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Hedgehog Cabin

@HedgehogCabin • 39,358 subscribers

I operate a small hospital for sick, injured and orphaned wild hedgehogs. Donate https://t.co/wUQRQfPo5i Wishlist https://t.co/4UZ0T2FlAL Ambassador: @DrAmirKhanGP

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Some kind organisations are posting messages urging people to leave out water for our precious wildlife in this hot dry weather, which is brilliant, thank you. But this rumour doing the rounds that hedgehog mums abandon their nursing babies is utter nonsense. Hedgehog mums are the most patient, loving parents you can imagine. They are tightly bonded and would NEVER willingly abandon their babies. But they die. They die because lactation places a massive continuous drain on a mother's water reserves. If she is deprived of water, her body is forced to pull from its own tissues and blood supply to maintain milk production, resulting in rapid blood volume depletion and thickening of the blood. Producing milk requires a massive amount of calories and water. If resources are scarce, the mother's body goes into a negative energy balance, which drastically accelerates the depletion of her internal reserves. But they stay with their babies, protecting them, loving them, literally giving them their last drop of life. The starving dehydrated babies eventually stagger out of the maternity nest, instinctively seeking sustenance. By the time they are found by humans they are so near death and their dehydration so extreme that only subcutaneous fluids from an experienced rescue can save them. All this heartbreak and tragedy can be avoided, and rescues freed from bed-blocking babies, if only everyone simply puts out a dish of water. Right now. And tonight. Front and back. Under cover in the shade, if possible. A turn of the tap can save so many lives.❤️

Some kind organisations are posting messages urging people to leave out water for our precious wildlife in this hot dry weather, which is brilliant, thank you. But this rumour doing the rounds that hedgehog mums abandon their nursing babies is utter nonsense. Hedgehog mums are the most patient, loving parents you can imagine. They are tightly bonded and would NEVER willingly abandon their babies. But they die. They die because lactation places a massive continuous drain on a mother's water reserves. If she is deprived of water, her body is forced to pull from its own tissues and blood supply to maintain milk production, resulting in rapid blood volume depletion and thickening of the blood. Producing milk requires a massive amount of calories and water. If resources are scarce, the mother's body goes into a negative energy balance, which drastically accelerates the depletion of her internal reserves. But they stay with their babies, protecting them, loving them, literally giving them their last drop of life. The starving dehydrated babies eventually stagger out of the maternity nest, instinctively seeking sustenance. By the time they are found by humans they are so near death and their dehydration so extreme that only subcutaneous fluids from an experienced rescue can save them. All this heartbreak and tragedy can be avoided, and rescues freed from bed-blocking babies, if only everyone simply puts out a dish of water. Right now. And tonight. Front and back. Under cover in the shade, if possible. A turn of the tap can save so many lives.❤️

53,758 просмотров

Just to start the weekend off on a joyful note, just look what a week in care has done for that dying starved little skin and bones baby, Ryder. Not only is he alive, engaged, happy and having a fun time, he has the sweetest little rounded belly.😍 If you'd like to help with his treatment at Prickle Lodge - Hedgehog Rescue , here are their Amazon wishlist and donation details: Wishlist: PayPal: Thank you so much. Happy weekend! Ryder's history:

Just to start the weekend off on a joyful note, just look what a week in care has done for that dying starved little skin and bones baby, Ryder. Not only is he alive, engaged, happy and having a fun time, he has the sweetest little rounded belly.😍 If you'd like to help with his treatment at Prickle Lodge - Hedgehog Rescue , here are their Amazon wishlist and donation details: Wishlist: PayPal: Thank you so much. Happy weekend! Ryder's history:

194,181 просмотров

The night temperatures are predicted to drop below freezing this week, and while most hedgehogs are safely hibernating, many are not. Those born too late and still underweight, and those who are a little sickly, are still around, desperately searching for a kind garden that provides dry kitten food and ice-free water all winter. Please let that be you.

The night temperatures are predicted to drop below freezing this week, and while most hedgehogs are safely hibernating, many are not. Those born too late and still underweight, and those who are a little sickly, are still around, desperately searching for a kind garden that provides dry kitten food and ice-free water all winter. Please let that be you.

