HEDGEHOG helpers in the Crediton area have been very busy over the last year.
For example, John’s Hedgehog Rescue (East Village) has dealt with at least 45 hogs, treating injuries, identifying and medicating for internal parasites, nursing sick or underweight hogs back to health, and co-ordinating hedgehog releases.
A network of foster carers has also been established, where volunteers take on hedgehogs that have finished treatment and just need "fattening up" until they’re ready for release.
Carers have also been busy over the autumn and winter, rescuing small hogs that were too small to survive hibernation, treating sick hogs, and overwintering some hedgehogs in rabbit hutches for managed hibernation.
Why do we do it?
The small army of volunteers is committed to helping local hedgehogs to thrive. Sadly, hedgehogs are now at risk of extinction, and there’s nothing more rewarding than taking in a hog that’s sick, or very tiny, and ultimately having the thrill of seeing that same healthy hog released back into the wild.
Although it can take a lot of time and commitment, it’s wonderful to know that we’ve done our small bit to help individual hogs recover, and also to enable them to breed so that the future of this adorable creature becomes more secure.
Hedgehogs in spring
As the weather gets milder overnight, hedgehogs are coming out of hibernation. However, spring is also a time when people go out to tidy up their gardens and prepare them for the growing season.
Tips for keeping hedgehogs safe
• Check before mowing, strimming, or hedge-cutting – every year hedgehogs suffer horrific injuries from mowers and especially strimmers. Strimmers often damage hedgehogs’ delicate faces, such as their nose or eyes. If you do accidentally injure a hedgehog, contact your local rescue service immediately.
• Using slug pellets also puts hedgehogs in danger. Hedgehogs eat slugs as part of their diet, so using toxic chemicals can poison hedgehogs. Try to use safe methods of pest control, such as copper tape, eggshells and coffee grounds, beer traps etc. (https://www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk/helping-hedgehog/) And remember that hedgehogs will help manage your pest control safely. (NB: From April 2021 it will be illegal to sell slug pellets containing metaldehyde. (https://www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Slug-Pellets-Banned.pdf) .
• Check overgrown areas carefully before clearing, especially before burning. Hedgehogs might still be hibernating, and later on they may have babies in a nest.
• Provide a way of escape from garden ponds. Hedgehogs can swim, but if they fall into a pond with no way to escape, they will get chilled and tired very quickly. Then they’re at risk of drowning. A plank of wood, semi-submerged rocks, or even chicken wire will do, or make sure there are shallow slopes around the pool.
• Avoid using netting – hedgehogs can get tangled up in netting and can literally choke to death or suffer injury.
• Keep your garden free of rubbish. Hedgehogs can get stuck in empty cans, plastic pots, and especially plastic rings for holding cans together. Always cut each ring before throwing away – hedgehogs do frequent landfill sites!
Ways to attract hedgehogs to your garden
• Provide food and water. Kitten biscuits are ideal, and wet cat or dog food in jelly (not gravy) can also be offered. Avoid fish-based foods. A dish of water will ensure they can access clean drinking water. Never put out the traditional ’milk and bread’ as it causes stomach upsets.
• Don’t put out mealworms or peanut hearts – hedgehogs love them but they can cause damage. For example, mealworms cause metabolic bone disease, resulting in thin bones that are liable to bend or fracture, and cause horrific pain to the hog. (https://littlesilverhedgehog.com/2017/01/30/metabolic-bone-disease/)
• Use a feeding station. A box with a baffle will stop the local cats tucking into the hedgehog food. You can buy them, but they’re also easy to make. (https://www.devonwildlifetrust.org/actions/how-build-hedgehog-home?gclid=Cj0KCQjwl9GCBhDvARIsAFunhsmwLpUb5aAEIhcaTsvx2P0MFMAUelzQ8rMwL5wAewiUivKekBqUFH8aAgRXEALw_wcB). A large and a small plastic crate can also be used. Cut a CD-sized doorway in both boxes and put the smaller one inside the larger one.
• Become an untidy gardener! Leave plenty of overgrown areas, wood piles and longer grass for hedgehogs to hide safely.
• Make a hedgehog doorway in your fence or gate – a hole around the size of a CD case will let hedgehogs travel freely between gardens. They can travel several miles in a night, so the easier we make it for them to get around, the better.
What to do if you find a hedgehog that needs help?
• As a rule, any hedgehog out during the day needs help. If you see one, line a box or pet carrier with a towel or soft fleece. Pick up the hedgehog using thick gardening gloves or oven mitts, put it in the box with some water and weigh the lid down firmly – hedgehogs are skilled escape artists! Also put in a hot water bottle or wheat pad wrapped in a towel to prevent burns. This will keep the hedgehog warm, but must be changed every four hours or it will ultimately chill the hog.
• Then contact your local rescue service. It’s also worth checking to see if there are any young ones around – you may have found a mother hog.
• If you can’t contact a local rescue, offer some dry kitten biscuits or a small amount of wet cat food after a couple of hours when the hedgehog has warmed up.
• Bow Hedgehog SOS (07841 569150), John’s Hedgehog Rescue (07966 435147), or if you’re further afield, call the British Hedgehog Appreciation Society (01584 890801) to find your nearest carer.
Becoming a foster carer
As the season picks up, we’re expecting an influx of hedgehogs for a number of reasons. For example, garden tool injuries, illness or parasites, and sadly, orphaned babies. Once they’re on the road to recovery, foster carers are needed to get them ready for release. If you’re interested in becoming a foster carer, please contact your local rescue service for more details.
Follow what’s happening
• You can also follow our local rescue services on Facebook: John’s Hedgehog Rescue (https://www.facebook.com/JohnsHogRescue), Bow Hedgehog SOS (https://www.facebook.com/BowHedgehogSOS), Lapford Hedgehog SOS (https://www.facebook.com/LapfordHedgehogSOS) .
Elizabeth Mannah