As you may or may not be aware (depending on whether you have launched your very own spiky creatured rescue recently!) this winter is proving a tough time to be a hedgehog.
When a friend of mine found two baby hedgehogs struggling across her lawn looking very weak a couple of weeks ago, she alerted me to the plight of our prickly friends.
Upon providing food, board, and shelter in the form of a cosy cardboard box filled with hay, and the hedgehogs’ favourite meal; cat food, offered on the menu, these babies were now guaranteed a warm and safe night ahead.
Next stop for these brave little mammals was a hedgehog sanctuary in Great Totham. Their weigh-in confirmed that these critters were indeed deserving of urgent rescue. At just 200g, they would not have had enough body fat to hibernate and survive the winter. The magic weight these babies should be aiming for is at least three times this number.
Because of the warm and dry summer this year, Louise was told, hedgehogs have not been able to find enough food in the wild.
So if you spot what appears to be an ailing hedgehog in your garden, the best thing to do is to take them directly to your nearest sanctuary. Because hedgehogs really need a hand from humans this winter!
Tags: baby hedgehogs, Great Totham hedgehog sanctuary, hedgehog, hedgehog sanctuary, hedgehogs