Norwich Hedgehog Rescue

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9 hedgehogs in today. 5 perfect bundles left on the doorstep for me to find when I got home from work. Mum had been found dead in the shed and the hoglets has started to roam for food.

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More pictures of yesterday's new arrivals. They are going to have to be split up today as in their natural environment they wouldn't be so close when feeding and last night I noticed them knocking each other out of the way for food. There's one little one that constantly keeps his eyes on the others while eating, like they are a huge threat. You will notice him in the pics.

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This is the little dear that was brought in by the police on Saturday night. She'd been hit by a car and her back legs were paralyzed so she was just dragging herself around on her front legs. She was also bleeding from her nose an mouth. As there are no signs of broken bones I continue to give medication as per a normal injury. Well this morning before work I cleaned her cage and she stood up , slowly but firmly and walked away from me. She is finding her food easily and eating lots. I thought she would pass away Saturday night and I doubt that any vet would have given her a chance. She will now stay with us through winter while she makes a full recovery. She will be hibernated and all being well, be released next spring.

There are many different ways you can help us to look after the hedgehogs without having to get involved hands-on. Helping us raise a few pennies to provide food and medication is priority for us and there are a few ways to help.
We have a rag man that collects all old clothes - even if they are torn or stained so any donations of old clothes are much appreciated.
HEAL is a fundraising shop on Hall Road in Norwich. During the winter they will be helping to support the hedgehogs so any bric-a-brac, books, clothes, music that can be used to sell, to raise a few pennies would be most welcome.
We are always in need of old towels and newspapers and of course food for the hogs. Three tins of Whiskas will feed a hedgehog for a week. If anybody could offer any food, however little the HEAL shop can take it in.
Thank you for reading and thank you for caring.

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Here she is again, fully recovered from her car accident and having chased my cat into the living room from the hall while I was cleaning her cage, I will say fit and healthy. She still sits down sometimes as if perching so she will stay with us during winter while her back legs continue to regain their strength.

Lovely posts

Thank you very much to those of you who donated to help us buy discounted products this weekend from Jollyes. We have received £30 and a couple of people have mentioned that they have bought gift cards which are left at the till for us. If you could spare a £1 it will feed 4 hedgehogs for a night, which is much appreciated. Thank you all for your help.

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Here she is, having spent the whole day at the vets. She's not in the best of moods as she had an anaesthetic because she is too strong to uncurl for long. Bless her heart, her eye is in the process of disappearing, her eyeball shrivelling up and drying out. The one pictured is her best side but even that eye doesn't look great. Hence the reason she will happily trot around my house, walk under my dog and around the cat without a care in the world. She is going back on antibiotics for another 2 weeks until the eye socket settles and then she will need a forever home as will be too vulnerable to be released. ( don't worry - I won't be using the tea-towel again ! )

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I've just finished working on the worst leg infection I have ever seen. The position of her leg in the photo was how she arrived. There was so much dried up infected tissue, her leg had stuck to the side of her face and she was covered in fly eggs. My immediate thought was that she needs to be pts but I work on every hedgehog where I can. She has been cleaned up, and I have removed all the fly eggs, pus and dead skin. She's had painkillers, antibiotic powder and injection. I'm still very concerned as I don't know what the bone damage is but she's now walking around and has eaten a small dish of mealworms.

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and here she is just an hour later, standing all four feet and snuffling for food.

With the weather getting colder I now have 2 hoglets that I know won't make release this year and I've stabilised them enough for fostering. They need a large indoor guinea pig cage or hutch as they will be in it a while, preferably the ones without the bars on the sides - plastic ones are far better and easier to clean. One is the one that was turned out in the cold by Willow vets. He is very stubborn and will currently only eat Sheba Chicken Terrine and mealworms so please be prepared for the expense of one tub a day. The other isn't as fussy and will eat Whiskas cat food. If you can offer one a quiet indoor home for a while, please get in touch and one of us will get back to you. Claire

Lots of young hedgehogs arrived this weekend. All struggling with the cold and hunger, causing them to wobble. It's a sad time of year. On a good note though, I picked up a very poorly youngster on Thursday night, heaving to breath, wheezing and refusing to eat. He's been treated for Lungworm and after a lot of coughing, the symptoms have now stopped. He's now eating so it's looking a little brighter. He's due another injection in another week so fingers crossed his improvement continues.

Please can anybody interested in fostering / over wintering a hedgehog inbox the rescue page with the following details. Name, number, address and if you are able to keep them inside or outside in a shed or garage. I know a lot of you have already messaged us, but it's been a major task getting back to everyone to gain the details. So this way would make it much easier for us to keep a good list and keep the books straight. Thank you.