Firstly, the British Hedgehog Preservation Society contact number is 01584 890801, always ready, willing and able to answer your questions.
Our focus this week, and a subject I felt very strongly about before this event but even more so now, is Rat Poison. My neighbour was very unsettled by a little furry creature curled up on her lawn, she was fearful so didn’t want to pick it up. I went and picked this very cold and frightened field mouse, a girl, not very old either.
Because I am a hedgehog rescue rehabber, I placed this very sick mouse in my pet carrier and took her to the vet at Bradbury, with Jackie my neighbour, upon examination, there was evidence to support her ingesting Rat Poison, euthanasia was the only way to ease her suffering.
Can we remind our friends and neighbours that there are laws covering its use and if they kill anything other than the targeted species they can be prosecuted, all this little mouse wanted was to eat and didn’t deserve to die in such a cruel way. Equally as devastating, especially to our hedgehogs, are slug pellets, slugs eat poison, hedgehogs eat poisoned slugs which kills them. As I have said before, save your money, our hedgehogs will clear your garden of slugs when you are asleep in your bed totally free of charge.
On a lighter note little Holly, struggling to gain weight whilst in our rescue centre, a short course of antibiotics is working it’s magic and she has gained a massive 40grams since Saturday and also our new hoggie, from Tara last week, has settled well too.
