Orphaned hedgehogs saved in nick of time after barn collapse

Cold, hungry and close to death, these three baby hedgehogs were just hours away from becoming victims of the freezing cold.

Abandoned by their mother, the orphans were huddling together under a garden shed.

But luckily for them the shed blew down in gales and they were rescued by a man who spotted them as he demolished it.

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And now they are set for a merry Christmas in the warmth and comfort of a hedgehog hospital.

The two sisters and a brother, who have been festively named Holly, Ivy and Claws, were discovered in Newton Abbot, Devon.

The mild autumn has confused adult hedgehogs, who are normally preparing for hibernation, to breed. This leaves their frail offspring, who have no fat reserves, to perish as winter temperatures bite.

But with no sign of their mother to provide food the hedgehogs, who weigh just 250g, would have died before Christmas as they had no fat stored to see them through hibernation.

Staff at the Prickly Ball Hedgehog Hospital in Newton Abbot are now caring for Holly, Ivy and Claws, in a 20C room where they are gaining weight on a diet of cat food.

Too frail to survive hibernation the hedgehogs will instead be kept awake all winter and released back into the wild in the spring.

Hospital manager Andrew Ward said: "They were brought in by a guy who found them as he pulled down a shed which was blown apart in a storm.

"The hedgehogs were nestled together under the floorboards - cold, frail and with no sign of the mother. Without help they would have died. But they came to us in time and are now in much better shape."

The hospital currently has around 50 patients including four species of hedgehogs - European, African, Indian and Egyptian.

Animal charities warn that the topsy-turvy weather has left thousands of cold and hungry baby hedgehogs at risk of death after being abandoned by their hibernating mothers.

They are being inundated with reports of young hedgehogs wandering around in a daze instead of hibernating.

Experts say the long, hot summer caused the animals to produce three broods of young, instead of the normal two litters.

Babies are usually born early enough to build up enough body fat to see them through their winter hibernation.

But many of the youngsters born in the extra litter lack the necessary reserves to see them through the winter.

As a result, many are suffering from hypothermia - even before going into hibernation - and it is feared thousands will die before the winter is out.

The British Hedgehog Preservation Society has had hundreds of calls about dazed baby hedgehogs.

Chief executive Fay Vass said: "The problem we are having is that the juveniles born late in the season struggle to eat enough to survive.

"Lots get very cold and almost hypothermic. They stagger around and look as if they are drunk. Sometimes people think hedgehogs are sunbathing but this is another sign of hypothermia. They spread themselves out in the sun in an attempt to get some heat into their bodies."

Anyone who sees a young hedgehog in distress should take it inside and provide it with warmth and food before contacting an animal charity for advice.

Miss Vass said: "A cardboard box with an old towel in the bottom is best. Offer them some meat-based cat or dog food and fresh water and keep them warm."

Young hedgehogs also like banana, raisins and crushed digestive biscuits.

oh, poor little souls. Glad they were found and rescued in time.