An insight into what happens at the Warrington Hedgehog Rescue
Blog
26/9/11
September has been a difficult month at the rescue with higher than usual casualty numbers, there have been been two unrelated hog deaths from dog attacks, one hoglet came in covered in an adhesive substance after being found on a building site the hoglet died,two hogs were already dead on arrival,one hog had to be p.t.s on arrival to save further suffering, there was a suspected poisoning of one hog by slug pellets, and there were losses due to heavy worm burdens in small hoglets that were too far gone to save, i will be glad to see the end of this month.
However there have been some hogs that recovered from traumatic experiences such as a large female that escaped serious injury during a dog attack and a small hog that wasrescued while it was being kicked around the gutter by boys and others that were brought in quickly enough to receive the treatment they needed for their various conditions, also there have been a lot of hogs released back to the wild during the last six weeks which makes everything worthwhile.
11/8/11
The lack of entries on the blog are due to the last two months being the busiest summer i have had for a couple of years, the rescue has been constantly full and at times when all the cages were occupied i have had to resort to using cat carriersand cardboard boxes as temporary housing for the extra numbers of hogs that needed to come in for treatment, i have had hogs that were rescued after being tangled in football nets, stuck down grids, run over by cyclists, fox and dog attacks. mums and babies who's nests have been destroyed accidentally, a couple of hogs that were injured by careless use of strimmers, hogs that have been poisoned by slug pellets, one that had been in a field that had been sprayed with a weed killer. lots of hoglets in this year that were barely weaned and still semi dependent on their mums who had either abandoned her babies or she had been killed, the long dry spells we have experienced this year has taken a heavy toll on hogs as not only have they been unable to find enough drinking water but they have also suffered starvation due to the ground being too dry to produce enough insects etc that the hogs feed on,we need more people to put out water and food for hogs and to KEEP UP PUTTING IT OUT, all too often they start to put out food and water then gradually the good intentions fade and they give up doing it, just like most other animals including us humans hogs need to eat/drink on a regular basis and appreciate a bit of support re supplementary feeding, lets face it it's not exactly difficult to put out a saucer of water/food every night and it may just save a few hoggy lives.
Some people are still giving milk to hedgehogs they find, Hedgehogs are lactose intolerant, cows milk makes them very ill and can cause them to die, they should only be given water, DO NOT GIVE MILK TO HOGS, also i am hearing about some people who find hogs out and about and decide to take them home and put them in their enclosed gardens to use the hogs as their personal slug control, not only is this cruel it is illegal to take a healthy wild animal( hogs are a protected species) from it's natural environment and imprison it in an encLosed garden.
If an obviously injured/ill hog is found or one that is out in the daytime please put it in a box anc phone either YOUR NEAREST HEDGEHOG CARER OR THE BRITISH HEDGEHOG PRESERVATION SOCIETY WHO WILL GIVE YOU ADVICE AND/OR THE NUMBER OF YOUR NEAREST CARER.or TAKE THE HOG TO A VET.
If anyone finds a baby hedgehog out in the day it needs special care and needs taking to a carer, yes they look cute and cuddly but unless you know what you are doing please do NOT take it home and attempt to rear it yourself, please seek advice.
W.H.R will be at Walton Gardens on Sunday the 14th August, the rangers have organised a pet/animal/fun day and we are having a stall there with tombola,face painting etc, and information re hedgehogs and their decline and how to help them, hopefully the weather will be kind and lots of people turn up.
We will also be at the woolston show this year for the first time in September, these events help to raise funds towards the cost of running the rescue, apart from food for the hogs (around 40 tins weekly) there are also medications/treatments that have to be bought (antibiotics,worming treatments etc) plus any vets bills for surgery for injured hogs, one young hog needed a leg amputating due to having a nasty fracture, the bill for that one operation alone was around one hundred pounds, most hogs that come in to the rescue need treatment of one sort or another so we do go through a lot of medications.
When tiny hoglets come in that need hand rearing the special food they need is very expensive and we can get through a lot of that during the summer.
We are always very grateful for donations however small, also we are always glad of either cat/dog food to feed the hogs, items for use at the rescue such as kitchen rolls, baby wipes, rubber gloves,plastic aprons and cleaning materials.
MANY THANKS TO THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE MADE DONATIONS OF VARYING SORTS TO THE RESCUE OR WHO HAVE DONATED ITEMS FOR OUR TOMBOLAS.
I would like to convey my thanks to the volunteers who have worked hard helping at fund raising events and at the rescue or who have fostered/overwintered hogs for me, i am always looking for more people who would like to help out at events or at the rescue or who would like to consider overwintering hogs, please contact me if you would like to know more re this.
