Hedgehog Bottom

Loads of thanks to all those who helped out getting the hoglet picked up from 3 Mile Cross tonight.

It couldn't have happened at a worse time. The hoglets were due feeds, my internet was down so I hadn't got my contact numbers, Vicki and Del were already out picking up a hog dragging both back legs, and as nobody else in that area was either contactable or willing to help, I ended up calling Prickles in Cheddar and asking them to make some calls for me.

Now this is going to be a bit confusing so concentrate.

So, after a roundabout route, Jules called Jill to tell her Gill needed a hoglet picked up from Jill.

Upshot is:

Hoglet is with Jill Kayley and couldn't be in better hands.
Hog dragging both back legs is at vet.
Thanks to Jules, Jill, Wildlife Aid, Vicki and Del and anyone else that got dragged into it.

Another little one in, very cute boy around 5-6 weeks old.

Three of the babies before they rolled in their dinner. These have all been hand reared. So far, so good.

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Today's cute pic. One of the babies that came in last week.

All the orphans appear to have decided today that they are big children now and no longer need the mummy feeds, apart from first thing in the morning when they're too sleepy to care.

I get sleep!

I'm amazed at the progress little Twink has made. He was so close to death when he came in and he's been touch and go on more than one occasion - losing weight instead of gaining and then only putting on 1g a day.

Yesterday he put on 7g, today 10g and when I went to feed him he insisted I squirt the food on the floor so he could lick it. He's just demolished an entire lid of slop so I can now leave him right through the night knowing he will take what he needs.

Fatty Tearaway is a fully grown juvenile and should be released soon.

Should have kept quiet. Two more babies just arrived, found on a path in this heat. The lady who brought them in said people had seen them there all morning and just left them, she told them that was wrong, picked them up, took them home and gave them a tiny drink of WATER! Yay!

Two little boys just arrived, one with flystrike that luckily doesn't seem to have hatched, the other clean. Both thirsty, took a fair bit of fluids and now snuggled up in a hat.

Decided to call them (the oldies amongst you will get this) Tingha and Tucker.

Aaargh, 6 more coming in.

Large female hog in with, wait for it,

Mange
Ringworm
Roundworm
Lungworm
Infected eye
and
hugely swollen ulcerated back leg.

Poor lass is now full of holes from all the jabs.

Two tinies. 80g and 81g. Both horribly dehydrated.

Little girl normal colour but not been fed for days, very sunken tummy.

Little boy almost a blonde just a tad too dark. Taupe coloured nose instead of black. Sweet but also very sunken.

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I was in the middle of having to take two very difficult decisions. Two female hogs we have now given every chance, tried all there is to try, but no results.

One, a lovely lady with a serious balance problem. We thought it may have been an inner ear infection but that has cleared and she still falls over.

The other a beautiful blonde girl who came into us as a malnourished baby. That's her in the pic above having her swimming lessons to build up her muscles. Sadly her front leg had deformed and although she could walk, running resulted in her ploughing nose first into the soil.

She hibernated, woke up and seemed to be doing OK in the pens but over the last couple of weeks she had been acting oddly so I brought her back in for a check over, knowing deep down that this was it but not quite wanting to believe it.

When I went to get her out tonight she had taken the decision for me. She had simply laid her head on her paws and gone to sleep.

RIP beautiful Hamble.

On Saturday we were given two of the most beautiful hedgehog pastel drawings I have ever seen. Everyone who has seen them says the same thing, they look real. The eyes look at you and you can see into them.

At some stage we will do cards and then auction the originals.

I will also be doing a special on the artist. Watch this space.

Three more hoglets coming in.

They are really suffering in this weather. Get everyone you know to put out shallow dishes of water round the edges of their gardens, under shrubs and planting, and keep them topped up.

Collapsed adult on the way.

Water, put out water! Shallow dishes so the hoglets can get at it.

More babies coming in. It's just never ending this year.

MORE BABIES
TWO youngsters both siblings arrived separately today from different finders --found on different sides of afence --nothing much wrong other than heat exhaustion and probably no food for days --just left mum and unable to ccope in this heat -- which is avery familiar story this year the ground is baked hard and unless they are equipped with pick axes the hogs have little chance of finding bugs and grubs so it s down .to us .
Water /meat based cat food /dog food /cat biscuits not fishy ones /peanut butter /dugestive biscuits /the odd meal worm will all help your local MRS TIGGYWINKLE bring up he r brood .We cant stress enough how bad this heat i s for our hogs who already are up against it --please put the water bowls out a t least and keep an eye out for nesting mums in the borders and corners

More babies coming in. Looks like the rest of the litter from the dog attack the other day. Sound in a bad way.

Tiny girl just arrived. Called her Nora after Nitty Nora.

Eyes, ears and bum full of just hatched maggots. Fly eggs everywhere else.

Very hungry, kept trying to eat my finger.

Now maggot free, fly eggs mostly gone but zapped if not and fed.

Well that was weird. I decided to have a sort out after all the hogs were done attacked the large pen on the patio which tends to get used for storing all the plastic crates that get left here by finders.

Moved a few bits around, found some rubbish and took it round to the bins. As I walked back looked at the pen and over the far side was what looked suspiciously like a baby hedgehog, curled up on a discarded wire rack.

Convinced it was going to be dead I dived in and grabbed it and it's a little girl, 90g, beautiful condition apart from 2 ticks. Hungry and thirsty and posing a conundrum.

Like how the hell did she get in there?

There are no gaps at the bottom. Nowhere she could have dropped in from. If she's climbed she wouldn't have been big enough to get past the framework.

So, either mum gave birth in there and climbed out every night for food and back in each morning with food for baby

OR

we have the world's first flying hoglet!

Oh and another one arrived from NAWT at Trindledown. We're going to find a baby bunny and return the favour.

Just taken in a dog attacked baby with appalling wounds. Poor little lump has 3 punctures, possible paralysis. I've treated and will see what the state of play is in the morning. I doubt this will be a good outcome.

And another hoglet coming in from Basingstoke.

67g female just come in. Flystrike but no maggots.

Five more adults out today. Weather is a little cooler and all will be support fed and watered

Oh bums bums bums. All the babies are now feeding themselves and what has just arrived? An unweaned baby, eyes still shut.

Did I say BUMS!

I suspect we're seeing so many hoglets due to the lack of water about for mums to drink. If mum can't get water she can't produce milk so the hoglets starve.

Even though we have had rain, unless you can see plenty of puddles around at all times there is not enough to drink. Please, leave out shallow dishes of water for wildlife. Keep them topped up.

Hmmm interesting start to the day.

Phone call for 4 more hoglets coming in tomorrow. Been looked after by the finder for a few days and one has a 'man problem'.

The hoglet in yesterday is refusing to eat properly. This often happens with new intake until they get used to the feed and the method but this one is being particularly difficult. So just as I was covered in feed, the doorbell went.

Parcels! Ooooh! Christmas again. One was something I'd ordered and forgotten about. The other, well, blow me down and stap me sideways.

I've often said that hogs are ungrateful creatures. You make them well, feed them and then they clear off with not so much as a thank you or even a postcard. I am proven wrong.

The box contained a beautiful carrier with love from Bramble. Ahhhhhh.

Of course, knowing hogs as I do, this could well be a backhanded present so he knows he can travel in style the next time he needs to visit