Hedgehugs Hedgehog Rescue

THURSDAY UPDATE
Sadly netti hasnt come back from the vet --it seems that being trapped in netting was the leas t of his worries as the nasty infection we had been struggling to control had spread badly and abcessed in his head and neck so we have lost him -The only plus point is that if he hadnt been found and brought in he would have met an horrific end in a lot of pain and possibly with severe flystrike with such an oozing wound .It is such a shame and we are sad a s he was quite alittle character ---thanks to castleview vets for doing all they could once more .
The good news is that a hog has returned to the rescue garden -- w ethought w e had lost them all partly because of a new fence locally but one has found his way back --we think it may be little squatter from last year a s he ha d
a rest in the box again and was sniffing round after our comet ---Well he got nowhwere with her last year --maybe he fancies his chances once again or maybe it another completely different hog who knows -- He ate a hearty supper and then legged it so pauline is hoping he comes back tonight /We are seeing very few hogs in the area this year and the new hog count is concluded in late august so we can only imagine it is the same all over the country .

SQUATTERS RETURN
Last year we had two semi resident hogs who took it in turns to sleep in the release box -- trouble only starting when they both turned up together. One -- the male moved into comets box for awhile but she soon gave him his marching orders. Well one of them is back --and to be found nodding off in the feeder box and then having anap in the rescue box again -- this seems to be the female and if it is she had a litter here at the rescue last year .O f course it could just be a random hog but pauline is convinced its the squatter -- she has abad cough and should really come in for treatment but we dont treat females who may be pregnant and it s better she has he r litter out in the wild. So pauline is on hog watch --we also seem to have ahuge male coming who ha smanaged to climb the wall and try to ge t over to comets nest -- box -- so to those people who continually ask us CAN HEDGEHOGS CLIMB --yes they flippin can --this wall is at least a foot high and he managed it .Comet was quite interested and did a lot of sniffing back a thim so who knows --romance may blossom yet in the gardens of hedgehugs Little squatter will have to come inat the end of the summer if she is still around and w ecan treat her for lungworm but w edont want to interfere when there could be hoglets at risk -- they are far tooprecious

WHATEVER TURNS YOU ON !!!
A rather surprising occurrence has taken place in the garage lately --namely to do with the mop and bucket and cleaning fluid --no we havent been driven to drinking it yet but for the past few times when the floor ha s been mopped one of our hogs has become --well --very excited !! First it was just sniffing the air and then pawing at the cage and today -- the shameless little hog rolled over and started annointing and getting himself --literally in aright old lather.Now we have ceased to be amazed at what hogs are capable of but w e have never seen such a blatant display --and the fragrance that got him going --we ll it wasnt chanel no 5 or even cif -not even dettol or flash --but the good old aroma of JEYES FLUID !!! IT TAKES ALL SORTS as they say -- and we have taken precautions tonight and got the mop drying well away from the cages just in case our amorous lad gets any ideas during the night --AND THE CULPRIT --TARQUIN !!!! which just goes to prove THERES LIFE IN THE OLD HOG YET --!!!

SUNDAY SUNDAY
Poor old tarkers -no floor mopping today --poor little joe --only getting his bowl filled in the evening -poor old nelson yet another bath --poor old little pal --her third bath and she hates it --poor old pauline -- no gin left /no chocolate /wool shop closed /cake tin empty --not much to shout about round here today .The hogs are very subdued especially tarquin now the mop has dried and been put away --and tomorrow sees little joes farewell -- as he sets off for pastures and food bowls new --bet alll -- jpthe girls will be fighting over him --he s such a handsome lad --box of tissues ready for pauline and wendy putting bunting out and packing his case for him --its a good job he doesnt take it personally wendy !!!