10/6/11
We had a stall at Birchwood Carnival last Sunday, unfortunately it was pouring with rain all morning and while it dried up for a couple of hours in the afternoon the weather prevented a lot of public from turning out, however a number of people took our info leaflets and asked advice re hedgehogs, thanks to the volunteers who worked so hard on making things to decorate the stall in particular Julia who spent hours making crepe peper hoggy families..
Three little hoglets came in today, they are from a litter of 5 who's nest wasaccidently disturbed by a man gardening yesterday, he put the nest back straight away and spotted mum and 5 babies in it, he kept his eye on it but the mother ran away and next day she had not returned, 3 of the babies were out of the nest during the daylight the other two were missing. he is going to keep looking for the othertwo, the three hoglets are about two weeks old, they are now feeding well.
06/6/11
EVERYONE PLEASE BE AWARE THAT THERE ARE NESTS OF HOGLETS AT THIS TIME OF YEAR, BE CAREFUL ABOUT DISTURBING THE LOGPILE OR DISMANTLING THAT OLD SHED IN YOUR GARDEN, THERE MAY BE A HOG FAMILY UNDER IT.
Thanks to all volunteers who helped at the event at Lymm community centre on 8th May, thanks also to supporterswho turned out.
It has been relatively quiet at the rescue over the last couple of weeks( i'm tempting fate again), all the electrical work is now complete and huge thanks to Peter the electician who donated his time and skill.
I managed to get a weeks holiday in Wales last week, thanks to Julia and Marianne for "hog sitting" while i was away, a female hog was brought in today after being found out in sunlight, she has a terrible strimmer wound across her head, the wound is infected but luckily no flystrike, treatment started and fingers crossed for her, this hog was spotted by two little girls who alerted their mum that hogs should not be out in daytime, the girls were present when i gave a talk at their school a few weeks ago snd they obviously remembered what i told them, this proves the value of educating children re the plight of hedgehogs, thankyou girls for helping this hog.
ALL YOU GARDENERS PLEASE CHECK IF THERE ARE HOGS HIDING IN LONG GRASS AND UNDERGROWTH BEFORE USING STRIMMERS AND LAWNMOWERS, IMAGINE THE PAIN YOU WOULD EXPERIENCE IF YOU WERE CUT TO RIBBONS BY THESE MACHINES, THE EFFECT ON HEDGEHOGS IS EXACTLY THE SAME!!!
Yesterday we did a fundraising/public awareness stall at Birchwood carnival, it was a very wet day although it did dry up for a couple of hours in the afternoon, thanks to volunteers for getting soaking wet for the sake of hedgehogs.
02/5/11
REMINDER.
NEXT FUNDRAISING EVENT, THIS COMING SUNDAY 8TH MAY AT COMMUNITY CENTRE, BRIDGEWATER STREET, LYMM.
11-0am_3-0pm, WE WILL BE SERVING HOMEMADE CAKES, BACON/SAUSAGE BARMS, ETC ETC ETC AND HOT/COLD BEVERAGES, THERE WILL BE TOMBOLA AND A BOOK STALL AS WELL AS HEDGEHOG INFO TABLE, PLEASE COME ALONG AND TRY OUR DELICIOUS FOOD, ALL PROCEEDS TO HELP HEDGEHOGS.
ANYONE WHO IS INTERESTED IN VOLUNTEERING TO HELP AT THE RESCUE OR WITH THE FUNDRAISING EVENTS PLEASE CONTACT ME.
Gloria the strimmed hog from Widnes is doing extremely well,as well as part of her nose and an eye missing she has also lost part of her lower jaw and teeth from same side, this hog is remarkable, despite all this she is a real character, since her arrival she has steadily improved and has proven to be a tough cookie, she can be very feisty at times and if disturbed while eating will attempt to headbutt a hovering hand, eating is her main pastime, anytime, any place, anything,any brand, any flavour, but there has to be plenty of it, due to her misshapen jaw and lack of teeth Gloria has developed a quirky way of eating, she forces her face hard down into the meat and occasionaly falls forward into a forward roll into her dish,quite spectacular,its a messy afair as she has to have her meat well mashed up but she still manages to get through more than her fair share of food.
Rocky, a huge male hog was rescued after being threatened by dogs, he was unhurt and only spent a few days here before being released, he was a big fellow weighing 950g and in superb condition.
Kate is spending a few days here after being found in a garden in sunshine, she wasdehydrated, we have not had any decent rainfall for a few weeks now and a lot of hogs are struggling to find drinking water, everyone can help by putting out shallow bowls of water for hogs and birds, the ground is dry too so there is a shortage of natural insect food for hogs so a dish of cat or dog food or even peanuts,dried mealworms or cat biscuits will be very welcome by hungry hogs.
Violet, an adult female hog was brought in 3 days ago after being found collapsed next to a field that had just been sprayed with pesticide, today she died.
