't tend to stay in a garden. By onfining them would mean that their increased weight may be due to increased FAT and not muscle bulk and fat. Both are needed to survive the winter.

There is research I believe going on into Body Mass Index and survival rates .

Sounds like you are doing a grand job there!

[Nicos]

Been thinking.....

One of the problems with rescue hedgehogs is that they tend to suffer from gingivitis as historically they have been fed on 'wet' food. Once they get that , they lose their teeth and then are unable to feed in the wild and end up dependant on their feeders of 'slop'

Even young hoglets should/need to have the opportunity to eat crunchy stuff.

A previous link in this thread ( can't check back as I'll lose all this message) was really good showing the % of types of food adults eat. Gives a good insite into what you need to tempt them with.

I have no dea at what age they are weaned, but if they are eating earthworms, it looks like they can cope with 'normal' food.

Those seem pretty good weights to me...keep up the good work!!

[5-element]

Nicos - the tip about dried dog food UNDER leaves (cat food in this instance) is a good one, thanks. I started getting worried seeing the amount they eat, as I realise they need food more than once a day - but if I put food out in the daytime, the flies get in there - although, not so much on the dried food, which I leave as emergency. I think also I will start putting the food saucers away from where their den seems to be, so that it doesn't get too messy in there.

I remember the diagram with the food percentages, but elsewhere it gives indications specific to the age of the hoglets. I really don't know if they are able to obtain any food by foraging yet, which seems to be what they do when they scuffle around. Now my goal is to fatten them up, so I will try scrambled egg and cooked chicken as well as the dried and wet catfood.

As for the earthworms, I have no way of knowing whether they simply escaped from the saucers, or were eaten by the hoglets. I haven't yet got into chopping up live earthworms, somehow.[+o(] but I am very aware of the need to vary their food.