Unit 9, Lower Soldridge Business Park, Soldridge Road
GU34 5JF Medstead, Hampshire
Hours 08:00 - 20:00
I found a hedgehog, what should I do?
Deciding if a hedgehog rescue is necessary.
What to do if you find a hedgehog in difficulty.
When should you rescue a hedgehog? Always use gloves when handling.
Hedgehogs are nocturnal so seeing one in daylight that is ok is rare.
Hedgehogs are shy and timid animals.
The thing to decide is if the hedgehog is in difficulty
or in danger.
But how can we make this decision?
Throughout the year, the following hedgehogs should be rescued.
Wounded hedgehogs, collapsed hedgehogs, hedgehogs that walk badly, long, thin ones, evidently debilitated, ones with many ticks or obvious skin conditions, hedgehogs found in dangerous situations (streets, squares, areas with work in progress, in the hands of children, etc).
If the hedgehog we are rescuing has a bad smell, it means that it is not only injured but also has an infection.
In this case, only delivery to a vet or expert hands can save its life.
In some cases, if we are certain that they are orphaned or abandoned, the litter may need rescuing.
If they are calm, their mum has probably only left the nest to feed.
If the mum is there, just secure the area without disturbing the family, and leave cat biscuits and water available.
Pay particular attention when gardening, especially in the autumn during which the hedgehog he is looking for a suitable place to spend the winter.
When we talk about wild animals, we should evaluate their nature, without thinking of them as beings with our needs and habits.
The hedgehog has lived on our planet for millions of years, even before the appearance of humans.
The decision to rescue varies due to several factors:
The time of year, the place of discovery and the apparent state of the hedgehog.
Please remember always that hedgehogs are wild animals.
They are very docile but protect yourself from their spines by wearing gloves and very importantly protect them by keeping them completely free from stress, noise and selfies until recovery by the authorities. Place the hedgehog in a high sided box.
If you feel it is cold use a cloth gently to make it cosy and place a bottle of warm water as a heat source beside it.
We must emphasise the importance of only rescuing those in difficulty.
Hedgehog experts are well aware of how deep the suffering is from any unnecessary detention.
The advice is to contact experts or, better still, authorised centres if you are in doubt as to whether a rescue should be made.
