Hello and welcome to hedgehog rescue.
We are a voluntary group of individuals who care for sick, injured and orphaned hedgehogs, within our own homes.
Many of the carers fund their own work but some of the carers need support so the money raised from adoptions, donations and sales go to help the carers pay for food, cages and medications etc.
My name is Yvonne and i set up hedgehog rescue with Val in 1999. We realised there were other carers out there and felt it would be beneficial for the hedgehogs and the carers if we got together.
We try to arrange a few meetings a year so we can get together, encourage new volunteers & carers and run workshops etc.
This way we can share knowledge and also help each other during periods of sickness, holidays etc.
We all operate differently, some taking in 1 hedgehog at a time whilst others may have 20 or 30.
I took in my first hedgehog on the 7th July 1999 having just completed my National Diploma in Animal Care.
I also go out into the community giving talks to raise the awareness of hedgehogs in our environment and how we can help them. If you run a group, whether it is beavers to the W.I there is more information on the 'book an event' page.
If you are unsure about the dangers then click on the 'litter poem' page, this shows how litter effects our wildlife. Some pictures are distressing so please accompany young children on the litter poem page.
I hope you enjoy browsing the pages and you learn more about our spiky little friends.
There is no obligation to buy but if you do ALL the profits go back into helping hedgehog rescue.
If you live locally you can find my details in the yellow pages, under animal welfare. You can also book talks/events on the same number. Otherwise please make contact via the B.H.P.S. Please only emergency calls at the weekends and evenings.We are volunteers and have family/work commitments. Emergencies are NOT 'what can i feed my hedgehog' or 'i would like a hedgehog for my garden' Sorry if this seems a litle abrupt but i have many people contacting me when they could leave it to a weekday. If you are unsure about the health of a hedgehog then please ring.
0870 803 0914
This is a press release issued by the BHPS
HEDGEHOG CRISIS
The British Hedgehog Preservation Society has been inundated with calls for help from concerned members of the public who are finding hedgehogs that haven’t yet hibernated.
These hedgehogs are often too small or poorly to survive a hibernation without help, but some just need feeding up in the garden, the Society has issued a checklist to help people decide if they need to intervene of not.
If you find a hedgehog at this time of year that you are worried about think through the following checklist:
Is it out during the day? If yes, it needs help, if no,
· Is it wobbling, lying in the open or slow and lethargic? If yes, it needs help, if no
· Does it weigh under 450gms (1lb)? If yes, it possibly needs additional help so seek advice, if no it should be safe to feed up in the garden, but again if in doubt seek advice.
If the answer is yes to any of the questions please use gardening gloves to collect the hedgehog, bring it indoors in a high sided box with a wrapped hot water bottle and an old towel in the bottom. It is really important that the bottle is kept warm as if allowed to go cold it will do more harm than good.
Food and warmth are the two things you can offer as basic ‘first aid’. Offer meat based pet food and fresh water. Once the hedgehog is safe and warming see www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk/carers.htm for a short list of carers or call us on 01584 890 801.
BHPS produce an autumn juvenile leaflet that includes ideas for feeding stations if cats are likely to steal the food, it can be found online at www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk/FAQS/Aut.htm or for a free paper copy please send an A5 sae to BHPS Autumn Juveniles, Hedgehog House, Dhustone, Ludlow, SY8 3PL.
The info below has been supplied by the bhps. www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk
When should I rescue a baby hedgehog and when is it safe to leave it?
When baby hedgehogs (hoglets) are about 4 weeks old they start to venture out of the nest with their mothers. At this age they look like perfect miniatures. Occasionally one of the more adventurous ones may come out of the nest in the day but will be busy searching for food and will then return to the nest – provided he is busy then there is probably nothing to worry about. However some hoglets whose mother has been killed will venture out of the nest in search of her. They will do this even when newborn. They are likely to be seen out in the day, they may be squeaking (it sounds like a bird but at ground level) and there may be flies around them – they may be single or even three or four close together. These hoglets need rescuing as soon as possible. Exceptions might be where there is a nest at the top of a slope and perhaps a hoglet has rolled down the slope and cannot return to the nest. In all cases call the British Hedgehog Preservation Society or a local hedgehog rehabilitator for advice – if they are left too long they may get maggots on them, the maggots will eat them alive so do act quickly.
