I've spent much of the past couple of years trying to educate members of the public not to feed mealworms and other high phosphorous foods to hedgehogs, but up until now Metabolic Bone Disease is something I've only suspected, heard about from other carers, or seen videos of.
Yesterday I had my first confirmed case of Metabolic Bone Disease caused by mealworms and it has strengthened my resolve to teach everyone the best way to feed our hedgehogs and help them, without causing additional problems for them.
Sheldon came in at the beginning of last week and had some odd symptoms including being wobbly on his back legs. We rehydrated him, we tried him in the nebuliser as his lungs were crackly, we treated for lungworm despite not finding evidence in his samples as the vet wanted this tried, we used antibiotics, we worked hard to get the ticks from his ear in case that was the cause, we checked eyesight, we used painkillers - nothing helped. The painkillers did mean he ate better again, but the wobbliness remained.
Yesterday I took him into Huntingdon and left him at the vets for a full check up under anaesthetic and an X ray. These are expensive procedures but we needed to know what was wrong with poor Sheldon.
The vet called me while he was still under and asked me for my opinion on what he was seeing. Not only was Sheldon lacking a lot of the bone density you would see in a normal hedgehog, he also had open growth plates - this should he seen in a prepubescent animal, not a big adult male. His bones have not developed properly since he was a juvenile - he will have experienced pain for most of his life.
I mentioned MBD first - the vet agreed completely and said it had been this first thought too but he wanted to hear my opinion as I'm more of an expert on hedgehogs than they are.
I asked about his prognosis - the vet believed that whatever we did now, Sheldon's current situation would he our base line. We could halt the spread but we would never be able to significantly improve his symptoms. He would always have pain and would he at much higher risk of breaks and other issues. We made the only ethically and morally correct decision and we ended Sheldon's suffering while he was still under anaesthetic.
I have since found out that his finder has a "big bag for mealworms for the hedgehogs" - and while this gentleman clearly meant well and just wanted to help his spiky friends, by feeding mealworms it has inadvertently gave Sheldon a death sentence.
That is awful, and poor Sheldon suffered the consequences of someone who thought they were doing the "right" thing for visiting hogs. This article should be sent out to all animal rescue centres and highlighted in nature and gardening magazines.
I leave a little bit of cat food out every night for the hedgehog(s) that come visit from the neighbors’ garden, sometimes a piece of apple and aways a big shallow dish of water. But now I’m thinking of getting actual hedgehog food for them. Who knows what’s in that cat food. Or am I being too panicky now after that sad story about poor little Shaldon 😢 Is hedgehog food actually better or is it just a marketing trick? And also would cats eat it (sometimes they steal the cat food I leave out for the hedgis).
@Big Blue Sky Our local rescue feeds cat or dog food, as long as it's meat based that's the main thing. My "Rescue lady" says that although hedgehog food is obviously okay, it's not necessary. If you're worried about the cats eating it, you can make a feeding station from a plastic box. (If you have a look at my posts on the Tarw thread you can see mine). OH added a tunnel as the cats (and foxes !)were managing to contort themselves inside to reach the dish. You can use bricks to create a tunnel - there are lots of ideas on the internet, or the BHPS (British Hedgehog Preservation Society) website has lots of information. A bit here https://www.hedgehogstreet.org/help-hedgehogs/feed-hedgehogs/
Ok, thank you @AnniD - glad I don’t have to run to the garden centre tomorrow to buy hedgehog food 😂 Will ask my OH to think what can be done in terms of feeding station. This year is the first time we have hedgehogs visiting, so want to take good care of them.
Using "Spike" hog food I can put it on a saucer in the middle of the garden and cats leave it well alone ( video night camera evidence) the only thieves are Blackbirds and Robins first thing in the morning if anything is left. It seems other animals dont like it, especially if it is out in the open.
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Bertie's R&R - Wildlife Rehabilitation and Release
I've spent much of the past couple of years trying to educate members of the public not to feed mealworms and other high phosphorous foods to hedgehogs, but up until now Metabolic Bone Disease is something I've only suspected, heard about from other carers, or seen videos of.
Yesterday I had my first confirmed case of Metabolic Bone Disease caused by mealworms and it has strengthened my resolve to teach everyone the best way to feed our hedgehogs and help them, without causing additional problems for them.
Sheldon came in at the beginning of last week and had some odd symptoms including being wobbly on his back legs. We rehydrated him, we tried him in the nebuliser as his lungs were crackly, we treated for lungworm despite not finding evidence in his samples as the vet wanted this tried, we used antibiotics, we worked hard to get the ticks from his ear in case that was the cause, we checked eyesight, we used painkillers - nothing helped. The painkillers did mean he ate better again, but the wobbliness remained.
Yesterday I took him into Huntingdon and left him at the vets for a full check up under anaesthetic and an X ray. These are expensive procedures but we needed to know what was wrong with poor Sheldon.
The vet called me while he was still under and asked me for my opinion on what he was seeing. Not only was Sheldon lacking a lot of the bone density you would see in a normal hedgehog, he also had open growth plates - this should he seen in a prepubescent animal, not a big adult male. His bones have not developed properly since he was a juvenile - he will have experienced pain for most of his life.
I mentioned MBD first - the vet agreed completely and said it had been this first thought too but he wanted to hear my opinion as I'm more of an expert on hedgehogs than they are.
I asked about his prognosis - the vet believed that whatever we did now, Sheldon's current situation would he our base line. We could halt the spread but we would never be able to significantly improve his symptoms. He would always have pain and would he at much higher risk of breaks and other issues. We made the only ethically and morally correct decision and we ended Sheldon's suffering while he was still under anaesthetic.
I have since found out that his finder has a "big bag for mealworms for the hedgehogs" - and while this gentleman clearly meant well and just wanted to help his spiky friends, by feeding mealworms it has inadvertently gave Sheldon a death sentence.
Our local rescue feeds cat or dog food, as long as it's meat based that's the main thing.
My "Rescue lady" says that although hedgehog food is obviously okay, it's not necessary.
If you're worried about the cats eating it, you can make a feeding station from a plastic box.
(If you have a look at my posts on the Tarw thread you can see mine). OH added a tunnel as the cats (and foxes !)were managing to contort themselves inside to reach the dish. You can use bricks to create a tunnel - there are lots of ideas on the internet, or the BHPS (British Hedgehog Preservation Society) website has lots of information.
A bit here
https://www.hedgehogstreet.org/help-hedgehogs/feed-hedgehogs/
Will ask my OH to think what can be done in terms of feeding station. This year is the first time we have hedgehogs visiting, so want to take good care of them.