Hedgehog Awareness Week: Our Fostering Story

I love hedgehogs. We all do, don’t we? How can you not? They pose no risk to us, they keep themselves to themselves, and they help keep the creepy crawlies at bay in our gardens. And, if you look at their little faces, they are incredibly cute!

Our garden is 100% enclosed by walls. Even so, since we moved in 9 years ago, I’ve had a hedgehog house set up in the far corner. I live in hope that one will somehow magically find a way in! Of course, they haven’t. So, last year I considered buying (or rescuing) an African Pygmy Hedgehog. I bought all the equipment, but it was a big commitment and I wasn’t sure if the time was right. If I’m honest, I didn’t really like the idea that it would be kept in a cage. So, the cage, and all the equipment, was moved to the garage.

Sonic

And then, while visiting friends in Devon late in October, we met Sonic. Millie-Mae was wandering around their rural cliff-top garden and came across a young hedgehog on a step. It was the middle of the day, and the temperature was dropping. She picked him up and wrapped him in her hoody. We agreed with our friends that we’d bring him home and hopefully make him well (with the idea of returning to Devon to release him).

Sonic ‘our’ (not very well) hedgehog

Unfortunately, Sonic didn’t make it home, and died on the way. We later learned that he was very underweight – from a late litter – and the cough he had was lungworm. Losing him left all of us feeling really sad.

I looked up a local hedgehog rescue to where we live – Hettie’s Helpers – offering them the food we’d bought for Sonic. Having popped along to deliver it and meet some of the patients, we left having offered to become a hedgehog fosterer… well, we had all the gear!

Womble

Our first prickly patient was Womble. He was fit and well, but just a little underweight; he needed to be considerably larger before hibernating. Womble was such a character. He was smelly and he loved nothing better than to wreck a newly cleaned cage of bedding and food. When we weighed him, he remained totally still … and then tried to make a run for it! Talk about fast! We handled him using an old tea towel to protect our hands from the prickles – if you loosened your hold he’d be up on your shoulders … I lost count of the number of times our necks received ‘natural acupuncture’ from Womble!

He spent Christmas with us …

Womble: He quite liked being looked after!

In fact, every time he gained a little weight and we felt he’d soon be ready to leave, he’d go on hunger strike and lose some. We just decided he liked the pampered lifestyle too much.

Back in February Womble was worrying me as he wasn’t gaining weight. With us heading away, we handed him back to Hettie’s Helpers. He wasn’t breathing very well, and ended up in a nebuliser and on antibiotics. Luckily, he got better. But, just as he was gaining good weight, he started to try to hibernate. Every time he tried, Womble lost more weight. Eventually, with the rescue’s expertise, he was ready for release. He’s back in the wild now!

Arya

While Womble was being nursed back to health at Hettie’s Helpers, we received our next hedgehog patient. Millie-Mae called her Arya. Again, a healthy animal, just a little underweight and not enjoying being around other hedgehogs in nearby cages at the rescue. She came to us for some peace and quiet. And she thrived! Arya was so different to Womble – she kept a very clean cage! She was also speedy when it came to attempts to escape the weighing scales, but when holding her she always wanted to burrow into the crook of your elbow.

Arya: Very clean and she loved a cuddle!

Arya was the perfect house guest. She did everything we wanted her to, and brilliantly, as a result she too is now back in the wild 😊

Hedgehogs in the UK

It has been suggested that hedgehog numbers in the UK have fallen by half since the turn of the century. Estimates put the population in the UK at around 1 million; back in the 1950s this number was closer to 30 million. Larger fields, with the subsequent loss of hedgerows has been blamed for the decline.

It’s important that we all help in some small way. The British Hedgehog Preservation Society want us all to make our gardens hedgehog friendly. This is very easy to do, and need not cost a penny. However, there are some brilliant ‘hog houses’ available to buy online!

Here are ways that you can help your local hedgehog population:

• There should be gaps in boundary fences and walls (CD case-sized) to allow easy access for the hedgehogs
• Move piles of rubbish from one part of the garden to another, before burning it
• Check areas carefully before mowing or strimming
• Make sure any garden netting is kept at a safe height (the same for football goal netting)
• Check compost heaps thoroughly before digging the fork in
• Try to reduce, or even better stop, the amount of pesticides and poisons used in your garden
• Cover drains or deep holes
• If you have a pond or pool, make sure there’s an easy way for a hedgehog to climb out

How else can you help?

Well, like us, you could volunteer to help out at your local hedgehog rescue. Hettie’s Helpers attend local fetes, raising awareness and much needed funds through donations of gifts, often hedgehog themed! Follow their facebook page here to see what items are available. Or you could purchase an item off their Amazon wishlist. Everything goes to helping the hedgehogs!

As for us, well we’re (in)patiently awaiting our next convalescing hedgehog. With the first babies of the year expected any time now, we may be kept very busy!