Bathroom Visitor

[MikkiHall]

I have a hedgehog living in my bathroom! He was given to me in November as he was really small and underweight. Knowing that he wouldn’t last the winter, I have put a hedgehog house in my bathroom and feed him daily. His last weighing was 460g so he is getting there. 🙂

[Nic]

Hi MikkiHall

I’m wondering how the little hedgehog is getting on.

You might be interested in the following:
https://www.hedgehogstreet.org/guidance-on-releasing-rehabilitated-hedgehogs/

[Hollyhog1]

You are so kind and commited to looking after hogs. Well done and keep up the good work

[Hedgie Lover]

Hi Nic, just read the article you posted – I’m wondering, if I see a sick or injured hedgehog, or hoglet in autumn that is underweight, I would take it to my nearest hedgehog hospital – and I’m just wondering, where would they release it back to once it’s healthy and strong again – This article said it’s best to put them back in their home range – so would the hedgehog hospital visit my area put it back to my area – or do you think they have a special place nearer to them where they release hedgehogs back into the wild?

I guess you probably won’t be able to answer this question, as I assume it’s down to the each individual hospital to decide that, plus my nearest two hospitals are in the next town (would take an hour’s drive to get to each one), and I wonder if they would make the effort to visit me, as I assume they might be on tight budgets with them not being vets and not having paying customers.

Have you any idea what the hospitals usually do?

I guess I’ll find out when it happens.

[simbo65]

Hi-
I took a hoglet found a few weeks ago to our local vet who has treated him. He weighed 165 gms after treatment and the vet arranged for him to go to the wildlife hospital about an hour away as he is too small to be released
I gave clear instruction that I would like to release back where he was found and the vet said they passed it on. I also said I would pick him up if need me.
It will be interesting to see what happens. Sadly I think his nest was disturbed.
And possibly a siebling found in my garden didn’t make it and another report from a neighbour of what I think may have been the remains of another siebling.
I also believe this was the fault of over zealous tidying of gardens. AAAARRRGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

[Nic]

Hi HedgieLover

Wildlife Hospitals, etc. should be doing all they can to ensure that hogs are released where they came from. That, as I see it, is why that leaftlet was produced, because some of them weren’t – to the detriment of the hedgehogs as a whole – albeit inadvertently.

If any hedgehogs here have needed help, I have always delivered them and collected them from the Wildlife Hospital. But I think, if you don’t have transport they will probably deliver it back. I think many of these places have volunteers who will do some collecting/delivering. But also, you might find that there is a hedgehog carer nearer to you, who might be able to deal with over-wintering if not injuries, etc. You can find out from BHPS. But I would advise doing the best you can to deliver and collect to save them the trouble.

The point is that if hedgehogs are released other than where they came from it could not only put that individual hog at risk – because it would be completely disoriented, etc – but also the existing population. Different populations may have different immunities, etc, which they have built up over time. A hedgehog newly introduced into an area may introduce disease, which was previously not there – that sort of thing.

Also, there will be a certain number of hedgehogs in a certain area because that is the level of hedgehogs the local habitat can support. If other hedgehogs are introduced, that could tip the natural balance and cause hardship to the existing population as well as the introduced hedgehogs.

If you do have the misfortune to have a hedgehog which needs help, I would have the discussion with them and make sure you can have the hedgehog back to release where you picked it up from. You can always print off a copy of that leaflet and give it to them as a back up. If you can, volunteer to collect it, when it’s fit for release.

Having said that, I just hope that everyone is understanding of what hedgehog rescues have to deal with. It seems some people have unrealistic expectations. Not every hog can be saved however much time and trouble is taken over them. This is understandably very upsetting for the person who took the hog for help, but I believe is sometimes taken out on the very people who were trying to help that hog – who are likely to have been upset and disappointed themselves. Sadly, there also seems to be an endless supply of hogs (and other wild animals) needing help, so a Wildlife Hospital’s work is never done.

Good luck with the hogs there. Hopefully they will remain fit and healthy and not need that sort of help.

[Hedgie Lover]

Thanks for your response Nic. As it’s summer, there has been some community festivals on in the local parks, and I was fortunate to speak to a local hedgehog rescue centre, as they had a stall up.

It turns out they have a good reputation, and their on facebook, so it’s nice to see inside of the centre, and see the hedgehogs getting looked after.

I’ve just rung them, and they confirmed that they do take them back to where they have come from unless it’s a dangerous spot.

Also, they said that they have volunteers that can pick them up and take them back if I can’t get there by car and they work until 2am in the morning – but they said it would be more likely to see a poorly one in daytime, they said the night time visitors are usually healthy.

It’s a little bit far out of my way, but I feel more comfortable using them.

I went into town last week and there was another rescue centre, but he had bought out an adult hedgehog with him, and it was a hot day, loads of people in town, and when I was speaking to him, he opened up the hedgehog box and woke it up, I wondered how many times that day had he done that?

People didn’t need to see a real hedgehog. The rescue centre I like did had photographs of hedgehogs in their care, on their stall, and they also gave out a leaflet telling you how to care for them and what to feed them. This one in town had nothing to give out nor did he give any advice. So I realise, there are some dodgy ones about, but I feel happy about this one that’s a bit out of the way.

[Author]

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