THE SUN HAS GOT HIS HAT ON
Just seen the weather for the next week and especially next weekend and w e are in for a scorcher PLEASE PLEASE KEEP BOWLS FILLED for all wildlife -- their lives may depend on it -- hot weather also means poorly hogs are at risk of fly strike --any hog out in the day who is unwell may well be covered in fly eggs and these must be removed immediately --using tweezers /and /or a toothbrush -- check food bowls which are outside and do not put wet food in until late evening as this also attracts flies to the feeding area .Today w ehad our first hog with fly eggs on and he certainly wont be the last this season

HEY JOE!!
Well he has finally gone tonight -- hopefully to be surrounded by adoring females--Joe is the last hog to go from our handrears of last autumn -- sometimes it takes us ages to find just the right place for them but so much effort goes into rearing these little ones that wehave to be 100% sure they are going to the right place .MANY THANKS to helen for taking him and her generous donation .Thanks too to paul and kath --sadly wecouldnt help the hog they brought in --it was in such a poor state but it was saved further suffering .Alison kindly dropped off towels and food and lyn has sent a generous donation --thank you very much to all of you --we can t do it without you --whether it s collecting papers /towels for us /being a release site /regular ly feeding hogs /donating goods and time it all helps and we appreciate all of you who continue to support us .
No news from the hog box last night but all,the food has gone --still ne news from any of our release sites on hoglets being but it wont be long .

GRASS CUTTING
the council seems to be cutting grass everywhere this week /spraying weedkiller and strimming --and for wildlife rescues this is a nightmare .So many animals are injured in this way especially in parks and we have jus t had news of one in the local park which had to be put to sleep .Hogs, very rarely survive these type of injuries and the worry is that a female hog will almost certainly have alitter close by .If you find an injured hog please get it to avet immediately -- you should not be charged and they will assess the injury and contact us if the hedgehog can be saved. We have to take all injured hogs to our vet w e are not allowed to put them to sleep we have to take advice from the vets .If the hog can be nursed back to health or even survive a limb amputation we will do that, but so many of the cases w e get are so horrific that they have to be put to sleep .HOWEVER ,by picking the hog up and seeking help at least you save that hog from a terrible end and sometimes thats all we can do .So many injuries can be prevented by just a little thought and it s heartbreaking to think how many animals die as a result of hap hazard grass cutting and spraying .Maybe if we can get hedgehogs onto the endangered list then councils and individuals will have to take more care --till then w e can only do what wecan but thank you to all of you who do care and take action -

CHEEKY HOGS
Pauline was just a bit late doing suppers tonight and LITTLE HUB was not one bit impressed --infact if she had had a tin cup she would have been rattling the bars with it. As it was she scraped the cage front and got crosser and crosser as the other hogs got their teas first and then fell on the food like she hadnt been fed for amonth ,she is turning out to be a right little character and w ewill have to find her asafe garden this summer as she cannot go back to the wild owing to a head injury which ha
s left her --well a bit special --shall wesay !! Tomorrow a decision will be made
on little october ---he is going to the vet for a check up and maybe even a scan to find out just what is going on with him --we are torn a s to what to do --he can never be released not even a safe garden and although he seems happy enough we have to determine his quality of life --not easy when w e have had him since he was an autumn baby .TARKERS has had yet another manicure --blimey wish our nails grew as fast as that old lads--and he was as good a s.gold -- clearly wendy is anatural at nail clipping unlike pauline !!!Joe is settling in nicely and being admired by all the local gals --not sure how he would have got on with the rain though but knowing helen she will have been out there with an umbrella !!!

BIG BAD BOB UPDATE
OUR FORMER FAVOURITE old lad BIG BAD BOB --much adored by schoolchildren is still doing well He turne d out to be afraid of the DARK and it s taken jacqui months to get him used to going outside .Apparently he is happier out now but every so often has to run back to her for a bit of reassurance.Bob came to us in odd circumstances and w e strongly suspect someone had tried to tame him and got fed up when he got big and mucky and wouldnt be that tame !!!Anyway w e love d him and so did our talks and we decided he needed a special home -which he has got with jacqui --an experienced carer--so all ended well but it just goes to show --HEDGEHOGS ARE NOT AND DO NOT MAKE PETS--and it is an offence to try to make them so --Bob can never cope in the wild and all wecan offer is second best to being free where he should be .Thanks to JACQUI for taking him on though and doing a fantastic job with him --we miss you bob !!

