This little hedgehog has been rustling around our little front garden for the last couple of days. I don't know if he is supposed to be active during the day, I thought hedgehogs were mostly nocturnal. He has a very sweet face and didn't seem to mind posing for a photograph which worries me slightly as I expected him to be more timid. I hope he is ok.
7 comments:
If he's really small, and also out in the day, he may be orphaned. In order for him to survive on his own, he needs to weigh 500g. If less...he probably won't make it. Worth picking him up and weighing him if you can, then you will know if he needs some assistance with hand rearing. Having said that, it's very early in the season for a new batch of babies. I hand reared a hedgehog a few summers ago, it was very rewarding.
It does seem peculiar that he should be out and about so much in the day. Hope he's ok. Perhaps you could get in touch with the Hedgehog Preservation Society if he seems unwell?
http://www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk
Oh, he's so sweet! I'm so glad you got a photo. I wanted to see a hedgehog so badly when we lived in SCotland. Finally, one weekend we were out in the country and we saw a whole family of them. Mrs. Tiggywinkle was our tooth fairy as children. :) I think I should ask my mom to do a painting of a hedgehog.
Thank you for the comments.
I haven't seen the hedgehog today so i hope he is safe. He wasn't really tiny but I doubt if he weighed over 500g. Thanks for the link, Rebecca, there was a local number for this area so I'll ring and ask advice if I see him again.
Heather, I've never heard of Mrs Tiggywinkle being a tooth fairy but I was very keen on Beatrix Potter when I was little, I would have liked that.
How lovely! I have never seen a wild hedgehog before, so they seem a little like mythical beasties to me.
If it is out in daylight, it is not well :-(
The 500g limit is for autumn, as a guide to see if it can manage hibernation OK...less than that and they need to be fed and kept awake over winter
We reared a litter of 6 once in spring, they were needing hourly dropper feeds of milk for the first few days as they were so tiny!
This one doesn't look like a new one, so I would guess it has overwintered but is a bit poorly
Put out some tinned puppy food and a bowl of water ( NOT bread and milk as it is REALLY bad for them - but you probably knew that?)
and if you see it in daylight try to catch it and take it to a wildlife hospital?
Hope this helps, good luck
S x
I hope the little guy is ok. How I would love to live in a place where hedgehogs roamed in the yard - all I have are rabbits, raccoons and possums!
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