Vale wildife centre hedgehog care course
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Hi
I completed this yesterday and thoroughly recommend the course to anyone interested in hedgehogs.
Did anyone else from the forum go? Really should have taken people’s contact details!
SuzanneHi Suzanne,
Glad you enjoyed the course, I really wanted to go, but things are a bit hectic at the moment. Thankfully the four boys that we still have visiting seem to be in good health, which is more than can be said for one of our young squirrels, which showed up on camera limping this morning. Even if I managed to catch it, I am not sure if anyone would treat a grey squirrel, aren’t they supposed to put them to sleep? 🙁 Do Vale treat them do you know?
Hopefully I will get around to doing the course soon, especially now you’ve recommended it.
I know that feeling Penny! There is another later on in August but fully booked, and another in September that still has places.
We only appear to be having the one hedgehog visit at the moment, unsure what’s happened to the other two, although one may have died as my neighbour several doors down said he found one dead outside his back gate 🙁
Funnily enough they were hand rearing a squirrel at Vale when we were there! Had no idea what it was as so tiny.
Just taken this from their website.
We hold a licence to release some non-indigenous species:
grey squirrels, muntjac deer and Canada geese can be released into certain counties.
And they treated 86 grey squirrels in 2016 so think that’s a yes!
Yes there are wildlife rescues who will treat grey squirrels, so that would be worth looking into. The help wild life website has a searchable index which includes places that will treat squirrels.
http://helpwildlife.co.uk/directory/map/
As for the Vale Course I am actually interested and its good to hear it was good. Will try and get on one soon.
Hi Suzanne, AlanB,
Thanks for the info, that’s great news that there are rescues that will treat grey squirrels; a lot of people seem to have a downer on them, so that’s a relief. I have been looking out for the limping one, but haven’t spotted it again since. It was only a matter of time before one showed up injured after watching their crazy antics and death defying leaps from one tree to another; they soon learned not to walk across the top of the pyracantha’s though!
Sorry to hear about the fate of one of your hogs. A lot of people seem to be reporting a drop in numbers; I just hope that it is something to do with this crazy weather and they will all return once the temperatures get back to normal.
AlanB – Yes really good! I am not a wildlife carer and have no intention of doing so at the moment, and most of the people on the course (17 I believe) were either wildlife carers or looking at starting up a rescue in their area. However I never thought it wasn’t relevant to me, it was very interesting and informative.
Penny – Yes they have got a bad name haven’t they? My neighbour is always cursing the ones he gets in his garden, they appear quite destructive! We just have one now and again, he has damaged one of my peanut feeders but it was an old one anyway, I did fill that up to prevent him from damaging my newer one but he doesn’t visit that often so I’ve stopped. I’d rather see red ones to be honest but I wouldn’t wish them any harm.
Yes poor hedgehogs, like other wildlife they must all be struggling at the moment. Bit like me to be honest, except I have access to both water and food!
Hi,
I am going on this course later on this month, is there any tips of thing to do or know before I go?
Hi arwood, great I am sure you will enjoy it!
Much of the course is in the classroom where all sorts of hedgehoggy things are talked about, you get a tour round the actual hospital, and the practicals are looking at a hedgehog poo sample under the microscope, and giving fluids to hedgehogs, which are dead ones! They had three which had died at the hospital and are used for the course. I didn’t do this just watched as its not something I can anticipate me doing for some time.
I don’t think there is anything you need to do/know beforehand, you will learn lots! You get a book with all the info in but I also took pen and notebook to make any notes.I’m booked on the October course. But I’ve got to wait for it to fill up.
Not looking forward to the drive down though, and the trains look quite pricey!Hi Deeb74, the lady at the BHPS told me they have never not filled up the places so sure it will go ahead. I was lucky my o/h kindly drove me there and went walking around the local area before coming back to take me home!
I think I’ll have to hit the road about 6 am, but I’m usually up and about by then. I am the sleep opposite of a hedgepodge!
Well, that’s it. I’m now super charged for the course in October. Can’t believe I have to wait so long. I’m sure once the school holidays are over it will fly by as work gets busy again.
Still it gives me plenty of time to read my carer pack and the Kay Bullen book, that I bought from the BHPS website, because … I’ve just had confirmation that my old vets (I had to let my cat go a couple of years ago, and my partner was too allergic to consider getting any more) is happy for me to be their named carer in exchange for them being my named vet! Their hedgehog carer has just ‘retired’ and they were hoping to find another one.
Rehabilitation is happening! I can’t stop smiling 😀
There is/was a pub literally at the end of the road from the wildlife hospital that did/does accomodation quite reasonably if it’s too much for a day trip
Hi Deeb74,
I think its fantastic news that you have decided to take the plunge into hog carer.
One thing I would recommend – if you haven’t already – is to establish links with any other local (and not so local) hedgehog carer networking people. these folk tend to know more than the vets do when it comes to all things hogs and they are an invaluable source of support and guidance when you come to need it.
The hedgehog Bottom website has a tab that shows all the recognised UK carers and rescue centres.
http://www.hedgehog-rescue.org.uk/cms/find-a-rescue/All the very best in your endeavours!
Thanks Jan, I’m going to speak to the last carer the vet had, whose just retired from it. There aren’t t any listed carers too close to me, but I’m definitely going to contact them too. Need to do my reading and get kitted up, and do the course, so going to be busy!
Stef thanks for that tip, I’ll definitely look into that. I think it will be too much for one day, and I don’t want to be too tired to take it all in, or end up needing a carer myself!
Our group seem to be doing well, our hoglet are rapidly growing, having to look twice to recognise some of them now. I’m hoping my might stick around to at least put on enough weight to be good for hibernation, even if they don’t do it with us.
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