Helping Hedgehogs: How to Be the Hero for Your Spiky Sidekicks
Hedgehogs are beneficial guests in our gardens. However, we often find ourselves unsure: When does a hedgehog truly need help, and when should we leave it alone? Generally, hedgehogs can take care of themselves, meaning they don't require food from us humans. The exception is if they are sick or underweight before winter. In this guide, you'll learn how to identify sick animals and provide first aid.
First Aid: When Does a Hedgehog Need Help?
Not every hedgehog you encounter is in distress. Look out for these warning signs:
Sick and Injured Hedgehogs
A hedgehog needs immediate assistance if it:
- Is active during the day (hedgehogs are typically nocturnal)
- Doesn't run away or fails to curl up when touched
- Is staggering or walking unevenly
- Has visible injuries (often caused by lawn mowers or fences)
- Is infested with flies or maggots
What to do? These hedgehogs should be taken to a veterinarian immediately or handed over to a hedgehog station at a hedgehog care facility. The people there know best how to help these little creatures.
Underweight Hedgehogs (Especially in Autumn)
A hedgehog that is still the size of a kiwi or lemon by mid-October is too small and too thin to survive. A healthy adult hedgehog is about the size of a very large bell pepper or a large mango. Again, the hedgehog station is the right place to go. It's best to wear gloves while handling them.
Immediate Life-Saving Measures for Found Animals
If you come across a needy hedgehog, keep these four crucial rules in mind:
- 1. Secure: Place the hedgehog in a tall box that it cannot climb out of (lined with kitchen paper or newspaper).
- 2. Warmth Check: Does the hedgehog's belly feel significantly colder than your hand? If so, it is hypothermic. A cold hedgehog should never be fed! Here’s what to do: Fill a water bottle with warm (not hot!) water. Wrap it in a towel and place the hedgehog on top. Lightly cover it.
- 3. Do Not Administer Liquids: Never attempt to give a hedgehog water with a pipette or syringe. There is a high risk that the liquid could enter the lungs, leading to pneumonia and potentially death.
- 4. Call a hedgehog emergency hotline and explain the situation.
Found Hedgehog Orphans?
First, check if the young animal is injured or has fly eggs or maggots. If it appears healthy, look nearby for its family and try to reunite the young one with its mother or siblings. If you can’t find anyone, take it to a specialist.
Please remember to protect yourself – fleas and fungi are common in hedgehogs. Wearing gloves and calling professionals is the right approach!
Silke from animalfunfacts.net
Providing the Right Food
Typically, hedgehogs can find enough food in the wild. Only in emergencies (such as illness or significant weight loss before winter) is supplemental feeding advisable.
- What hedgehogs can eat: The best option is high-quality cat wet food (with a high meat content, grain-free, and without jelly/sauce)
- No dog food (as it often contains grains)
- Plain scrambled eggs (cooked without oil) are also a great source of energy
- What hedgehogs can drink: Provide a shallow bowl of fresh water
Never Give Milk!
Hedgehogs cannot tolerate milk at all. The lactose present can cause severe gastrointestinal issues, leading to a painful death for these animals.
The Biggest Dangers in the Garden
- Lawn Mowers: They are becoming increasingly well programmed, yet they still fatally injure many animals each year. If you can't do without a lawn mower, it should only be used during the day - at least two hours after sunrise and no later than two hours before dusk.
- Beer Traps: Vegetable gardeners often set out bowls of beer to combat slugs. These are known as "beer traps." Hedgehogs drink the beer, get drunk, fail to curl up, and become easy prey for predators. Some even drown in the bowls. Please avoid beer traps!
A wild garden with a corner full of leaves and branches often helps hedgehogs more than food!
Silke from animalfunfacts.net
A Hedgehog-Friendly Home
- Leave Leaf Piles: If you rake leaves in your garden during autumn or tidy up leaf piles, be especially careful, as hedgehogs might be hiding in them!
- Set Up a Hedgehog House: A dry shelter is perfect for hibernation. It is best placed under a shady bush or by a hedge. The entrance should face southeast. Fill the house with some dry straw.
- No Pesticides or Insect Poisons: Hedgehogs eat insects. If you spray poison for aphids or other pests, the hedgehog will get poisoned too.
- Avoid Snail Pellets: Conventional snail pellets are highly toxic to hedgehogs. Instead, use biological methods or mechanical barriers to combat snails.
Always Wear Gloves
Always wear gloves when handling a hedgehog! Hedgehogs can carry parasites or fungi.
Quick Reference Summary
| Situation | Recommended Action |
|---|---|
| Hedgehog active during the day: | Wear gloves, head to the veterinarian/hedgehog station |
| Hedgehog is cold: | Warm it up (lukewarm water bottle), do not feed! |
| Hegehog is thirsty: | Only provide water. Never force liquids! |
| Hedgehog is hungry (emergency): | Canned cat food (grain-free) or scrambled eggs without oil |
| Small hedgehog in November: | Consult experts for advice (underweight) |
| Safety: | Turn off lawn mower at night, no beer traps, no milk. |
Spread the Word
The more people understand how to protect hedgehogs, the greater the chance they have of surviving.
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