Hedgehog Article for Dorset Mammal Group
The 'What' & 'Why' of Hedgehog Rescue (November 2016)
Founded in December 2014 & based in Dorchester (Dorset), Hayley’s Hedgehog Rescue (HHR) is a non-profit organisation that rescues, rehabilitates & releases sick, injured & orphaned (wild) hedgehogs. HHR was set up to help protect & conserve the declining hedgehog population.
Usually a hedgehog is collected or brought to the rescue centre by its finder. Once the details about where & when the animal was found are noted, a full health check is conducted. Any obvious wounds are cleaned & treated accordingly, & external parasites, such as ticks & mites, are removed. Patients are then warmed slowly to room temperature, & often fluid therapy by injection is required as patients are almost always dehydrated.
The hedgehog’s faeces are examined under a microscope to reveal any internal parasites that the hedgehog may be carrying. Although it is normal & healthy for a hedgehog to have a small number of worms, large burdens can cause serious problems. The most common parasites that are found include; lungworm, roundworm & fluke, & increasingly often, thorny-headed worm. Once the worms &/or their eggs have been identified, the correct course of treatment can be started. Treatment usually involves; an injected wormer, antibiotics & painkillers. The patient’s faeces are examined again at the end of the treatment course, to find out if it has been successful. In order for patients to receive the best care possible, HHR work closely with a local vet nurse who has over eight years’ experience of hedgehog rehabilitation.
All hedgehogs are weighed several times weekly, to ensure that they are gaining weight at a healthy rate (a gain of 5g to 10g a day is expected in juvenile hedgehogs). If an animal begins to lose weight, further tests are done to discover why.
Once a hedgehog has finished any treatments & it has reached a healthy weight, it can be released. 'Soft release' is used for patients that have been in captivity for a long time. They are placed into enclosed outdoor runs for 7-10 days to allow them to acclimatise to the outdoors & they are also monitored closely (e.g. for weight loss or gain). Once the hedgehog has adapted back to a wilder life, the door to the pen is opened meaning that they are free to leave on their own accord. Some hedgehogs bolt for the nearest bush, disappear & never look back, but others stay & never leave the area!
Aside from any medicines or treatments that a hedgehog may need, faecal testing & vet visits, there is also the daily task of hedgehog weighing, feeding, cleaning & paperwork. There is also the numerous phone calls, emails & social media messages that are received daily. Hedgehog rescue really is a 24/7 job, especially when hand-feeding hoglet’s has you up every 2 hours throughout the night and day. When possible, talks & events are organised to raise the profile of HHR & to raise much needed funds, but mostly to raise awareness about the plight of the hedgehog & how people can help them. Education is key when it comes to the conservation of a species.
The work of a hedgehog rehabilitator is far from glamorous. Hedgehogs are messy, they smell & they can even be noisy. However, they are also adorable, fascinating & they make you laugh with their quirky antics! There is no greater feeling than releasing a healthy hedgehog back into the wild where it belongs, although release is usually a bitter-sweet occasion. It is impossible not to become attached to some patients.
Hedgehogs are declining in the UK at the same rate as tigers are globally. It is estimated that a third of all hedgehogs have been lost in the past ten years alone, with less than one million remaining in the wild today (Hedgehog Street). Unless we take action now, the humble hedgehog will cease to exist. Therefore, we must all do our bit to help this beautiful, iconic species before it is too late.
Hayley Dent
(Hayley’s Hedgehog Rescue)
Founded in December 2014 & based in Dorchester (Dorset), Hayley’s Hedgehog Rescue (HHR) is a non-profit organisation that rescues, rehabilitates & releases sick, injured & orphaned (wild) hedgehogs. HHR was set up to help protect & conserve the declining hedgehog population.
Usually a hedgehog is collected or brought to the rescue centre by its finder. Once the details about where & when the animal was found are noted, a full health check is conducted. Any obvious wounds are cleaned & treated accordingly, & external parasites, such as ticks & mites, are removed. Patients are then warmed slowly to room temperature, & often fluid therapy by injection is required as patients are almost always dehydrated.
The hedgehog’s faeces are examined under a microscope to reveal any internal parasites that the hedgehog may be carrying. Although it is normal & healthy for a hedgehog to have a small number of worms, large burdens can cause serious problems. The most common parasites that are found include; lungworm, roundworm & fluke, & increasingly often, thorny-headed worm. Once the worms &/or their eggs have been identified, the correct course of treatment can be started. Treatment usually involves; an injected wormer, antibiotics & painkillers. The patient’s faeces are examined again at the end of the treatment course, to find out if it has been successful. In order for patients to receive the best care possible, HHR work closely with a local vet nurse who has over eight years’ experience of hedgehog rehabilitation.
All hedgehogs are weighed several times weekly, to ensure that they are gaining weight at a healthy rate (a gain of 5g to 10g a day is expected in juvenile hedgehogs). If an animal begins to lose weight, further tests are done to discover why.
Once a hedgehog has finished any treatments & it has reached a healthy weight, it can be released. 'Soft release' is used for patients that have been in captivity for a long time. They are placed into enclosed outdoor runs for 7-10 days to allow them to acclimatise to the outdoors & they are also monitored closely (e.g. for weight loss or gain). Once the hedgehog has adapted back to a wilder life, the door to the pen is opened meaning that they are free to leave on their own accord. Some hedgehogs bolt for the nearest bush, disappear & never look back, but others stay & never leave the area!
Aside from any medicines or treatments that a hedgehog may need, faecal testing & vet visits, there is also the daily task of hedgehog weighing, feeding, cleaning & paperwork. There is also the numerous phone calls, emails & social media messages that are received daily. Hedgehog rescue really is a 24/7 job, especially when hand-feeding hoglet’s has you up every 2 hours throughout the night and day. When possible, talks & events are organised to raise the profile of HHR & to raise much needed funds, but mostly to raise awareness about the plight of the hedgehog & how people can help them. Education is key when it comes to the conservation of a species.
The work of a hedgehog rehabilitator is far from glamorous. Hedgehogs are messy, they smell & they can even be noisy. However, they are also adorable, fascinating & they make you laugh with their quirky antics! There is no greater feeling than releasing a healthy hedgehog back into the wild where it belongs, although release is usually a bitter-sweet occasion. It is impossible not to become attached to some patients.
Hedgehogs are declining in the UK at the same rate as tigers are globally. It is estimated that a third of all hedgehogs have been lost in the past ten years alone, with less than one million remaining in the wild today (Hedgehog Street). Unless we take action now, the humble hedgehog will cease to exist. Therefore, we must all do our bit to help this beautiful, iconic species before it is too late.
Hayley Dent
(Hayley’s Hedgehog Rescue)