This week I feel the need to express my sadness towards the people who have lost their beloved pets, Ann is one of them who has donated items that they are unable to use any longer. Thank you.
Also thanks to June and John for their donation, Fred for his support too. Also Don for a beautiful hedgehog picture with crystals. This will grace the lovely hogspital along with Margaret’s needlepoint hoggie.
I want everyone to be aware that our hedgehogs will be waking up from hibernation, they will be very hungry, thirsty and some will be also unwell, if a hedgehog is out in the day he or she is not ok.
I would like to reassure and advise everyone that firstly they do not carry fleas that jump onto your pets or carpets, their fleas are hedgehog specific and rescuers like myself always have sprays etc to eradicate them and make the hedgehog comfy.
The second threat to our hedgehogs are ticks, they engorge themselves on the hosts blood over 36 hours, then drop off engorged, this can give a hedgehog anaemia, I did have a case like this last year and she had to have B12 and folic acid injections for about two weeks, she did go free when she got better.
The worst threat, and every rehabbers nightmare, is flystrike, blue bottle flies lay eggs on a poorly hedgehog which hatch into maggots and eat the poor soul alive inside as well as out, we have to work fast to get these off, we can’t express how urgent it is to get these hedgehogs with the above inflictions to a rescue as soon as possible.
All of the above can’t hurt humans, we always ask people to place the hedgehog indoors, out of harms way, in a towel to hide in. They are very frightened of humans by nature, rehabbers work hard to earn their trust.
Please take this advice, it helps us to help them and saves more of these precious lives.
Thank you.
The British Hedgehog Preservation Society can be reached on 01584 890801. My Facebook page is Prickly Haven Hedgehog Hotel. My email: pricklyhaven@yahoo.com