Today a finder brought in a hog that had been severely injured by either a lawnmower or a strimmer, it had horrific injuries, the worst being its face which was almost totally detached, the hog taken straight to the vet to be p.t.s.
Some days i despair at the amount of suffering some hedgehogs have to endure, these animals are a protected species yet we fail to protect them from our strimmers,lawnmowers, pesticides,slug pellets,bonfires during the fireworks season, we drive them out of their habitat so we can build more roads and more houses etc, we run them down with our cars, then there are the cases of deliberate cruelty, and thats all called being "protected".
PLEASE EVERYONE! AT LEAST OFFER THE HEDGEHOGS SOME FOOD AND WATER, ITS THE LEAST WE CAN DO FOR THEM!!!
22/4/11
Well after releasing lots of healthy hogs got down to two here, Echo and Little Itch but that didn't last long, Percy a large male hog was rescued from a park in Newton Le Willows after getting tangled in barbed wire, his manhood was completely tangled but luckily his wounds healed very quickly and his "bits" returned to full working order and he has since been released.Next to arrive was Erica who was picked up after being found in a garden in daytime, apart from being underweight she had no injuries or illness, she soon reached over 800g and was released back to the original garden, following Erica wasMartina who was found tangled in tennis netting, the netting had to be cut off at the vets, Martina still here.
Two more hogs brought in from a garden where they were found out in day, both had serious injuries to back end and one was put to sleep immediatley, the other is holding its own at moment.
Next arrival was a female hog from Widnes a couple days ago, she had been spotted wandering on a bowling green over the previous two days/nights, someone eventually picked her up and rang me,the hog (Gloria) seems to have strimmer injuries, the corner of her nose has been sliced off at an angle across the nostril and the eye on same side is missing the wound on her nose seems to be healing cleanly, despite this she has an enormous appetite and seems to be managing to find her food bowl without any trouble,, i suspect this is an elderly hog.
Well the improvements to the rescue are finished, its been a hard slog but well worth it, just need the wiring/new sockets to be sorted by electrician, i am absolutely delighted with the results, thankyou to my husband Carl who did all the hardwork (with my help/supervision of course) :-)
NEXT FUNDRAISING DATE IS SUNDAY 8TH MAY AT LYMM COMMUNITY CENTRE,AS BEFORE WE WILL BE SERVING HOT/COLD REFRESHMENTS,HOMEMADE CAKES ETC, THERE WILL BE TOMBOLA AND A BOOK STALL, PLEASE COME AND SUPPORT US.
05/4/11
4 more hogs now released, Holly,Howie, Cecil and Mavis, only 3 left now here, Alfie who will be going this week, Little Itch and Echo, Echo needs to regain some weight after hibernating before she can go, next to go are some of the ones that have been overwintered by volunteers, there are 8 of those still to be released, hopefully they will be going over next few days. Resuming work on new cages tomorrow, under pressure to get everything up/running a.s.a.p as breeding season has started and abandoned babies could be brought in anytime.
Got an update from the person who owns the garden where Ada wasreleased last week, Ada still hanging around in the garden and sleeping in the hogbox and eating all food offered to her.
02/04/11
Ada has gone to her new home, she was released in the same garden that Billy and Harry went to last year and they still turn up occasionally so she will have some male company although she may decide to move to another garden which is her perogative as she is after all a wild animal and free to choose.
Only seven hogs left now to be released and they should be gone over next few days,
Work has started on improvements to the rescue and first bank of four new cages is up, another sixteen still to do.
Next fundraising event is on Sunday 8th May at Lymm community centre, same as last time there will be hot and cold refreshments, homemade cakes, bacon/sausage barms, toasties etc etc etc, tombola table, book stall and hedgehog awareness info/leaflets etc , please come along and support us.
25/03/11
Ada well over 700g now and will be released very soon along with all other hogs that are raring to go, Little Itch is working very hard as an ambassador for his species, he is representing his fellow hogs at several school talks this month, i do the talking and he meets and greets the pupils while posing very nicely.
Two hogs brought in over last couple of days by m.o.p who found them out in daytime, both hogs found in same area, both hogs had badly broken legs, one also had a ruptured eyeball and the other had a crushed pelvis, both had to be p.t.s. These injuries could have been caused by dog attacks or being run over by cycles, they were found in an area that is popular with cyclists and dog walkers.
18/03/11 Ada has done remarkably well, she has responded to treatments and soon began to eat on her own, she hasa good appetite now, she now weighs 530g and will probably be able to be released in a couple of weeks.
09/03/11 new little hog brought in by same finder of the one that died last week, similar size, possibly a sibling, this one only just over 300g, very dehydrated and skinny, but does look a bit brighter than the first one, began tratments, fingers crossed.This a female, finder named her Ada.
