Hogarth's / Spikey's Hedgehog Rescue

Hogarth's / Spikey's Hedgehog Rescue

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Hogarth's / Spikey’s Hedgehog Rescue - Be hedgehog friendly!

During late-Spring and the Summer each year, we release all of our fit again patients back into the wild - in suitable release-sites and, we prefer that they are returned where they were found, if the area is okay for hedgehogs to live. Many will have been lovingly hand-reared and spent months in our care - and some of these may find their way onto your garden or allotment. Hedgehogs are often called the gardeners' friend - and for this reason, they naturnally keep down garden pests for you. What better alternative to getting rid of slugs than a hedgehog living on or near your garden? Slug pellets contain a chemical called Metaldehyde that is lethal to hedgehogs and other wildlife - indeed, some of our received casualties are victims of poisoning. On this page, not only we will tell you what happens to hedgehogs in nature during each year, but also " what and how" we as Hedgehog rescuers can expect of hedgies to arrive on our doorstep during each year!! Therefore, we give a rundown of the sort of cases, injuries and illnesses that occur, and how you can make your garden hedgehog friendly, in each particular month...

JANUARY
Most hedgehogs by now, will be hibernating - but even at this bleak time, some do venture out from their nests, during a mild spell of weather. This is with the exception of those rescued who need to be kept awake - they are kept indoors and in many cases, in incubation. All those who are not big enough or did not put on enough weight to survive the Winter through, if not found and rescued, a lot by now will perish. Very late-born hoglets still arriving! These weighing as little as 120 grms. (only 4 - 6 weeks old), and would have been born during a mild spell in late-Autumn (e.g. in November). And with each year, there are more cases of hoglets born even in December (!!), particularly in the south-east. (Global warming?)
Unless rescued, these stand no chance at all of surviving until the Spring - even if they have left the nest naturally and are not orphaned!

FEBRUARY
Most, if not all hedgehogs, in hibernation, except for rescued hogs, as above. This month and the next in Winter, we have yet to receive any baby hoglets - it is too early in the year.
In general, this is our quietest time; the only hedgehogs we receive in February (if any!) are sick/ abused ones, and sometimes half-grown malnourished ones, that had ventured out during a mild spell.

MARCH
The first Spring warmth begins to bring some hedgehogs out of hibernation. Those who successfully hibernated will be thin and VERY hungry! A shallow dish of food - chicken-based cat/ dog food, or “Spike’s Dinner”, with another shallow dish of water, put out for the hedgies each night, will help them enormously!
Although a quiet time compared with later on in the year, already the first Springtime calls about sick or injured hedgehogs will be taken - a lot that become sick when trying to hibernate. Following hibernation and stuffing themselves with as much food as they can get hold of, the very first Spring matings can occur in this month at the earliest (but this is rare).

Due to the start of using garden implements again, such as mowers and strimmers, the calls about injured hedgehogs, are very soon to follow, although still rarely in March. This marks the start of our Spring- Summer campaign, asking all gardeners to PLEASE take care and check all areas, where hedgehogs are likely to be sleeping - BEFORE starting to use hazardous equipment.

APRIL
This is when in the latter-half of this month we begin to release all over-wintered “fit again” hedgehogs, back into the wild, because it’s when the majority, if not all, have by now come out of hibernation... and the weather is reliable enough.
Many matings occurring in this month, especially in late-April. The female is circled and circled by the male, until she accepts him to mate. A lot of snuffling and grunting! He plays no other part in raising a family!. Birth-sites include flower-beds, underneath hedges, underneath sheds, in unused rabbit burrows, in compost heaps and even in bags of rubbish, that have been left unattended! The pregnant mother makes a nest of dry leaves, grass, moss and anything else suitable.
Calls about injured and sick hedgehogs increasing gradually.

MAY - JUNE
By now, a sharp increase in the number of calls, about injured and sick hedgehogs, as well as the first Spring orphans / whole families. We usually receive our first newborns by the end of May - if without their mother, needing constant incubation (usually at 30 deg. C.) and round-the-clock hand-rearing on Esbilac puppy milk-replacer. Probably one of the times of year you are most likely to hear mating, occurring in your garden! A lot of hoglets are born during the late-Spring/ early-Summer period - many of these (sick, injured and orphaned) find their way to us, within the following month! Of both juvenile and adult hedgehogs, we receive some with horrific injuries. Hedgehogs start their liking to snuggle down in long uncut grass, or around the borders of lawns. PLEASE CHECK BEFORE MOWING or STRIMMING!

JULY - AUGUST
Our peak of callers usually begins at this time. A LOT of sick, injured and orphaned hedgehogs; sometimes whole families, or several calls in the same day!
Plenty of natural food for hedgies available, including the first appearance of low-growing summer fruits, (e.g. blackberries). Supplement food and water should be provided, at all times, every day - but especially during a drought. We continue to release successfully treated and fit again hedgies during July- August, but NEVER during a drought!
It’s a worrying thought that during hot and very dry periods, there is such a lack of natural food and water, that more hedgehogs actually die of thirst and hunger, than those that die on the roads!

SEPTEMBER
Still A LOT of sick, injured and orphaned hedgehogs arriving! Much the same as above 2 months, but the onset of wet weather is a welcome relief for dehydrated hedgies!
Hoglets born at this time may or may not be large enough, or have enough weight, to survive the oncoming Winter... and so, the first “Autumn Orphans” appear. Hedgehogs beginning to stuff themselves as much as they can, again! (Supplement food extremely welcome!)

OCTOBER
Still our peak of callers, A LOT of hedgies needing our help - but by now, mostly orphaned baby/ juvenile hoglets.
Those fit enough begin to build their “hiberniculum” (a large nest, made from dry leaves, moss and grass) at this time, and by late-October, the onset of early frosts indicates those first hedgehogs who start to hibernate. Now, babies and juveniles will not have enough fat-reserves to survive hibernation... these need to be cared for during the Winter months. Again, supplement food, extremely welcome!

NOVEMBER
Bonfire night! In a nutshell, the first week of this month is one of the most hazardous in the whole year, for sleepy or pre-hibernating hedgies! Those huge piles of wood and sticks make very inviting places, as do compost heaps - and this results in a lot of scorched/ burned hedgehogs who arrive to us, (that’s if they survived so far, after being cooked alive!). The message here is simple - we ask everyone to PLEASE CHECK BEFORE YOU LIGHT! Every year, we do an annual bonfire night campaign.
By now, many hedgehogs will be already hibernating, while some still quite active and preparing for hibernation.
Still a lot of callers about orphaned hoglets, needing our help - sometimes whole families, like in the previous months.

DECEMBER
Still some pre-hibernating hedgehogs venture about, searching for food - supplement food still extremely welcome!

Number of callers re: Autumn orphans, beginning to slow down, some years quite considerably drop in number, well before Christmas day, others a lot still arriving even at Christmas! These include VERY late born babies!
However, the Winter is one of the most busiest times of the year for us, because of so many baby hoglets and adult hedgehogs needing our care, that can’t be released back into the wild until the Spring.

Hogarth's / Spikey's Hedgehog Rescue