One summer, my car was flagged down on a road near where I live. A family had come across a hedgehog wobbling about in the road, in the middle of the day.
If you know anything about hedgehogs, you probably know that's not right, so I stopped. Luckily I had just bought a large flowerpot and a dustpan and brush so was fully equipped to scoop it up and take it home. But now what? What do I do with the bloody thing!
As I was researching the nearest wildlife rescue centres, my youngest sent a photo to her friend group chat and low and behold, one of the mums was a hedgehog nurse in Charlbury, only 20 minutes away!
So up we went with this dear little thing and watched, fascinated as Sarah performed the triage and administered fluids.
I turned out, that hedgehog was probably elderly, hence the wobbling and ginger quills (did you know they go ginger when they age?!) and she died a few days later, safe in the warmth of the hedgehog hospital.
Then, when I found a second little hog, cold and soaked through from the rain, Sarah told me, since I was interested in what she was doing, that there was more I could do to help…
I enrolled on a course for hedgehog first aid and rehabilitation, facilitated by Vale Wildlife Hospital and Rehabilitation Centre, and never looked back!
Meet Hoggle, my first patient as a hedgehog nurse
Hoggle came to me from a garden that support feeds hedgehogs regularly. The homeowner noticed this tiny one hard slowed down and lost his appetite, and when they got closer saw he was covered in ticks.
Luckily, I’m not at all squeamish and collected him right away. He had over 20 ticks removed, more coming off over the following days, a warm bath to drone his fleas, fluids administered sub-cutaneously and a faecal sample sent off for analysis by Vale.
Results came back with both roundworm and lungworm eggs.
Treatment followed, and he went from 188g on admission, to 650g on his release 77 days later, back to the garden where he was found.
As of today (29th October 2024), I have 3 hedgehogs getting fat enough for near-winter release, residing on my beloved allotment, and 5 just over my shoulder on the sideboard in my home office. These ones are autumn juveniles and are unlikely to be big enough for release before spring, and they’re all going through or have completed some kind of treatment.
I’m a volunteer. I’m not working for a charity, I’m not funded by anyone, except my clients!
I work in partnership with Tremain Veterinary Group who kindly offer free of charge consultations on the really sick or badly injured ones and write me prescriptions for the meds. However, I pay for all meds, sampling, bedding, food, set up costs – the lot…
That’s why I say, when you work with me, you’re supporting the care and protection of one the nation’s most loved members of wildlife – The hedgehog.
If you’re interested, you can follow me on Instagram @the.hedgehoglady or Facebook The Hedgehog Lady.