Daytime Hedgehog

FUDGEY · #1 (**permalink**) 10-07-2010, 01:47 PM

Picked up a Hedgehog about 6pm that wandering on the road the other night. I thought perhaps there might have been something wrong with it or it was hungry. I put it in the car and nipped to buy some dog meat. Anyway I took it back to where I found it and released it in a safer place. I sat for a good hour and it never ate the food. Any reason to be worried about it or do they sometimes emerge before dark if hungry or disturbed? Hope someone can shed some light on it, heres a pic of it, cute as a button.

FUDGEY · #2 (**permalink**) 10-07-2010, 01:48 PM

Have a look at its eye, it doesnt look right to me.

paulthomas · #3 (**permalink**) 10-07-2010, 03:27 PM

I bet they're struggling a bit in this long dry spell but if he/she didn't eat the food then maybe there's nothing to worry about. I'd imagine they are about in the evening before it gets dark ATM otherwise they'd only only a few hours foraging per night. I saw one on my back lawn at 6:00AM a few weeks ago.

HedgehogRescue · #4 (**permalink**) 10-07-2010, 03:46 PM

If you see them at dawn or dusk no need to worry unless they are crawling, circling, dragging a leg, coughing or appear to have an injury. Any other time during the day then there is something wrong.

Don't release it, it'll need to be looked at by somebody who knows what they're doing and sadly that doesn't always mean a vet or the RSPCA. The fact that it didn't eat doesn't mean it's OK or not hungry. Often it's lack of water and they're completely dehydrated and need rehydration fluids. It may have been poisoned or had a head injury. It's almost impossible for the layman to tell and needs someone who sees a lot of hogs, even then, we can't always tell but we have a better chance.

Pick the hog up and put it in a box, preferably deep so it can't escape. If you have a hot water bottle or some other bottle you can fill with hand hot water, cover it with a towel, put the hog on that then cover both with another towel and put the box somewhere quiet and safe. Then phone a wildlife rescue or a local vet. Vets usually know if there's a rescue around as they'll see their hogs.

ALL vets must treat wildlife, it's in their Code of Practice.

It's just possible it's a pregnant female or one with a nest so make a note of exactly where you found it in case the rescue need to get her back there sharpish.

I've put a load of rescue information on my web site which is here

There is also a carers list with a contact number for the BHPS but if you go to their site at the bottom of the page are the numbers of the area co-ordinators who can give you up to date rescues. http://www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk/carers.htm

HedgehogRescue · #5 (**permalink**) 10-07-2010, 03:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FUDGEY

Have a look at its eye, it doesnt look right to me.

The eye looks fine to me.

Hedgehoggy · #6 (**permalink**) 10-07-2010, 08:12 PM

Aww what a lovely guy you are Fudgey for nipping back and buying some dog meat for the hoggy.

I agree with HR that it’s worth checking any hedgehog seen out in daylight, but to return it asap to exactly where it was found once given a clean bill of health, in case it has babies waiting in a nest. At this time of year, lactating females often venture out of their nests in daylight in search of water (lactation causes a marked increase in thirst for all us female mammals), and coupled with the dry spell we’re experiencing, there are a lot of very thirsty & dehydrated hogs out there.

**It’d be a good idea to carry a bottle of water and container in your car Fudgey, whilst you’re out and about on your travels ready for next time!

**

During these longer daylight hours, not all hedgehogs will wait until dusk to venture out to forage - the hedgehogs (all healthy I hasten to add) have been coming into my garden anytime from 8.00pm(ish) in search of food and, mostly, water. Yesterday evening just before 8.00pm when I went out to feed my blind hoggy, there were 5 hogs already foraging around in my garden.

The visible eye looks ok to me too.

FUDGEY · #7 (**permalink**) 11-07-2010, 05:48 AM

awww thanks everybody, some fantastic info for me there. I couldnt release it exactly where I found it as it was on the pavement on a busyish road. There were gardens with high sided walls by the spot and I didnt want to put it in there just in case its nest was on the other side. I put her in a feld by a tiny stream about 50 yards away from wheer I found her. How do they find there way back to the nest? Do the scent mark their territory?

welshcameraman · #8 (**permalink**) 11-07-2010, 06:16 AM

Yea I agree ...if you find a hedgehog out in the daytime there is a good chance it is in trouble, just one thing not mentioned, DONT give it any cows milk as this can cause enteritis, my belief is goats milk is ok though.

Martin

Hedgehoggy · #9 (**permalink**) 11-07-2010, 10:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FUDGEY

I couldnt release it exactly where I found it as it was on the pavement on a busyish road.

Sorry, I didn’t mean for that to be taken literally, especially if the original place the hog was found was unsafe!

(I had taken onboard that you found hoggy wandering on a road!!). I should therefore have worded my post something like ‘as close to where you found it, as is safe to do so’ – releasing just 50 yards away in a safer place from where you found hoggy was ok.

Re navigation: hedgehogs don’t mark out territories with scent or urine like other mammals. I’ve always understood that they leave a faint scent trail as their undersides brush against the ground as they move about. According to wildlifeinformation.org, it is thought that hedgehogs rely mainly on smell and hearing for navigation.

Quote:

Originally Posted by welshcameraman

DONT give it any cows milk as this can cause enteritis, my belief is goats milk is ok though.
Martin

Water is better

HedgehogRescue · #10 (**permalink**) 11-07-2010, 11:43 AM

No, you don't put it back where it's in danger and the middle of a road is not a good idea either. It's general location you make a note of so it can be returned to a safe place in an area it knows. If it's a mother with babies she'll find them easily enough.

Quote:

During these longer daylight hours, not all hedgehogs will wait until dusk to venture out to forage - the hedgehogs (all healthy I hasten to add) have been coming into my garden anytime from 8.00pm(ish) in search of food and, mostly, water. Yesterday evening just before 8.00pm when I went out to feed my blind hoggy, there were 5 hogs already foraging around in my garden.

Yes I should have made that clearer. I consider 8pm to be dusk although with the longer days it's not terribly dusky. Perhaps evening is better but it takes longer to type.

The big problem with all of this is the layman gets confused about what to grab and what to leave, and 99% of hogs out in the day do have a problem. I would rather somebody brought me a healthy hog that I then immediately return rather than miss a serious issue with a sick one.