06/03/11
Today was our first attempt at fundraising. we ran the tearooms at Lymm community centre, all proceeds to W.H.R, we also had a tombola and secondhand book stall, the day was a big success and we raised lots of money towardsthe new cage setup at the rescue, thanks to all volunteers for their help.
02/03/11
Unfortunately little hog died.
25/02/11
First new admission of this year brought in yesterday after being found out in garden in daylight, an underweight,dehydrated 350g juvenile female hog, breathing heavily, refusing to eat and passing green diahorreah, checked faecal samples on microscope and found that hog had the largest number of capilaria i have ever seen in such a small hog, began worming treatment plus antibitics and rehydrated hog, fingers crossed but not looking good, i don't know how this little hog has survived the winter.
22/02/11
On Sunday 6th March we are holding our first fundraising event at Lymm community centre, Bridge st, next to the scenic Bridgewater canal, we will be serving a good selection of delicious homemade food, soup/rolls,sandwiches,toasties, bacon/sausage barms, a selection of homemade cakes and a choice of hot/cold beverages, our prices will be very reasonable, customers will also be able to try their luck on the tombola which will have some very nice prizes, there will be a second hand book stall and a public awareness table with lots of info about our native hedgehogs and the reasons behind the drastically falling numbers of hedgehogs, we will be open from 11-0am, please come along and enjoy a cup of tea and a slice of delicious homemade cake, all proceeds to Warrington Hedgehog Rescue.
Only 6 hogs in hibernation, all others still wide awake and eating everything they are given, only about 4/5 weeks to go before they will all be getting ready to be released, then it will be time for all the new arrivals and so it goes on, the rescue is definitely going to be needing some new cages/equipment this year as am expecting higher number of admissions.
06/02/11
Well here we are in February already, only 3 hogs in full hibernation, Julia, Sonic and one eyed Rosie, all others here are wide awake even Goblin who is still in a hutch on the patio has made no attempt to hibernate, Alfie had to be moved indoors due to a flareup of ringworm, i needed to stop him hibernating so he could have a complete course of treatment which takes12 days, his treatment almost finished and he is responding well, he is a big hog now almost 900g, he should be able to move back outside in a few more days, Little Itch is doing extremely well and almost 700g, his fur and spines are coming back fast now.
On Sunday 6th March W.H.R will be running the tearooms in Lymm community centre for the day, we will be providing hot/cold drinks, a variety of delicious homemade cakes and sandwiches and other refreshments, all proceeds for the rescue, we are hoping to also have a tombola and a book stall at this event, it is anticipated this event will be repeated a few times during this year but further dates to be yet confirmed, we will also have a stall at the rose queen festival in Lymm on 11th June, we will have photographs of some of the hogs under our care, leaflets and handouts with information re declining numbers of our native hedgehogs, and a tombola table with lots of quality prizes. We may also have a volunteer who is skilled at face painting. Hopefully these events will raise enough funds to allow us to upgrade the cages and equipment at the rescue. I have now added to the gallery new photos of Little Itch who is looking splendid in his new covering of healthy spines and fur, what a difference to the poor bald scabby little creature that arrived here last September, its taken a long time to get him to full health againl but well worth it, Itch is a real character and it will be hard to say goodbye to him when his time for release is here.
29/01/11
Had first meeting of supporters/friends of W.H.R last week and it went very well, there were 12 of us there and a lot of excellent ideas/suggestions were discussed re funding for new cages etc, we have been offered the chance to run tearooms periodically which will help to generate some much needed funds, so there is going to be some serious baking done in March, and it was decided we will also take up the offer of a stall at the May queen festival at Lymm which is held in June. The Lymm youth club are kindly making us some hogboxes, thankyou to them.
Many thanks to all supporters for their help.
The manager from my local Pets at Home branch is visiting the rescue this week to discuss some possible funding.
Only three of the hogs here are hibernating despite temperatures dropping again, Goblin who weighs a kilo is now in an outside hutch but is still refusing to hibernate, good news re Little Itch who is now looking very handsome with his new fur and spines, he has also begun to put on weight and is now up to 600g.
21/01/11
Been very busy as usual, most of the hogs have needed repeated treatment for lungworm, following the usual worming regime most hogs still coughing so gave a follow up course of injections which seems to have done the trick, no coughing and faecal samples clear, Goblin reached a kilo in weight and during the mild spell about ten days ago he was moved into an outside hutch to see out the rest of the winter, he is still showing no sign of hibernating despite the temperature dropping again.
Little Itch continues to improve and now has a quite good covering of fur and spines, he is still on the small side but is putting weight on and thriving, what a difference to the poor little thing that arrived here back in September, i think it may be late Summer before Itch is ready for release but all other hogs are in good health and should be ready for release once the spring weather is stable.
