Hedgehog(let) rescue update

[5-element]

Further to my call for help over a week ago ("Hedgehog Care" thread) I can now report that after a couple of days, I decided to try and take in the 2 little hoglets - their shelter in my garden seemed quite insecure, and there were too many flies buzzing around the entrance. So I took them in - installed them in the cat's travel box (plastic) lined with newspapers and rags. I then put that "nest" inside a compound made of a very large thick cardboard box (without lid) so it was like a playpen around their house. That was lined with newspapers too. They are still both there, and eating, eating, eating, poo-ing, poo-ing, poo-ing, pee-ing etc.... I have tried various feeds, but what they seem to prefer is scrambled egg (soft), tinned catfood, and they just adored goat's milk, which I am now trying to wean them out of - they must be about 5 weeks, maybe 6 by now. At some point I was quite worried about ticks and fleas, I could see a tick at the corner of one's eye, and unfortunately was unable to do much about it.

I tried all the tricks (cotton bud with olive oil), etc. But neither of the hoglets seems to trust me enough to let me handle them without rolling into a ball, which means I don't know if they are boys or girls, and I don't know what their bellies are like.

They have put on enormous amounts of weight. They are now over 300gr. each, more than doubled their weight, and they do have a voracious appetite.

I have tried to catch worms (from the compost) for them, and believe they might end up eating them, but I am not sure that they quite know what to do with them just yet. Also, cat's dried food, they only try it when there is really nothing else. I have tried tinned dog's food, but they don't seem to like this. Also tried cooked chicken chopped very small, they like it. Raw minced beef, they did not like.

My idea is to wait just a few more days and then let them go in the garden, see what they do. At the moment, because they are in the garage which is dark unless the light is on, they might not have much idea of night and day, so they sleep and sleep, until there is food out, then they go and eat and poo (often in the same saucer[+o(]) and shuffle around a it - I have tried to make little environments for them with dried leaves so they have outside smells and they like to bury themselves in that. Also, a big empty thick paperbag (which contained cat litter, that type) more or less filled with leaves on its side, so they can go in and feel secure.

Once they are used to being outside, I will release them in the garden for a couple of days, put out a saucer with food in the evening for emergencies. If they are still around and I can find them and they seem to be relatively self-sufficient, I will take them to a friend who has a very large piece of natural land which he carefully manages so it remains wild, on the causse. There might be foxes there, but they might be in my suburban garden just the same. At least, up on the Causse, there won't be any danger from cars, or from slug pellets.

I am still keeping my fingers crossed that they both survive. I am aware that one of them seems to have diarrhea, but as they are both still eating and putting on weight, I leave it alone. I am not prepared to treat them as pets; if they were in the wild, they would have to manage with viruses and ticks and parasites anyway, so I will not take them to the vet - which would be complicated anyway, as well as expensive.

All the information I have gathered has come from anglophone websites. I was told that hedgehogs are just as rare here, very rare in our area apparently, yet there seems to be no associations that take care of them or rescue them here in France. Or if there are, they do not have any websites. I believe that climatic conditions might be slightly different here, from what they are in England.

I am still very grateful to all you people who pointed me in the right direction, and encouraged me to have a go to try and rescue these 2 little hedgehogs. I am hopeless at technical things, especially posting pictures, so very sorry, but it probably won't happen. Thank you all again.

And I still very much look forward to the promised blog by LesPonts (Jocelyn) about their own hedgehog rescue adventure.[:D]

[chris pp]

As you will probably already know, any type of wildlife rescue is a bit of a rarity in France. As Hedgehogs are a protected species, (and don't get me wrong here), it is illegal to take them in or care for them without a registration from the Prefecture which requires a certification of competence which takes two years "training" to obtain. When you add to this the fact that funding in France is almost impossible to obtain and French businesses don't  yet understand the principle of "green-washing" their image, it doesn't make things easy. There's no doubt that there are people looking after wild creatures but they just aren't advertising the fact.[;-)]

Chris

[5-element]

 

I can see why there are no French websites, it had not occurred to me, naively, that I might be doing something illegal by taking into my garage a couple of hedgehogs that were wandering in my garden, I should have known that I needed the proper formation! One of the least savoury aspects of France. Not much room for spontaneity or creativity. Sigh! Two years' formation before you can rescue animals, I ask you! I have known young children spontaneously rescue injured birds, etc., and do a brilliant job of it. And long may it last. Something worth breaking the law about.

 

[Christine Animal]

There is a very good hedgehog rescue place here 5E, see here

http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/1275892/ShowPost.aspx

and here

http://www.aves.asso.fr/article.php3?id_article=126

and here !

http://www.onevoice-ear.org/campagnes/sanctuaires/herissons.html

and here if you like   [:D]

http://www.30millionsdamis.fr/agir-pour-les-animaux/adoptez-moi/zoom-refuges/le-sanctuaire-des-herissons.html

http://www.herisson.eu/

 

[5-element]

Thank you Christine and Chris, we are so lucky to have experts like yourselves. Respect and kudos to both of you.

I didn't realise there was a previous, similar thread. It is heartening.

The sanctuary is as far north as I am far south, but I expect I could ring them up for advice, although for the moment it is still going well - I just would like to do the right thing when it comes to releasing them (should be soon as I realise they don't huddle together so much and seem to be quarrelling around food, and each wanting his own space).

"30 millions d'amis" is such a great TV programme. I might yet find a way of posting a photo, and although I don't like anthropomorphizing them, the 2 hedgehogs seem to be calling themselves Hercule and Polisson (hérisson)[:D]. Naming them, absolutely not the right thing to do for wild creatures.

How are they ever going to manage without their scrambled egg???[:'(]