Well haven't been on today as been doing a rescue job on one of my hoggies. Apple as I have called him has been struggling the past two nights, falling over when shaking himself and taking many attempts to get up the step. So last night caught him and have taken him to our local rescue. The lady was quite pleased with him as he is not too thin just small ( obviously a late litter) she presently has over 100 to care for most youngsters like mine. With a bit of luck and care will be able to pick him up next March to go back in the population. I hope the other one the same size, but managing well, keeps on going.
Poor little Apple, although I think you did the right thing taking him into the rescue centre. They will giive him the care he needs to recover. Our centre is also very busy. At the moment we have three regular hogs at their food bowl although I have seen up to 5 here recently. I am just reading an old paperback book written by the people who started Tiggy Winkles hedgehog sanctuary. Some of the information on caring for the hogs has now been updated, but still an interesting read with the history and spread of hogs worldwide.
An update on our hedgehog: I haven't managed to explode him yet! We bought a wildlife camera which has confirmed that it's just the one hedgehog and he's living in the hedgehog house behind the compost bins. Here's a link to a compilation of clips recorded last week: https://youtu.be/7Lae8trnBQ0
And I thought I was throwing away money buying that hedgehog house!
I have a few questions, if you guys could help that would be great. Some people have suggested that we catch him to weigh him. That seems unnecessary to me, but if you think we should then we'll try (although he can move really fast!). Next question: are we delaying or disturbing his hibernation by putting so much food out? Last question: someone is pooping inside the doorway of his house! It looks like a hedgehog poop to me and the camera hasn't caught any other creature, so is he pooping there himself?!
The poop is probably a case of, this is mine. It seems healthy ( and yes they are really fast) and bigger than Apple , so no I dont think you need to weigh it. The lady at the rescue said if its warm enough or hungry they will continue to eat through the winter so its important to give them as much as they need, hogs dont get fat on the right kind of food, just the junk stuff that is not helpful. Stick to cat food wet or dry, no fish, or hog biscuits. You have a happy hog there
@emerb , looking at your video and comparing him to the bricks and bucket, he looks to be a good size. I wouldn't recommend trying to catch and weigh him , as it just places them under undue stress, and there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with his appetite! As @purplerallim says, it's okay to carry on feeding, nature will kick in if necessary and he will hibernate if it turns cold enough. Bear in mind if it stays relatively mild, he may wake up and start snuffling around. They use a lot of energy just waking up, so if you can leave dry food out that will keep him going. I noticed a white mark on his spines (on his right side), so it's possible someone else has marked him ? I don't think it's natural colouring from lighter spines.
Thanks @purplerallim and @AnniD for the advice and reassurance. It's unfortunately quite rare to see hedgehogs here so we don't have much info to go on. He's only the second hedgehog I've ever seen, and that one was sick. My partner had seen one before as well, although oddly enough, that was in Norway.
@AnniD the white mark is a mystery. It appeared one night about a week after we started feeding him (I'm reasonably sure it's the same hog). At first we thought he was injured but there doesn't appear to be any dip in his spines or anything there when he's close to the camera. Without shining a light on him it's impossible to discern what's on him. I'd be incredibly surprised if someone marked him, judging from the time stamps on the camera he never spends long away from home and none of our neighbours have shown an interest in the natural world. Although you never know! My theory is that the spines in that area have gotten a bit bent. Does that make any sense?
@emerb it could be, it's also possible that he's crawled under something painted and got it on him. I don't think it's an injury. The hogs that I've had in my garden have had all sorts of markings, possibly "man made", or more likely picked up on their nightly travels, that usually fade over time
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Apple as I have called him has been struggling the past two nights, falling over when shaking himself and taking many attempts to get up the step. So last night caught him and have taken him to our local rescue. The lady was quite pleased with him as he is not too thin just small ( obviously a late litter) she presently has over 100 to care for most youngsters like mine. With a bit of luck and care will be able to pick him up next March to go back in the population. I hope the other one the same size, but managing well, keeps on going.
Our rescue managed to release 4, then within the day had 5 new customers.
And I thought I was throwing away money buying that hedgehog house!
I have a few questions, if you guys could help that would be great. Some people have suggested that we catch him to weigh him. That seems unnecessary to me, but if you think we should then we'll try (although he can move really fast!). Next question: are we delaying or disturbing his hibernation by putting so much food out? Last question: someone is pooping inside the doorway of his house! It looks like a hedgehog poop to me and the camera hasn't caught any other creature, so is he pooping there himself?!
I wouldn't recommend trying to catch and weigh him , as it just places them under undue stress, and there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with his appetite!
As @purplerallim says, it's okay to carry on feeding, nature will kick in if necessary and he will hibernate if it turns cold enough. Bear in mind if it stays relatively mild, he may wake up and start snuffling around. They use a lot of energy just waking up, so if you can leave dry food out that will keep him going.
I noticed a white mark on his spines (on his right side), so it's possible someone else has marked him ? I don't think it's natural colouring from lighter spines.
@AnniD the white mark is a mystery. It appeared one night about a week after we started feeding him (I'm reasonably sure it's the same hog). At first we thought he was injured but there doesn't appear to be any dip in his spines or anything there when he's close to the camera. Without shining a light on him it's impossible to discern what's on him. I'd be incredibly surprised if someone marked him, judging from the time stamps on the camera he never spends long away from home and none of our neighbours have shown an interest in the natural world. Although you never know! My theory is that the spines in that area have gotten a bit bent. Does that make any sense?
I don't think it's an injury. The hogs that I've had in my garden have had all sorts of markings, possibly "man made", or more likely picked up on their nightly travels, that usually fade over time