FAQs contd

Can I have a hedgehog for my garden?

Well, not really. Why are they not there anyway - Badgers, Pesticides, Inaccessible? Also hedgehogs wander up to 4 miles a night and do not like to be hemmed in. You are better to try to attract them if they are in the area - wood piles, rough, untidy areas, put food out and do NOT use slug pellets. If they are in the area, they are probably visiting
overnight and you are missing the signs.

Can I have a hedgehog for my walled garden?

Hedgehogs like to roam a couple of miles a night at least so it is cruel to put a healthy hog into a small walled garden. Sometimes a walled garden may be suitable for a slightly disabled hog but what happens if you move? Also it could be contravening the Wildlife Act which says that if an animal cannot be returned to the wild, it should be euthanased. It is a very difficult question but, in general, I do not use walled gardens. I do use the 6 acre one at Stackpole for hogs that just might not cope with predators and the hogs I released there are breeding so they must be happy. However, I cannot put too many there now or they will over colonise. The other garden I use belongs to one of my foster carers, it is large and the hogs are constantly monitored. However, some centres do use walled gardens for blind hedgehogs.

What should I do if I see a hedgehog out now? (December - March)

The frosts have started and their food source has gone deep in the ground so, to be safe, I feel they should be picked up even if they are the right weight for hibernating. If you know where they live and can put food out regularly, they should be alright, otherwise they are going to starve and lose the special fat that they live on during the winter. I would rather take in a fit hedgehog than find out later that it failed to find enough food to sustain it over the cold months.

I thought hedgehogs carried fleas.
 
Maybe they did but they don't now, well not in Pembrokeshire. Hedgehog fleas are just that. They live only on hedgehogs. They may find another host and take a bite but they will not live on it as the hedgehog's skin is different. My theory is that the fleas jump off the host hedgehog when they have fed and wait for the next hog to come along. As the hedgehog numbers are reducing, the next host does not appear and the fleas die and have nowhere to lay their eggs. Even in Cardiff they are not seeing so many fleas. The fleas are easily dealt with using Rid Mite powder, which is for birds. Never use a product for cats and dogs on hedgehogs. It should only be sprinkled sparingly down the middle of the hog's back so it doesn't breathe it in when rolled up.

My own question (cheat!!) How do they go to sleep for 6 months and wake up the same weight they were when they went to sleep?!!

Answers through my Contact Us please. I know they slow down their metabolism to a ridiculous level but one was heavier when it woke up!!! Hedgehogs are totally magical and incredible and become more so as you learn more about them.

How does a hedgehog roll up?
Their back muscle is larger than the back of the hedgehog and hangs loosely from its sides to half way down its legs. This is known as its skirt. To run, it hitches its skirt up, revealing its long legs but to roll up, it sinks its body back into the muscle and pulls it tight around it. It is more clearly seen when dealing with babies as you can be feeding them then they suddenly pull in and disappear inside their prickles.

  HALF ROLLED BABY ALMOST FULLY ROLLED BABY

20/12/11 I have just been looking at some of the keywords that have got people on to this site again and wish some of the people had e-mailed.

Questions about Mange and Ringworm were plentiful
Yes you can catch ringworm and you can transmit mange to your pets. If a hedgehog is going bald or scratching a lot, it will have some kind of mite most likely. They do lose their baby prickles though. The hedgehog needs to see your Vet to decide which problem it has and to get the correct treatment.

Can you give people antibiotics to a hedgehog?
Absolutely NOT. Take it to the VET.

What would a Vet do for a broken leg in a Pygmy Hog?
Well, he would give pain relief, x-ray and set the leg if he is any good!

Why does my hedgehog want to hibernate when it is warm?
I trust this is not a European wild hedgehog. If it is and this person is just trying to overwinter it, it is ok to hibernate if it is heavy enough. If it is an African Pygmy, to my knowledge this is wrong.

Hedgehog with white bits on it
I assume this is a wild hog as they sound like fly eggs which will hatch into maggots and the hedgehog will die a horrible death.

PLEASE NOTE, HEDGEHOGS GO DOWN HILL VERY QUICKLY INDEED AND, WHILE PEOPLE ARE SEARCHING THE INTERNET FOR SOLUTIONS TO A PROBLEM, THE HEDGEHOG IS DETERIORATING. I AM ONLY PICKING UP THESE QUESTIONS BECAUSE MY ANALYTICS PROGRAM ALERTS ME TO THEM AND I HOPE THESE ANSWERS WILL BE HELPFUL BUT, IN ALL HONESTY, IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH A HEDGEHOG OF EITHER TYPE, GO TO A RESCUE CENTRE OR TO AN EXOTICS VET WITHOUT DELAY. In Britain, most Vets treat wildlife for free or they will have the RSPCA or local centre pick it up.
Just seen a live question Can humans catch mites from African Pygmy? Not sure on mites but you can catch ringworm and the mites could live on cats and dogs. Hygiene is a must in these cases