2 young hedgehogs - advise please

[jo125]

My mum found two young hedgehogs in her back garden today at 3pm, I now have them in my flat in my front room in a spare tank i had empty (its a big tank with a mesh lid) i have lined the tank with newspaper with a heat mat up one end (a reptile heat mat) torn up newspaper, a shallow bowl of water and a shallow bowl with meet based cat food (wiskers pouch food)

Mum couldnt leave them in her garden otherwise the dogs would have had them and the fact that they was out at 3pm isnt a good sign,

One weighs 115g and the other one weighs 130g they have both had a drink of water and have eaten a whole pouch of whiskers cat food (which i had to ask my neighbour for)

I'm going shopping tomorrow to buy some tins of cat food should i buy biscuts as well if so what type/make, also should i buy them some dried mealworms so that they still "hunt" for their food.

I know they need to be a min weight of 600g and they have a long way to go do you think they will be released this winter or april

[Marcia]

Hi Jo and welcome to WaB.

Well done for rescuing both baby hedgehogs. Your mum was right, hoggies in daylight are not a good sign. They are very small at 100g and they need help. Either something happened to their mum or most likely she kicked them out of the nest and they were struggling to feed for themselves, hence being in daylight.

The accomodation you've made for them seems good, just make sure they can move out of the heating pad in case they get too warm. It's a good sign that they are eating and drinking (and soon they will be pooping a lot too!).

Cat biscuits are good to keep their teeth clean; chicken flavour are the best bet. Some hoggies prefer wet food though, so try to buy both. Mealworms are a good idea too.

As they are quite small, they will probably need to be overwintered as they might not reach the ideal weight and learn the essential skills to survive in the wild before the winter.

If you can't keep them, you can try to find a carer from the British Hedgehog Preservation Society.

You can find more information on rescued hedgehogs in this link. Or in the BHPS website.

Keep us posted and let us know if you need any help, ok?

Marcia

[Wild-Woman]

Sounds like you're doing a great job jo125. The only thing that might be worth considering if you're going to over-winter them would be a check up by a vet.He may give them a routine injection of antibiotics incase they have any underlying infections and worming pills. This is what happened to 4 that I rescued after they were dug out in a building site. They were also checked for ticks and treated for fleas.

[jo125]

thank you everyone,

I'm sorry for all the questions i just want them to get the best start possible, just a few more questions one again i'm sorry

how much cat food should they eat between them eg a tin a day

roughly how old are they one is 115g and the other is 130g

their poo is a sandy colour but firm and "shaped" i think thats down to the change in diet,

what weight do i take the heat mat off them,

they have no ticks but they have a few fleas, should i treat this if so what with,

unfortuantly i cant take them to the vet as i dont drive and i have a 5yr old so cant offord the bill, the last time i took a wild animal to the vet (badger) it cost me £60

I'm going to overwinter them as i know most hedehog places have loads in and i believe their time is better dedicated to the "serious" cases

I have rescued and raised many baby birds and rabbits which are now back in the wild (the birds visit everyday still for food, and bring their friends)

I've just cleaned them out and they are such pigs and ate a pouch of cat food while i done that, one wasnt happy when i took the bowl away i got "hissed" at ungreatful cute things lol

I havent named them as i dont name wild animals until i've had them over a week.

My 5yr old wants to keep them and cuddle them like she does al my pets and i had to explain they are not pets and they have to stay scared of humans cuz they are going back in the wild and there are some nasty ppl out there,

We have a small holding and i have also reared many baby goats and chicks so i know just how much energy, heartache, time and joy is involved.

once again thankyou and sorry
Jo

[Marcia]

Hi Jo,

Please don't feel sorry for asking as many questions as you need. You're doing great with your hoglets and we're here to help you. I'm a beginner in the hedgehog care but I'll pass as much information as I can that I've learned from the more experienced carers from this forum.

Age: at these weight they might be around 4 weeks old.

Food: they normally eat at least a third of their body weight in food per day. They should leave a bit of food left on their plate, this way you'll know they are having enough. If it's licked clean, put some more next time.

