Hedgehog Bottom

Newby just arrived. 501g boy found drinking from a waterfall in a back garden. Covered in ticks and a little thin on the sides. Visible ticks removed then offered a handful of kitten biscuits which he promptly demolished.

He's now asleep in a cat basket while we wait for rear end output before doing any more. Called him Roswell, why? He told me that's what his name is

I love stories like this. When I found a little wildie a couple of years ago he had a tick, it gave me great please getting it off and squashing it -they are horrid things.

Hugs

JOxx

pleased he was found

Today a little light entertainment for you but a serious message attached.

Overwintered hogs can put on a lot of weight and if they are unable to curl they can't be released. Food needs to be carefully monitored early on or they can get out of control.

Putting a hog on a diet is one of the more 'Mission Impossible' things in this world. The large normal coloured hog in this video belonged to Mo Webb in Ross-on-Wye, the Albino was our hog Custard. He came in from a rescue in Essex and just ate and ate and ate. We cut his food down and he still gained weight, we exercised him and cut his food down even more, he still put on weight.

After months outside in a pen living on starvation rations he lost a couple of hundred grams but still not enough so in desperation we took him to Tiggywinkles where they have loads of space and plenty of staff and vets but he put on weight again. Last time I spoke to them he was still there and losing slowly aided by a lot of swimming up and down.

Enjoy

Another hog in this morning found in the road disorientated near a new building site. She's a thin female and the worry is she has had a litter. I feel a phone call coming on.

Amazing Helen that's wot you are xxx

The RTA/kicking/building site female that came in yesterday is showing a slight improvement this morning. She still can't walk but she is managing to right herself rather than just rolling around.

We'll keep going with the medications and see what happens. Hopefully it's swelling that will reduce. If not then we'll have to euthanise.

Belisha left the premises yesterday, hoping to get some more out this weekend.

Another 11 gone home today including my beautiful Moore who scared the hell out of most of the volunteers but was all mouth and trousers and never hurt a fly.

Goodbye hoggles. Look after yourselves

that's fantastic news ....WTG hedgehog bottom .

Do you remember the big jar of chocolate eggs we gave away at Easter? Well, the winner was Gill who runs nearby Hedgehog Bottom - a hedgehog rescue centre. She sent over two very special guests to collect the eggs - her partner Harvey Prince and Moor the hedgehog. Gill and her team are going to use the eggs to raise more funds for the charity. How brilliant is that?!

Here's Moor's story:- Moor was picked up in November 2012 by the RSPCA near Didcot having been found lying in the road. He was covered in ticks, severely dehydrated and had fractures which had either been caused by a car or somebody had kicked/trodden on him.

Because he was so ill his natural defences were compromised and internal parasites ran riot so he had a significant problem with lungworm, roundworm and fluke.

X-rays revealed that the fractures were clean, properly aligned and likely to heal well so he was kept with restricted movement and medicated to clear the parasites.

He is now fully recovered and will be released this week to a site with lots of other hedgehogs around and people who will put food and water out for him.

He is just one of over 700 that have come through the rescue in the last 12 months. We release approximately 92% of what we take in.

Hedgehog Bottom is a small charity HMRC No. XT27268
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Hedgehog Bottom - Hospital & Rescue
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People often laugh at the rescue name but it's the best thing I have ever done. You phone up shops about orders and the instant you say "Hedgehog Bottom" they all know exactly who we are and what they've sent us.

RELEASING OVERWINTERED HEDGEHOGS

Due to a number of recent queries and comments I feel I need to post this.

You cannot release a hedgehog somewhere that looks suitable to you. It may look like hedgehog heaven but you are not a hedgehog.

Before releasing ANYWHERE, you must make sure there are already hedgehogs in the vicinity. If there are none then there is a very good reason why there aren't and sticking a hog out in a lovely woodland, a fabulous wild garden with leaves and worms and lots of insects, may well be condemning that hog to death.

Do your research first please and if you can't then find somebody who can rehome with other hogs.

If you find a hedgehog in trouble, once you have it secured please do not feed it unless instructed to do so by a rescue. Put in a shallow dish of water for it to drink and something for it to snuggle into, plus some sort of bottom heat.

Giving food, whilst it appears to be helpful, can cause all sorts of problems. A severely emaciated and starving hog cannot deal with a full stomach and may drop dead. A hog that has just been fed cannot be anesthetised safely and surgery or inspections may have to wait.

Remember:

Deep box, water, cover and heat.

Three little ones in today all in an awful state. If you find one in your garage or shed and it's obviously been in there for a while with no means of escape, before shoving it out in the garden, please put a bowl of water in there for it to drink and make sure it can't escape while you call a rescue to check it over.

PLEASE be careful when gardening. I've just taken a young female in with the top of her head strimmed off, maggots everywhere.

All you need to do is check through the area you're going to strim before you start.

Strimmed head hoggy is on her way to Wildlife Aid for a sensible assessment. Without being checked by somebody who knows what they are looking at I will always be wondering if she could have been saved with a bit of hard work rather than just PTS.

Thanks to Natasha for taking her and Lucy for agreeing to look her over.

4 hogs have just gone off to the wild. Kit, Boxford, Maple and Ash. All huge and healthy.

More due out this afternoon.

OK, who's been telling the hedgehogs jokes?

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Omg what a amazing picture love it

Apparently there are monster caterpillars stripping oak trees in Pangbourne so they're going to send in helicopters to spray the trees with a pesticide "that is harmless to anything else".

Cue arrival of a lot of sick hedgehogs from Pangbourne.

Can anyone living round there please keep a close eye out for sick wildlife because I do not believe for one minute that something that kills one thing will not have an effect on other things.

Having new fencing done and using concrete footings? Please ask your contractor to use these.

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Two more hogs out and another one in.

Little one that's been stabbed with a garden fork and has a nasty injury to one side that's stinking. She's heading for the vet in the morning along with the female that arrived two weeks ago with a suspected head injury who despite treatment still hasn't regained her balance, plus a boy with an invisible leg.

Five released today and hopefully another one later. We're starting to get some breathing space at last.

Sheesh. Got a call to say a hog was curled up on a footpath. Coat on, shot out the door and rushed over there. Nothing.

Looked under hedges, up and down path, other side of hedges in car park, nothing.

Got home and the hog had been dumped outside my front door, no box.

Now apart from that being a complete waste of my time running around like an idiot, and having to send Pauline and sproglet packing so I could dash out, leaving the hog there with no restraint could have been extremely dangerous.

We're on a main road, right on the path. The hog was at risk of dashing out into the road, being kicked, trodden on....

We appreciate people trying to help but make sure it's appropriate help.

Gill makes me laugh x