Hedgehog Hospital
On admission every hedgehog is assessed and the known history considered to determine if the animal requires urgent veterinary care in the first instance. Usually hedgehogs that arrive are dehydrated, hypothermic or malnourished; often a combination of all three. We are lucky to have four incubators which are essential and lifesaving. We are trained and able to administer fluids subcutaneously which is often the most important first step to stabilise a new arrival.
Hedgehogs that are unwell often have a high burden of external parasites such as fleas and ticks. It is really important that you do not try to remove ticks or treat fleas unless you are a trained, species specific rehabilitator. Many flea and tick treatments are fatal to hedgehogs. Simply removing the parasites will also not deal with the underlying conditions which can usually only be identified through microscopy.
The most common reason for admission is illness caused by an underlying internal parasite burden. In order to identify this we analyse faecal samples under a microscope. Sampling continues routinely throughout the rehabilitation process and is an essential skill for all hedgehog rehabbers. Our microscope is one of our most treasured pieces of equipment.
Working with our vet
Working with our vet we treat the cause of illness or support the hedgehogs recovery from injury.
At every stage we are mindful that our goal is to release the animal back to the wild.
We do not believe that a wild animal should be kept in captivity; if a hedgehog cannot be successfully released back to the wild then we would not class this as a successful rehabilitation.
Rehabilitation
When a hedgehog has been successfully rehabilitated and passed its final health check we will seek to release the animal as soon as possible.
It is important that a hedgehog remains in care for the shortest possible time as prolonged periods of captivity cause unnecessary stress and can result in further complications.
Over the winter this can be more challenging as temperatures drop and ‘Autumn juveniles’ struggle to reach sufficient weight for release. In these cases the animal may spend several months ‘over wintering’ in our care.
Release
We will almost always release a hedgehog back to the area it was found with a few specific exceptions, especially if the animal was an adult when admitted.
If the animal has been raised in care from a hoglet this will be less important and in such cases we will seek to find a location which is as supportive as possible.
Releasing a fully rehabilitated hedgehog back into the wild is so rewarding but a rather unimpressive event.
The animal is placed either in a box or prepared shelter and left to make its own way back into the wild.