HERE COMES THE SUN AGAIN
SO water water water everywhere please and keep an eye out for wildlife in the coming days --Sadly we lost little october today -- which is very upsetting after all the hard work we and jasmine put in --but the vet was consulted and as he could never have had a life outside of acage /was starting to fit occasionally and losing spines --everything was against him .Clearly his mum knew best and abandoned him but where she has a sixth sense about these things we do not and we try our best with every little one which comes s in .In the wild he wouldnt have survived more than aday or so without mum--its heartbreaking but thats how nature works and w ehave been really saddened by having to make the final decision on him- thanks - to jasmine for doing a grand job fostering him and once again to castleview vets for their support .The mortality rate in baby hogs is incredibly high --most do not survive the first weeks in the nest and even then the odds are stacked against them coming through their first few months and hibernation .BUT we have had amazing successes and those are the ones w ehave to think about the --famous HOGRID BEING ONE --so there is always hope !!!!

ASDA PRICE !!!
Its amazing what you can get at asda these days -- this morning wendy opened her door to find ahedgehog with a note from the police to say he ha dbeen removed from asda carpark !! Now whether he was causing abreach of the peace /shoplifting /or using a dodgy credit card we dont know /maybe he was just casing the joint .Anyway he is here with a nice collection of massive ticks --so if anyone knows the full story pleas eget in touch with PCSO JONATHAN PLUMMER who will let us know the tale behind COPPERS arrest .!He is refusing to make a statement and looks like being a prickly customer -- doesnt seem to want a fag or a coffee either and being stum about the name of his solicitor -- fingerprint evidence proving difficult to trace and the ticks wont grass on him either --over to you folks !!!

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ello ello ello wots going on ere then

WEEKEND NEWS
WELL the maggot season is certainly here with wendy having to deal with avery upsetting case of fly strike and welost the hog in the end .--willows have posted that they lost little tiny the last one of the litter of six and they are heartbroken .We have received the tiniest of little hogs --she weighs in at 65 gm which is what you would expect from a very very young hog but she is in fact a much older hoglet--so her condition is very worrying to say the least.We have her on 2 hourly feeds and also suspect a huge worm problem but it will be touch and go if she makes it --previous hoglets like this seem to fail to thrive-- and all our work is for nothing --but for now she is tucked up safe in the house and w eare doing our best for her -- thanks to eric for taking her in and giving her a good chance --she would never have survived the weekend and ha d already got fly eggs all over her tummy --Reports are coming in of this years hoglets not being in the best of health or even very big so rescues will have their work cut out this summer -- lets hope lots of them do survive

PAULINE HAS CURSE US ALL! For weeks she has kept revisiting the fact we haven't had any baby hogs in and guess what has gone and happened now... While she was at the Caravan, galavanting around and eating icey cream and chippies we received our first abandoned hog of the year. Not only that but today we heard about a nest being disturbed in someone's shed and off we went to collect a nest of 4 we think was abandoned by mum before we got there. So, thanks to Pauline's wonderful curse our baby numbers have sky rocketed and as such so has our workload. And I was hoping for a relaxing summer. - Matt

RAINING BABY HOGS HERE
They are rolling in --just admitted another very tiny one tonight so the esbilac milk will be on overtime - the hot weather ha splayed havoc with wildlife please top all water bowls up every day /night as the animals lives could depend on it Thank you to lorraine for bringing the latest one in --giving he r kitten milk and realisiingyou have to toilet such young hogs The rescue has just gone from quiet to mega busy - the litter of four --already known as the huffies for obvious reasons are still cross and prickly and having none of it .Little missy has just eaten a few mouthfuls of meat and milk mix and w ehope she will take more during the night .So its all baby news -- keep in touch for regular updates and a few photos if wecan get matt to do them --he loves babies of all kinds dont you matt !!!

HEDGEHUGS CRECHE
Our babies are all different ages so that means a constant round of feeding /cleaning and sterilising -- the four who came in yesterday are not quite as cross as they have realised that food is only coming one way now -- they are around 2-3 weeks old so we are trying to get them to lap as that frees us up abit .The tiny one is feeding well but ha s a touch of enteritis so we have had to give medication which we dont like doing but she has scratche s on her tum and w e think the nest may have been predated and she is the only survivor --Little hogs can die very quickly from an infection so we are taking no chances--she is only about a week old so we will have our work cut out ,Little missy had abath today as she stank and was covered in flea dirt and a few ticks --she is doing well and has put 15gms on since sunday .This is the time of year when our expenses rocket with the cost of baby milk and medications so if anyone would like to buy us a tin of esbilac puppy milk it will be much appreciated we use a tin each week at this stage and it svery expensive ,Got a final feed tonight and then hope they will all be ok till early morning and the huffies lap a bit -- it is so hot even in the garage --copper is really fed up and laid flat outside the nest box --pleas e top water bowls up again before you go to bed .

