Ticks
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I was just looking at our regular visitor and noticed that the little fella has several ticks on him / her behind it’s ear 😢
Is there anything I can do ? Or do I just leave it alone ?Hi Kevhoglet
It is quite normal for hogs to have some parasites and a few ticks isn’t normally a problem for them, especially if you are supplementary feeding. If there are only a few, I would leave the hog alone. Not only is it stressful for hogs to be caught, but also if the whole tick is not removed the area can become infected. They will drop off after a while.
If the hog becomes heavily infested, it’s different as then too much blood could be sucked from them. It also might be a result of an underlying problem. In that case I would be inclined to contact your local hog rehabilitator (contact details available through BHPS) to ask for help and get the hog checked over. They will be expert at removing ticks, so more likely to get the whole tick out.
If the hog is an occasional over-day tenant of any hog house you may have, it might be a good idea to clean it out with boiling water to make sure any eggs are killed. Do not disturb a nest if there is a hog in residence. Also and especially do not disturb a nesting female as she may desert or eat the babies if they are tiny.
Good luck
Could I forward a picture anywhere as I don’t know what equates to a heavy infestation he will be back tonight so I’ll get a good camera out
Hi Kevhoglet
Sorry, shouldn’t have made assumptions(!) – I took, several, to be 3 – 5. You can put a photo on here almost instantly if it is already somewhere else online – just put a link on. Otherwise it takes a bit longer through the home page. I have never put any on, but heard a while back that it sometimes takes a few days, although it’s possible things have speeded up more recently. Photos aren’t usually an ideal way of telling how many ticks there are. Probably the best way is to look through binoculars, if you have some, and count them, or if the hog comes close enough count them that way. Just bear in mind that the larger they are, the nearer they will be to dropping off. So larger, doesn’t mean worse. If you think there really are a lot, in the meantime, it might be a good idea to make contact with a local hog carer/rehabilitator so you can see if they can help.
I’ve a number of hedgehogs visiting which this year I’m encouraging with feeding-stations and houses and including some releases from the local hedgehog rescue group.
I was saddened to find a deceased hedgehog this morning beneath my apple tree. No obvious sign of injury, but bleeding from the mouth. On closer examination I was disturbed to find a very heavy burden of ticks (more than a dozen).
This has made me anxious about the rest of my garden population.
Normally I try to keep disturbance down to an absolute minimum (usually chance encounters as I renew the feed after dark, otherwise I rely on straws across entrances and a trail-cam to keep track of activity.
I’m now wondering if I should be more pro-active in occasionally handling and checking, or just keep my fingers crossed and let nature take its course, only intervening when its obvious something is wrong (which is my inclination).
Hi Leon,
Sorry to hear about your deceased hog. 🙁 The blood coming from the mouth sounds like a worry, could it have been poisoned? Hedgehog Street have a page all about what to do if you find a dead hedgehog. In order to help find out what is behind their decline, it is important to send any dead hedgehogs for autopsy, the details are at the bottom of the page.
https://www.hedgehogstreet.org/is-disease-a-factor-in-the-decline-of-britains-hedgehogs-2/
The authorities won’t act on the use of toxic slug pellets and other chemicals unless they have definitive proof from autopsies that they are poisoning hedgehogs, I know it’s not a pleasent task, but all the necessary equipment will be supplied for you to post the remains at no cost.
Like you say, I would keep a close eye on the rest of them and only intervene when necessary. Hope the others are all ok, keep us posted…
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