Worried about an underweight hedgehog

[Farplace]

Bring him in as well.... he's too tiny.

[janecrossen]

He's asleep in the hibernation box which he's packed with leaves at the moment. I'll get him in tomorrow and weigh him. I could be wrong about the weight, he could be heavier. I'm just guessing from experience really. I'll do that and check him over. It is going to get desperately cold - I am conscious of that...

[janecrossen]

Hi All
Not been back in a while. I went out the next night but, of course, the cold, snowy weather arrived and I've not been able to catch him. Very frustrating. For a couple of nights... no sign... and the food I left out wasn't eaten. But the last few nights I've seen his tracks in the snow. Heartbreaking. I can track him round to the garden - up to my back door and around the usual route he takes... but he's not eating the food at the eating stations round my garden. I really don't understand it. Last night I put the food and water under an old table so it didn't freeze and his tracks are there, right up to it, and then away again. But no food gone and he doesn't appear to be sleeping in the boxes like he has been doing.

Very worried. All that energy he's using - and underweight to start with. My question is this: why isn't he eating?? He'll never survive this weather...

[CharlieCreek]

I have witnessed this as well. I don't know what the scientific explanation is but as you say you get this kind of limbo, they become active, go to the food and then don't eat. Hedgehoggy may have an explanation.

If it is the little fella, then I have to say that I would do a night vigil and catch him for his own good, but then again I am as daft as a brush when it come to hogs

[janecrossen]

Thanks Charlie. That's interesting. Good news.... he's eaten the food I put out, well most of it, but hasn't been in either of the boxes. An older hedgehog had put layers of leaves in one of the boxes very early in the autumn and was using it as a sleeping post. At one point there were two in there and one in the other one! However, none of the many 'hogs who had been visiting my garden are in there so I presume they found somewhere warmer! I've built it up with more leaves and twigs and put stuff on top to insulate it as I thought it might not be warm enough in this particularly bad weather.

I'm assuming he was out last night as it turned (marginally) warmer. However, it's set to become very cold again. I have tried staying up as late as possible and getting up at various stages in the night but still can't catch him! It's only the tracks that confirmed he is still about. I would never have known that as the food hadn't gone.

Unfortunately I have to work five days of the week so a complete night vigil is, sadly, impossible! Unless it's the weekend and I was out last night. I'm out tonight which is a pain, but back around midnight so that will be a good opportunity to have a late look.

Obviously the minute I see him I'll catch him and bring him in. I'm sure his weight must be perilously low by now what with all the running around and not eating much.

I don't think I can stand much more of this pressure!! I've taken 5 or 6 underweights in to the rescue centre and built two up in my home and released them and took in one from a friend whose dog was beating it up and released it into my garden, so I suppose I shouldn't beat myself up too much!! Done my bit this year but if I don't save this one I'll just feel I've let him down big time....

[CharlieCreek]

Hi Jane,

you certainly have done your bit with all those hogs rescued.

I certainly wasn't trying to pressure you into a night vigil by any means. We put this pressure on ourselves to help but at the same time you do have to be sensible about it and not put your own life under lots of pressure.

I do and suffer for it at times. I work 6 days sometimes 7 days a week and often will do all nighters with very sick hogs taking it in turns with my other half (as I am sure hundreds of other rescuers do), but it isn't healthy for you.

So I would take the pressure off yourself, realise that you have done a great job this year and hard as it may be to do, accept that you can't put the pressure on yourself of saving them all. It is nature afterall. We may as humans as a whole have caused many of the problems, but as individuals we also can't intervene and save every animal. Better to stay sane and well and save a few, than try to save all of them and end up frayed at the edges.

[Hedgehoggy]

Hi Jane, out of interest what food have you been leaving out for hedgy?

Re your hedgehog houses, you might find you have more interest/takers if you line them with a thick wad of newspaper and then stuff them ¾ full with fresh hay. In this weather the hogs will have difficulty finding any natural dry bedding and even if they don’t use your houses, they can help themselves to the dry warm bedding inside to take back to their own hibernacula. I also leave wads of hay in upturned buckets/plant pots near my hog houses for the hogs to help themselves to.