OH IS IT WEDNESDAY
Not sure wot day it is as its acontinuous round of feeding and cleaning -- yet another youngster arrived she had fallen in a hole and normally would be able to go back out again but in view of the hot weather and there being so little food about she will be staying awhile .The heat means not just lack of water but the bugs and grubs that hogs feed on are short in supply and the worms not accessible -- this can lead to fierce competition for food -- from foxes and badgers --and it s usually the hog that comes off worst and may even become the meal. We have had a distressing report today of one such case --as a general rule hogs and badgers dont mix and you tend to find one and not the other iN MOST AREAS !!!.however badgers are becoming increasing ly common in urban areas around wakefield and w e regularly get hogs attacked by them -- Now we love badgers so please no one have a go at us -- but they compete for the same food a s hogs and are also strong enough to uncurl an adult hog --facts is facts and yes we know of gardens where they share happily --we are just saying what we find folks !!

HEDGEHOGS IN TROUBLE
THE FIRST SET OF YOUNGSTERS are now ready to leave mum --and will be on their own and struggling to survive .A small hog out in the day is in trouble and if it is shaking or limping or staggering then in real trouble -- you can help by putting water and moist food out --and if you spot one of these hoglets --in the day- pick him up and feed him up for a day or so --it might be all he needs --any such hog with fly eggs or sores will need avet --But they are out there and are struggling --and w ecan make a diffference BY PROVIDING A SAFE FEEDING AREA WITH GOOD QUALITY CAT /DOG FOOD --MEAT BASED and a regular supply of water .

FEEDING PINCUSHIONS

Imagine trying to feed milk to a hopping pin cushion cos that is what we are up against with our latest brood of hoglets --they are awful !! and our poor hands bear witness to it.. Tonight I tried them with sloppy meat mix and they just made an absolute mess and even fell out with each other--and who is the worst --?--the tiniest of course --we haven't given em names yet --but the four horseman of the apocalypse has been suggested --but that might not be the best idea --But one thing is for certain --IT WONT BE ANYTHING CUTE COS THEY ARE NOT -- THEY ARE HORRID !!!

MIDNIGHT MAD HOUSE
Just got the last feed on the tiniest one to do --she has a bit of an infection so is on medication but we are concerned --going to give her a top up last thing before bed. It sbeen quite a day here -- one hog stuck ina hole ina graveyard now tucking into iams /one found almost exhausted locally and now curled up on aheat pad in the dining room .The huffers banished to the garage and left with milk/2 types of biscuit /meat mush and more clean bedding.A hog savaged by a badger and didnt make it ,at least one hog maybe two coming into the vet tomorrow--and more medication and food on emergency order as we are running out .All this and we still have to keep body and soul together somehow and see to the other hogs in the garage -- they got away without baths today as just couldnt fit them in --but tarkers got his jeyes fluid fix so hes happy --what will tomorrow bring -- hope it sjust cake and a trip to the knitting shop and not ye t more babies .

TODAYS UPDATE
The horrid little quads ar e now covered in stuff that they like to roll in but not eat and at this rate will need a bath as it is caked on them and they stink -- they are just as troublesome and we dont seem to be getting very far with them .Little dot --the newborn is doing really well and ha sbeen ravenous all day and her tummy is clearing up so thats excellent news .Missy isnt doing well and in our experience of this type of young hog she has a developmental problem which means she is unable to process food and will not survive --we are persisiting in treating he r but it looks bleak to be honest .The graveyard hog is okay and eating and our other weds admission has settle d in and just seems to need a few good meals ,What is distressing are the numbe r of tiny hogs coming in in such an awful state -- and as they are so under nourished they have no resources to draw on --I dont think wehave ever seen such thin youngsters coming in and it is worrying .The older hogs have had to take abackseat as w e concentrate on the very young and very poorly -- the hand feeding is very very time consuming -- yawn !!!!