Spinning Hedgehogs!

[Cazzie]

Originally Posted by Schmoo

Hi all

They are now living in a heated green house and are positively huge they are both over 500g! I can now use the bath again too!

They have a lovely new house and they have two dinner bowls so are definately eating enouh! I do kinda miss them being in the bath though:

I will keep you updated on their progress

Thank you so much for all your help so far! x

What great news!.... both about your bath lol and Piddle and Poop

I expect like most of us who have taken in wee ones that your chuffed with your achievements and without your intervention Piddle and Poop wouldn't be such healthy happy hogs now - well done you

Have you made them outdoor houses/accommodation to use for hibernation should they choose to stay in your garden?

[Hedgehoggy]

I should've said, once they reach 600g, switch off the heater and leave the greenhouse door ajar and let them decide if they want to hibernate! Many hogs choose to hibernate in peep's greenhouses, sheds, garages, etc., - smart decision

[Schmoo]

Hi All

It's been ages!

Piddle and Poop are both doing very well and are now huge! (thank goodness they are not in the bath anymore) Poop is now 648g and Piddle looks like a football at 725g!

They have a beutiful wooden house made by my dad and loads of straw. They only get weighed once a week now and are putting on about 100g each week! They are a right couple of porkers!

Poop is still much more friendly and is quite partial to having his chin tickled! Piddle still curls into a ball and since he is huge I think he is a bit of a wimp at heart.

They have recently stopped eating the dog food we feed them but still eat all the dry cat food. Could this be something to do with slowing down and hibernating for the winter?

[Marcia]

WELL DONE, SCHMOO!!!

You've done an amazing job with Piddle and Poop! They went from being quite vulnerable to a fully grown healthy (and heavy!) young hogs! You must be very proud of yourself.

Any chance of a picture or two??

Marcia

[posie]

I've just found this lurvely thread, what good reading it is, what a lovely story,with such a happy ending.Piddle and Poop certainly fell on their feet with you. Well done. I bet you feel great at being able to achieve such a wonderful result. Posie. ..(Yes,Photos would be the icing on the cake)

[Hedgehoggy]

Hi Schmoo, what an excellent job you’ve done with P&P! Well done you It is highly likely that they’re both winding down for hibernation, but it could also be that the meat is almost 'freezing over' in the chilly outside temperatures (due to high moisture content in dog/cat food] and thus losing its appetising smell and appeal. Pre-hibernation, hogs generally do eat less and less, but poo more and more! (completely emptying their bowels before hibernating). Pre-hibernation poos are frequently tinged/stained a very dark green colour, so don’t be alarmed or panic if you see any of these!

Don't forget that not all hogs hibernate continuously through till spring, some wake up intermittently so it’s important to ensure P&P have access to fresh water and dried food throughout the winter.

Only one of the hogs currently in my care is hibernating at the moment and she is indoors in a warm room! She was passed to me by my vet at the beginning of Oct with a lot of health issues (pneumonia, lungworm, mite infestation) from which she fully recovered, but because she is also completely blind I wanted to monitor her closely indoors, but she had other ideas! She weighed 600g when she came to me at the beginning of Oct and 1100g when she went into hibernation 5 days ago, so I guess she felt more than ready to sleep at that weight!

I couldn’t resist posting this pic of her after one of her pigging-out sessions, where she sprawls out and sleeps next to her food bowls because she's literally too full to walk back to her bed!!!!

[Marcia]

OMG that's too funny Hedgehoggy, thanks for sharing that picture. I couldn't help but notice how clean and lustrous her spines are! Do only my hogs get covered in hay bits, food, dust and poo stains?

And oh! I didn't know that hoggies could go into hibernation even if they are indoors and warm! Must keep an eye on my indoor hog, Muffin.

Misty, who was released a month ago, is still awake in my garden, sometimes she skips a dinner. I think she's trying to hibernate but she loves her food too much.

Marcia

[posie]

Yes, I too Hedgehoggy, thought that cold sent hedgehogs into hibernation and that warmth (as in the Spring) woke them up. I thought that warmth would stop them hibernating.Obviously it is not as simple as that and other factors come into play. could you please explain,I would be very grateful.

[Jim Ford]

Originally Posted by Schmoo

Piddle and Poop are both doing very well and are now huge! (thank goodness they are not in the bath anymore) Poop is now 648g and Piddle looks like a football at 725g!

They've got a way to go before they're as big as 'Spiny Norman'!

Jim

[Hedgehoggy]

Marcia, all my teeny hogs and sick hogs needing treatment are initially given fleece blankets as bedding, hence no hay and dust particles. Once these particular hogs have grown/recovered, they can all be seen sporting the latest hay and dust particle embellishments!

Hibernation factors appear to be more complex than merely initiated by weather conditions + lack of natural food. An individual readiness appears to be a factor too...

Some hedgehogs purportedly don’t hibernate at all in the UK, yet some hogs kept indoors by carers, do!

With the exception of the very poorly hogs, every hog I’ve ever had in my care over winter (in a constant warm environment and with plenty of food available at all times) has hibernated at some point, even if just for a few days/weeks. Even siblings housed together have gone into hibernation, one at a time, over the course of a few weeks - goodness knows how the first hibernators aren't disturbed while the others are still awake and creating merry mayhem!