This week will see the first meeting for supporters/volunteers of the rescue to discuss fundraising efforts for the coming year, more/better cages are needed so hopefully we can arrange events to finance the improvements, thanks to everyone who is offering their time and effort for the hogs.
01/01/11
Its just after midnight and here we are at the start of another New Year, the last 12 months have flown by, most of the time the rescue has been running at full capacity and this year i am anticipating even higher numbers of hogs coming in. Fund raising will have to be high on the adjenda during the coming months in order to expand/improve the rescue facilities, top of list for "must haves" are more/better cages for housing hogs, hopefully (with help/support from friends/volunteers) this will come to fruition. By the way the best christmas present i got was the microscope i have been wanting for some time, it is brilliant and i can now identify which/how many parasites a hog is carrying when it arrives which means it gets the correct treatment quickly.
To all the friends of Warrington Hedgehog rescue and everyone who has made donations,given gifts for the benefit of the hedgehogs i wish you all a very Happy,healthy and prosperous New Year.
26/12/10
Belated Seasons Greetings,
the last fortnight has been extremely busy, so many hedgehogs arriving and a couple that arrived too late to save them, unbelievably there are still small underweight Autumn juveniles around trying to find food in the snow, some are being picked up weighing under 300g, these would never survive current conditions without intervention. Carers across the country are reporting an influx of very small juveniles, just about every hedgehog rescue/sanctuary is bursting at the seams with hogs, all of us are having to utilise whatever we can to provide housing for needy hedgehogs, apart from the usual hutches/cages we are using storage containers, strong cardboard boxes etc and one carer who is looking after around 80 hogs resorted to putting a couple in her bath temporarily,needless to say no water was added :_).
i have not had any new admissions for a few days now ( and i am tempting fate yet again, hush my mouth).
One of my particularly favourite residents (Twink) died a few days ago, she was put to sleep to save her further suffering, Twink had been here for some time, she could never be released as she was very old, partially blind and most of her teeth were either rotten or missing so she could only eat soft food, she had several courses of antibiotics for varying infections but began to deteriorate and so the decision was made to P.T.S, when the quality of life for a hog is so reduced then we owe them the right to a good peaceful death.
All other hogs here are doing well and putting on weight, a couple of the bigger ones are hibernating but the rest are eating/sleeping/pooping, (a lot).
Pleased to say that doing particularly well are two individuals (Goblin and Itch) who both arrived quite awhile ago in terrible conditions, you can see the terrible skin condition affecting Itch in his pics on the gallery, today i am putting on current pics which show how much he has improved, it has taken over two months to date to reach this stage of progress and there is still a way to go but i anticipate that by the spring Itch will look magnificent, as for Goblin well he is now almost 600g and a very bad tempered hog at that but a fit healthy one too.
Nineteen hogs still overwintering with volunteers, Stu and Gill, Marianne,Julia,Andrea,Gail,Jimmy, thanks to you all for taking in the big hogs till spring.
Spring, what a lovely thought,sunshine, buds bursting, daffodils, birdsong, the smell of newmown grass, newborn hoglets, two hourly feeds, more hoglets etc etc etc. :-O
10/12/10
Busy week again,16 hogs here and another 17 out being overwintered by volunteers,the volunteers are priceless and play a very big part in helping the rescue centre to keep running, when a hog has been successfully returned to good health and reached a good weight it would normally be released to a suitable site but at this time of year the weather conditions can be too severe to consider releasing hogs and so the volunteers take them for the rest of the winter and house them in hutches in sheds or garages while at the same time supplying them with food/water as required, very often the hogs will hibernate in the hutches while at the same time having the support re a ready supply of food and water provided,once the weather improves or Spring arrives then the releases can be made, this means that accomodation is freed up at the rescue centre for the emergency admissions.
Majority of hogs here are on medication for various conditions ie ringworm,lungworm,intestinal worms or various infections. Sometimes hogs don't display specific symptoms and treatments can be hit/miss especially when it involves identifying internal parasites, this is where a microscope is invaluable, hog faeces can contain various indications as to which type of internal worms/ or parasites are causing the hogs illness and once properly identified then the correct specific treatment can be given, a microscope is my next "must have" funds permitting.
Little Itch is making good progress and his skin is now looking good, considering all the problems this little hog has gone through he is remarkably laid back and a great little character, hopefully the spring will see him with a full compliment of spines to be proud of.
Goblin is progressing well and now weighs over 450g, he has turned out to be a feisty fellow and now objects strongly to being handled
(which is how it should be)
Latest arrival is a small female only weighing 370g but in reasonable condition, this one came via the vets after being handed in by member of public.
