The Hedgehogs & Hoglets Thread

[dickybird]

hi marcia!

i love following the progress of your hedgehogs--glad to hear your latest acquisition is improving. i havent seen my 'hog recently--but there are plenty of signs on my lawn that one has been about-and eaten well!!

the weather,especially here,is due to get much colder as the month changes so i'll probably not see it again. i hope it survives the winter.

good luck

dickybird

[Hedgehoggy]

Originally Posted by Marcia

Hope you're well and not too swamped with Autumn Juvs.

I'm very well thanks, Marcia The true autumn juvenile season is only just beginning (babes born from September onwards). - Previous juvs were all from summer litters.

Originally Posted by Marcia

I think she's old enough to have a snuffle tray, isn't she? I'd like her to poop on the tray because I've already run out of clean beddings.

Yes, indeed she is. I find that most hogs usually stop soiling their bed once they’ve settled in.

Originally Posted by Marcia

Everytime I try to pick up the poop she charges against my hand, huffs and puffs, and shoves me, little hooligan... such different personality from Spikey...

Hee hee, every so often, one like that comes along! The majority are mostly well-mannered, reasonably co-operative and curl up in defence rather than attack! I recently cared for one of the minority... He was only 226g when he came in, yet had a personality and attitude bigger than he was! Right from the start he huffed, puffed, hissed and bucked at my hand every time I had to pick him up to give him his meds. He managed to spike my hand on a couple of occasions, actually drawing blood! He also self-annointed at every given opportunity - the rubber rim on the base of one of his feeding dishes also set him off!! When he grew as big as his personality and attitude, he was released, and is no doubt out there somewhere causing merry mayhem in the hog world!

P.S. I found a tick on my leg this morning! Goes with the territory I suppose, and as it’s only the second one I’ve ever had on me, I guess I can’t complain!

[pattie may]

Originally Posted by Hedgehoggy

If Harvey continues to thrive as he is doing in your care, there's absolutely no reason why he can't be released if he reaches a good hibernation weight before the really cold winter sets in.

What weight would you recommend?

How do I make a snuffle tray?

[Hedgehoggy]

I roughly follow the BHPS guidelines (the website wouldn’t allow me to cut and paste so I’ve typed out the relevant sections):

The minimum weight to see them through the winter is 450g and any hedgehog below this weight is likely to have problems. However, many hedgehog carers prefer to get their autumn juveniles up to 600g, or more, to give them an extra edge. Autumn juveniles found alone under this critical weight by the end of September, will need extra help even if it is just additional feeding in the garden.

Once the animal has reached 600-800g, release can be considered. Choose a period of relatively warm, damp weather and ensure that plenty of dry nesting material is available for the hedgehog to build a winter nest and hibernate.

Given that our winters ‘aint what they used to be’ and the hedgehogs here are still out and about as late as December, I release hogs as soon as they reach a min weight of 750g (on a mild day), but never later than December.

[pattie may]

Thanks for the weights Hedgehoggy. I'll keep checking.

Sorry to ask again but how do I make a snuffly tray?

Thanks a lot.

[Hedgehoggy]

Forgot to answer that earlier! Fill a small cat litter tray with soil, dried leaves and twigs from your garden, and scatter a few dried mealworms/treats in it for hoggy to snuffle about in. You may find he'll use this as a toilet too!

[Marcia]

Thanks for the guidelines, Hedgehoggy. It's colder here up the Pennines, sometimes 3-4 degrees colder than Sheffield, so I think I'll aim for 750-800g for Misty, what do you think? It won't take long because today she's 408g

Her cage was a monster mess this morning. Some poops in the snuffle tray but most of them on the heating pad (her way to tell me heating is not required) and everywhere else in between. I finished cleaning, put new beddings and put her back. And. she. pooped. and. peed. on. the. clean. beddings!!!

Pattie May, I use a garden tray but any shallow box will do, they love it.

Dickybird, I'm sure your hedgehogs will survive the winter, after all they've been fed the best of food + vitamins at your place.

[Marcia]

Originally Posted by Hedgehoggy

P.S. I found a tick on my leg this morning! Goes with the territory I suppose, and as it’s only the second one I’ve ever had on me, I guess I can’t complain!

Did you remove it with O'Tom? I'm dying to try it might put a tick on Misty purposely. Joke aside, I hope you're OK I've never knew they could be so dangerous...

[Hedgehoggy]

408g already! Excellent going The weights are only guidelines, Marcia, so whatever you feel comfortable with, so long as it doesn't impede Misty's opportunity for a pre-winter release.

And yes, I used an O'Tom to remove the tick! - I did contemplate dousing myself with my cat's Frontline flea & tick drops afterwards (only joking!), but decided on a very, very long soak in a hot bath instead of a shower, just in case there were any more unwanted dinner guests that needed drowning!

[Marcia]

I think Misty was too full yesterday. I weighed her this morning and she's 380g which is more reasonable. She seems fine but I'll keep an eye on her because of this weight difference. She still have the bully attitude against my hand...

Nutkin didn't eat all her food last night and didn't sleep in the hoghouse too... There was a cat poking his nose around her place, I don't know if that was the cause.

Hedgehoggy, I read somewhere that ticks don't like alcohol so maybe you could try to get some in your blood stream, just in case