Weight: You should try to weigh them every day at the same time and chart their progress. A healthy hog should put on weight steadly. You might need to consider separating them in the future if one starts eating much more than the other. But for now, leave them together and maybe give one plate of food to each one of them.

Heat: If they are moving out of the heating pad to sleep then you can consider turning it off. But as you said they are in a tank it might get a bit cold. Do you have any towels and fleeces that they can use to snuggle up?

Fleas: just to let you know, hedgehogs' fleas don't pass to humans or pets, they are hedgehog's only. You can use Johnsons Insecticidal Powder For Small Animals to get rid of them. Just a pinch and taking care to protect their eyes and face. Don't use any flea killer for dogs and cats as it's toxic to hedgehogs.

Vets: some vets treat wildlife free of charge, some vets are BVA members, you can ring the RPSCA hotline 0300 1234 999 and get a log number before you go. The vets then claim back the money from the RSPCA. Even if you can't go to the vet right now it worths to have a plan in case one of them needs to be examinated. Hoglets can go downhill very fast and they need to be treated as soon as a problem arises. So just to be safe, check who is your nearest carer, get tel numbers, addresses, etc.

It's very nice of you to overwinter them. And nice that you've been teaching your daughter how to deal with wild animals, she'll grow to be a real animal lover in the future. She can't cuddle them (they bite too!) but she can help feeding them, charting their weight, etc.

Good luck.

Marcia

[jo125]

I've been in hospital most of today for my apts. I have kitten milk, kitten food mealworms, 2 hoglets need loadsa stuff lol. Mum has fed then for me while i was out. The lovely chemist man in the hospital gave me more oral syringes incase they take a turn for the worst and need help feedin, a lady i phoned thinks they're about 3weeks old says i need to feed em special milk as they're not fully weaned, i said they are eatin kitten food ok and lappin water from a bowl so i'm going to c if they will lap milk. They are pooin by themselves, she did warn me b prepared for them to die as they're so small she also told be to put child multivit drops on their food

[Marcia]

Be aware that hedgehogs are lactose intolerant, so any milk containing lactose can gives them diarrhea and in long term, enteritis.

If they're lapping on mashed food and water they're weaned, so milk is no longer necessary.

[valleyforge]

Hi jo125,

It's not really possible to be too accurate in guessing an age for the hoglets based on their weight alone.

However, as they are already eating cat food and lapping water, then the hoglets themselves think they have weaned, so their true age is not all that important now.

I'd go with your instinct and see if they will lap the kitten milk too ... I'm pretty sure they will ... because it's really to no one's advantage to be syringe/bottle feeding them when they don't need it.

Be careful in adding vitamins or other supplements though, as it is easy to overdose.

It's good too that they are 'pooing' OK by themselves and without needing to be stimulated, but do ensure that their bladders are emptying properly too.

Marcia has already provided an excellent, comprehensive response to your initial queries, and I'm sure will continue to give you full support, but there are a few other folk here on WAB, who will be observing how you get on, and will chip in as required ... so there's probably someone with hedgehog-rearing experience not too far away anytime you need to post a further question.

Sounds like you are well prepared to give these hoggies your best attentions ... keep us posted and best of luck.

[valleyforge]

Originally Posted by Marcia

Be aware that hedgehogs are lactose intolerant, so any milk containing lactose can gives them diarrhea and in long term, enteritis.

Oops ... I cross posted with Marcia, who is of course correct in stating that hoglets will be intolerant to the lactose in cow's milk.

Kitten milk such as Whiskas contains less than 0.2% lactose and so should be fine, though if you have bought another brand, best check the label first.

[jo125]

Its whiskers, less than 0.2% lactoes, the 3 of them are lappin it up, yes thats right the 3 of them. 2 doors down had also found one today this afternoon, this one only weighs 100g, its ate loads of kitten food, drank some water and kitten milk, my fiancee already thought i was mad, this will now confirm it for him lol.