Another small hog was brought in this evening after being hit by a car but unfortunately it had died on the way here.
04/12/10
Today two hogs went to volunteers for overwintering which eased the situation a little re numbers although that could change again next time the phone rings. The freezing conditions have eased a little today and snow on the ground is thawing which should leave puddles of water for wildlife to drink, while the temperature has risen a few degrees for the time being hogs may be seen nipping out of their nests to see if there is any food around which is why it is important to put food out for Hedgehogs all year round, they need to build up body fat to maintain them during hibernation.
03/12/10
The last week has been very hectic, had no time to update blog , hogs arriving almost daily, so many brought in i ran out of conventional cages/hutches and had to resort to large cardboard boxes as a temporary measure, not ideal but still better than the hogs being left out in the freezing, snowy conditions we are currently experiencing, most of the new hogs that were rescued from the snow/ice are between 270g-400g. without help none of these hogs would have survived the gruelling conditions, carers across the country are inundated with small hogs that have been rescued. More and more members of the general public are becoming aware of the need to help these small hogs that would otherwise perish at this time of year,
our native hedgehog numbers are falling so fast now that we need to rescue as many as we can and evey single one counts.
Goblin is thriving and now weighs over 300g, Little Itch has had to be started on a second course of treatment for his rinworm and mites, just as it looked as though he was completely clear it began to flare up again, this poor little hog has certainly been through the mill.
Twink, the old matriarch, is soldiering on, she seems quite content in her own way and has even been putting some weight on, enjoys her food and lots of it, due to her missing teeth she has to have her cat meat well mashed and she does drool a lot when eating but then she is an old lady.
Please remember, at this time of year and especially in freezing conditions any hedgehog weighing less than 650g out day or night may not survive and need rescuing, please do not just ignore them or they will perish. Please put them in a box, keep them warm and ring your nearest Hedgehog carer for advice a.s.a.p.
26/11/10
Yet another hog arrived today, 329g, finder was same kind gent that found Goblin a few weeks ago, this makes 7 new hogs in 4 days, more and more people becoming aware re the need to rescue our hedgehogs.
25/11/10
Twink a bit better today so no vet for now, Randolph started on a course wormer/antibiotic, other 3 new hogs eating well and piling on weight, Goblin 205g, Itch improving fast now, am putting photos of Little Itch on gallery today, these were taken about 10days ago when Itch had already started improving, the photos show a severe condition but it is nowhere near as bad as when he first arrived a month ago and now the recovery is continuing and he looks much better than in the photos, in a few days will take more pics to demonstrate the change in his skin condition, all other hogs ok.Two more hogs arrived today.
24/11/10
Hog brought in this morning, sibling to Mavis, it weighs 333g, loads of ticks, removed 19 during day, will remove more tomorrow, I HATE TICKS.
Twink not very well today, if same tomorow a trip to vets in order.
The Goblin nearly 200g today and in a foul mood when handled, this (formerly) tiny, sweet, cute, cuddly, adorable hoglet is quickly turning into a huffing, jumping little horror, he is going to be a very stroppy adult hog.
23/11/10 AAAaaaarrrrggghhh, hush my mouth, that'll teach me to say "all is quiet here", 3 hogs arrived in quick succession during the morning, 400g, 392g and 250g, the largest one (Randolph) not looking very healthy, will start him on wormer and antibiotics, other two look ok, got a phone call to say another picked up and being brought tomorrow, probably a sibling to the 392g hog who is now named Mavis.
All other hogs ok.
21/11/10
Alls quiet here at W.H.R,only 11 hogs in residence this morning ( think i may be tempting fate here),
Twink seems to have found her new pad to her liking, as usual she ate everything in her bowl. Little Itch still slowly improving though it will be a long process and Goblin now up to 167g and doing well.
20/11/10
All the hogs are doing well, Goblin now thriving and up to 150g, Little itch continiues to improve.Twink moved into the hutch Manny vacated.
19/11/10
Julia came this morning to help with the clean out, she also brough some much needed items for the hogspital,Manny went to his temp foster home for overwintering, he will return when winter is over ready for release.
Little Itch continues to improve.
18/11/10
Unfortunately new hog didn't make it, despite all medications he was too far gone and died last night.
Goblin now eating more and doing very well.
The condition of "Little Itch" showing signs of improvement and tomorrow he is having his photo taken so he can show off every one of his six new spines. :_)
I have an old hog here who was sent to me by a carer who lives on the wirral, the hog looks ancient, has lost most of her teeth and dribbles when eating,( hmm,reminds me of someone i know when they have had a few drinks) Twink is a character and by the look of her has had a long life, also the sight in one eye is questionable, she is on antibiotics for an upper respiratory problem but she loves her food and eats like a (hog)? she is quite happy here and showing no signs of stress, a laid back old girl.
