Hedgehog help please

Susie · #1 (**permalink**) 24-11-2010, 07:52 PM

I brought the hedgehog that has been visiting my house in tonight and weighed it, only to discover that there is a second one as well. The first one is 440 grammes and the second one is 605 grammes.

I have brought them indoors tonight and they are feeding away happily. Would it be an idea to keep them for a while and feed them up, take them to an animal sanctuary or let them go? With the cold snap coming I am not too happy about letting them go at the moment.

Thanks in anticipation for your replies.

243kingfisher · #2 (**permalink**) 24-11-2010, 07:57 PM

My Advice would be to take them to a wildlife centre, however if you feel that you can feed these little balls of spikes up ready for the winter to set in then go for it!

Thanks

Chris!

Farplace · #3 (**permalink**) 24-11-2010, 08:00 PM

The smaller one is def too little. I personally wouldnt be happy about releasing the bigger one either at the moment. My advice would be to keep them in, warm and well fed, and then either pass them on to a rescue centre or keep them at home until they are nearer 800gms. Even then, if there is bad weather, I would hang on to them.
If they are eating well, poo-ing normally and not coughing, they should be fine. Any health concerns, ask a vet or a hedgehog professional for advice.

Susie · #4 (**permalink**) 24-11-2010, 08:16 PM

Many thanks for your replies, which are most appreciated.

Ideally we would like to hang on to them over the winter if possible.

We've made a comfortable run for them with a large cardboard boot box, stuffed with newspaper for bedding, and with a heat mat underneath. They have already fed themselves silly and curled up in the box. They appear to be content for now. There is water, chicken, sunflower hearts and some fruit for them to eat until I am able to get some dog food tomorrow.

Thanks again.

Farplace · #5 (**permalink**) 24-11-2010, 08:24 PM

That sounds fine for overnight. Either dog or cat food will do (general opinion is "meat" not "fish" flavour, but a little fish doesnt seem to do them any harm). If the smaller one starts to LOOSE weight, he might need separating from the other one. Sometimes friends are fine together all winter.... sometimes one gets the bulk of the food and intimidates the other. Just something to bear in mind....

CharlieCreek · #6 (**permalink**) 24-11-2010, 08:28 PM

They are too light at the moment, especially the lighter of the two and need to get up to at least 700 grams.

As long as they continue to do well and put on weight and are somewhere that is warm (but not hot), quiet and dark (but if possible with some natural daylight during the day) with minimal human activity then they should be fine to feed up ready for release.

If they start to loose weight especially showing as a trend, or show signs of restlessness or hyper activity, or if their bowl movements turn to green or putty coloured on a regular basis then you need to get them to a rescuer.

What at first seems to be perfectly fine hogs can after a while develop symtoms brought on by stress (hyper activity, change in bowl motions) which causes normally non problematic parasites the hedgehogs carry most of the time to become a real issue, so this is worth always keeping an eye out for.

Susie · #7 (**permalink**) 24-11-2010, 08:41 PM

Many thanks for your replies, Farplace and CharlieCreek.

I am reading up on as many of the hedgehog threads on here as I can rapidly, to try and gain some knowledge of how to look after them. If I have any concerns I will take them straight to the professionals.

I know an "ambient" temperature has been mentioned for the area they are in but what, ideally, is that?

CharlieCreek · #8 (**permalink**) 24-11-2010, 08:48 PM

I haven't ever actually measured the ambient temperature in our rescue area however the way I judge it on a daily basis is I keep the ambient temperture to what I would call mild, e.g. it doesn't feel chilly and it doesn't really feel warm either. In a way it's almost a non temperture to feel as you don't notice it being warm or cold just comfortable.

The point of keeping it like this is so those who do not have heatpads (only the area with the young or sick have electric heatpads under them) don't try to hibernate before they have reached the right weight to move outside into the pre release enclosure.

This is why after being in captivity the hedgehogs are hardened off in very cosy hog homes in an outdoor pre-release area before they go back into the big wide world.

Hedgehoggy · #9 (**permalink**) 24-11-2010, 09:21 PM

Hi Susie, just to add my two penneth worth(!

), at those weights they won't need heat pads, just plenty of warm bedding. The 605g hog, if not stressed by captivity, shouldn't need overwintering if he eats well and can then be released back into your garden when he reaches a safe hibernation weight - which should, in effect, only be a couple of weeks at most, if not less.

Well done for giving them a helping hand

Susie · #10 (**permalink**) 25-11-2010, 06:14 PM

Many thanks for your replies.

I have another question, do they need to be exercised? I know it sounds like a daft question, but I read that they can walk for miles every night, and being stuck in a smallish space might make them unhappy. Should I let them out for a run around every once in a while?