Manny off to overwinter with a volunteer tomorrow, he will return in spring to be released.
After treatments Echo's infected foot very much better, his sibling also doing well.
Susan and Trio are two large hogs that are showing signs that they will hibernate soon.
Got a call re a hog found walking around in a school playground during the morning, it was put in a box outside for us to collect, unfortunately the lid of the box was left open and when we got there the hog had climbed out and dissappeared, hedgehogs can climb out if the box is not deep enough.
15/11/10
Goblin still doing ok but wish he would eat more, newest one still not well, will have to watch it closely, gave meds to all who need them.
14/11/10
Goblin showing improvement and has regained the weight he lost, the abscess almost gone.
Echo's infected foot much better, his sibling also doing well.
Small 270g hog brought in, very underweight, settled it on heatpad, later noticed it had green diahorreah and was looking unwell so started it on antibiotics and wormer, had to rehydrate it also as it had neither eaten or drank. Looks very poorly.
12/11/10
Goblin still needing his abscess lanced daily, he has lost a little weight, for such a tiny hog he can't afford to lose any.
discovered Echo has a badly infected foot,it is a mess, began treatment, his sibling that arrived a couple days ago has same problem but not as severe, he started on same treatment.
4 of the larger healthy hogs have gone to volunteers to be overwintered which allows me more time to attend to poorly ones.
Still not had time to take update photos of Little Itch.
11/11/10
No new admissions today,phew!
Took Goblin and other new hog to vets, Goblin has developed a large abscess at top of his back leg, vet lanced it and prescribed antibiotics x2 daily, i will have to lance the abscess every time it fills up until it healed.
Other small hog has numerous wounds to back,side, head and face, most of them infected, could be dog bites or could have been caused by a large bird pecking at the hog if it was out in daylight, birds such as magpies, crows etc will attack small hedgehogs that are weak and vulnerable, this hog also put on course of antibiotics and wounds have to be abraded daily till healed. Not had time to take new photos of Itch, will try to do so tomorrow.
"Dog Bite Patch" has left home, Patch arrived here in the summer, a very small hog with a horrible large infected hole in his back, caused we think by an attack by a dog, hence the name, the wound was treated and cleaned daily which Patch tolerated very well, he soon blossomed into a fine big healthy hog and as he had reached a weight of 850g it was decided that as today was quite mild here that it was a good time to release Patch, he was released into a garden where the owner already feeds visiting wild hogs and also has hoghouses in the garden where any hogs that choose to hibernate in can do so, the garden has immediate access to woodland/copse so Patch can choose to stay or leave for pastures new, he is a wild animal and now free to make his own choices. Good luck Patch.
10/11/10
Another busy day (is there any other sort?), 6-0AM gave Goblin his morning feed,after walking the dogs started the usual morning clean out of hutches/cages then set to sorting out Echo, small male hog that has bite wounds on his back,(these could also have been caused by large birds pecking at him as he was out in daylight), cleaned out the wounds and gave him his antibiotic, this hog is a feisty one and twice had a nip at my hands, but don't blame him.
Little Itch was next on the agenda, got his toothbrush out (NO, i really do not clean his teeth) and gave him a good brushing to get rid of all the loose spines and dead skin he is still shedding due to his skin condition, he actually enjoys this process and stretches out and squirms when i brush a really ticklish bit, won't be long now before he is completely bald, still it will only be temporary, will take some photos of him tomorrow and post them on here.
Next job give antibiotic to Twinkle who is staying here temporarily, she is a large older hog that was struggling to survive out in the wild and had lost condition, she was found out in the daytime on a road.
Made sure Goblin was ok then sat down with a coffee, (that's the wrong thing to do) the phone rang and another baby hog on way in, this one found by same person who found Echo about a week ago and is probably Echo's sibling, the new hoglet is 220g and has multiple bite/peck wounds on his back most of which are infected,it also has a really bad wound on its forehead and face, it will need the same treatments his sibling Echo had, antibiotics and wounds flushed out x2 daily with antiseptic, Echo is doing well now and gaining weight.
Went to collect a sack of peanuts that have been donated to feed the hedgehogs by a local garden centre, thankyou to them.
Checked on all hogs, fed Goblin then started dishing out hogs food, made sure all had food/water for the night and gave out antibiotics to the ones that need it, time to start domestic chores now, phew, another typical lazy day at W.H.R, :_).
8/11/10
took Twinkle to vets, weighs just over 500g, for her size should be nearer 650g, (that's the hog not the vet) she is not a very co-operative hog and it was with difficulty that her mouth was examined, result injection antibiotics followed up by course of antibiotics to be administered orally, should be fun, this hog has a mouth like a steel gin trap, but as she has only been here a couple days i'm sure she will settle down and become more appreciative of the care she will be offered (OH YEAH?)
Little Itch still losing his spines, looking very comical but don't tell him that, he is obviously very embarrassed at his near naked state, having almond oil applied to his dry skin, this is going to be a long job, but despite his bad skin condition Itch is growing and eating well.
After doing all the daily cleaning out etc handed over 3 hogs to the volunteer for overwintering, Ahaa, that means empty cages, but for how long???
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Update on our hedgehogs.
posted 29 Oct 2010 09:42 by Warrington Hedgehogs [ updated 10 Nov 2010 10:12 ]
Currently, we have 21 hedgehogs under our care, the majority of which are now healthy and are expected to reach release weight by the spring.
Among them are "Dog Bite Patch" a very small,young male that was found cold, hungry and in shock after being attacked by a dog, on his back was a large festering wound, after being put on a course of antibiotics and his wound cleaned daily he soon began to recover and is now in top condition and expected to be released at the first sign of the Spring.
Then there is Little Itch, our most vunerable hedgehog has many health problems and is being treated for ringworm and mange ( probably a legacy from his mother) and also wounds due to being attacked by another animal. He is responding well to treatment, although due to his skin complaint he is losing a lot of his spines, and in fact may lose most or even all of them however they are expected to grow back in the near future.
This little hog has had a rough start in life, at such a young age when he should still have been under the supervision of his mother he was out in the big wide world attempting to survive and cope with his nasty skin condition and his wounds which had become infected. He also almost came to a sad end while attempting to cross a very busy road during evening rush hour but luck was on his side that night and he was rescued by some kind people who brought him to Warrington Hedgehog Rescue.
Because of his temporary spine and fur loss Little Itch has a bedraggled scruffy appearance that can be quite comical yet at the same time endearing, he has a few nicknames among which are Tattyhog, Baldyhog and scabbyhog but in the future i am convinced he will become a prince among hogs but to me he will always remain as "my Little Itch"
I have now been able to place some of the now healthy/larger hedgehogs into the care of volunteers, these very kind/caring people are overwintering the hogs that are awaiting their release in Spring (or sooner if we get a mild spell of weather this month), some were heavy enough to have been released last week as the weather was quite mild but they were held back as bonfire night was looming and there was a risk they could have sought shelter in bonfires, up to now 9 hogs all weighing over 600g are being fostered in sheds/garages until the weather conditions dictates they can be released back into the wild.
These 9 hedgehogs all arrived here a few months ago in poor/serious condition.
4 of them were one litter of very small babies that were found in daylight during the summer in a garden, no sign of their mother, the 4 babies were in terrible condition covered in a foul smelling sticky substance and they had fly eggs and maggots all over them, they even had maggots crawling inside ears and eyes, if the householder had not sought help for them then they would definitely have all died, after intensive treatment/care and lots of good food these 4 are now fine healthy hogs that will soon be back in their natural environment, the lady who found them named them= Tillymint,Buffy,Queenie and Bilbo.
There is Lottie, sent to me by a local vet who received her from a member of public who found her out in daytime, she was starving and underweight,Lottie is a particularly pretty hog.
Boysie was also picked up by a member of public after being seen out in the daytime, he also was starving and very thin and dehydrated, Boysie's finder is a lovely person who is very aware re the problems that hedgehogs are facing and would always try to get help for an injured/sick hog, the lady is the same person that had previously brought in two very tiny abandoned babies that grew up into the notorious Tonka and Lulu.
Gonzales, Rocket and Maggie were also brought by members of public who had found them out in daylight in poor condition and starving.
Still here at the moment are Polly,Speedy, Flossie,Gertie, Manny, Susan, Dog Bite Patch, Echo,Trio, Howie(formerly holly but we all make mistakes), Little Itch and last but not least Twinkle who arrived a couple days ago, about 200g below her normal weight and a suspected injury to her mouth, found out in the daytime trying to climb up a curb at side of road.
All the hogs just mentioned are just a few of the ones that have needed help,treatment and rehabilitation without which they would all have surely died, this year alone there have been many others that have already been given the treatment they needed and then released.
A very important part of the work i do is to help other members of the public (especially young people/school pupils) become aware of the problems that our hedgehogs are facing in this country.On discovering that hedgehog numbers are falling so drastically most people express shock and concern and do want to help in any way they can even if it is just the simple act of putting out a bowl of food/water.
One thing that still keeps cropping up is the old wives tale that it is good to put out bread and milk for hedgehogs,NO, NO, NO, hedgehogs are lactose intolerant and milk is very bad for them, at the least it will make them ill and can even kill them, bread has no nutritional content for hedgehogs and while it may fill them up it will not do them any good.
Tue Sep 27, 2011 7:55 pm