64,482 просмотров

Fireworks. Just don't. Please. It's so cruel. Stress kills wildlife. Please choose, and teach your children, kindness. We have so many ways of entertaining ourselves which don't involve the suffering and death of animals. 🔊

Fireworks. Just don't. Please. It's so cruel. Stress kills wildlife. Please choose, and teach your children, kindness. We have so many ways of entertaining ourselves which don't involve the suffering and death of animals. 🔊

67,756 просмотров

Sound on 🔊 When a baby nurses, microscopic amounts of saliva flow back into the breast. That saliva carries biological signals about the infant’s immune system. If the baby is getting sick, the mother’s body detects it. Within hours, the milk changes. White blood cells surge. Macrophages multiply. Targeted antibodies appear. Miraculous, isn't it? This is why mother's milk is so critical. It's not just the bonding, or the colostrum. Or that it's exceptionally high in immunoglobulins, white blood cells, proteins and essential vitamins, serving as a crucial "natural vaccination" that protects the newborn's immature digestive system and boosts immunity. It can actually make sick babies well. We, with all our scientific know-how, can't do this. So it's critical that babies and mum stay together. Under the shed is this century's hedgerow. We've destroyed the hedgehog's natural habitat so these clever, adaptable little animals, these survival specialists, have learnt to use our spaces. Under a shed the temperature stays more or less constant. It's dry, protected, inaccessible to predators, and completely undisturbed. The perfect nesting spot. Right now, these spaces are being used by hibernating hedgehogs. And from the end of April they will start being used by mums and their newborns. So if you are planning on removing or replacing an old shed this year PLEASE, I beg you, remember this is a precious space. Plan your renovations in the small relatively safe windows of the first 3 weeks of April, or the month of September. This kind consideration on your part will help these gentle, endangered animals to thrive, and produce a strong and healthy new generation.

Sound on 🔊 When a baby nurses, microscopic amounts of saliva flow back into the breast. That saliva carries biological signals about the infant’s immune system. If the baby is getting sick, the mother’s body detects it. Within hours, the milk changes. White blood cells surge. Macrophages multiply. Targeted antibodies appear. Miraculous, isn't it? This is why mother's milk is so critical. It's not just the bonding, or the colostrum. Or that it's exceptionally high in immunoglobulins, white blood cells, proteins and essential vitamins, serving as a crucial "natural vaccination" that protects the newborn's immature digestive system and boosts immunity. It can actually make sick babies well. We, with all our scientific know-how, can't do this. So it's critical that babies and mum stay together. Under the shed is this century's hedgerow. We've destroyed the hedgehog's natural habitat so these clever, adaptable little animals, these survival specialists, have learnt to use our spaces. Under a shed the temperature stays more or less constant. It's dry, protected, inaccessible to predators, and completely undisturbed. The perfect nesting spot. Right now, these spaces are being used by hibernating hedgehogs. And from the end of April they will start being used by mums and their newborns. So if you are planning on removing or replacing an old shed this year PLEASE, I beg you, remember this is a precious space. Plan your renovations in the small relatively safe windows of the first 3 weeks of April, or the month of September. This kind consideration on your part will help these gentle, endangered animals to thrive, and produce a strong and healthy new generation.

32,231 просмотров

Hedgehogs are up! They're about, desperately looking for food. They may visit your garden tonight. They're weak, hungry, cold. It's too early for them to find sufficient natural food. Please help them. Put out a dish of dry cat food and a dish of water. You'll save lives.

Hedgehogs are up! They're about, desperately looking for food. They may visit your garden tonight. They're weak, hungry, cold. It's too early for them to find sufficient natural food. Please help them. Put out a dish of dry cat food and a dish of water. You'll save lives.

103,957 просмотров

One of the many myths about hedgehogs which I find particulary annoying is "hedgehogs get their name from living under hedges and grunting like a hog". This is not only utter nonsense, it's very dangerous misinformation which has caused the death of so many poor sick hedgehogs, who could otherwise have been saved. Yet I've seen this utter rubbish published on websites of organisations you'd think you could trust to get their facts right. Especially when it comes to such a precious endangered animal. Hedgehogs don't grunt. They don't snort. They don't make any sound at all. Just like us, their breathing is completely silent if they are healthy. Hedgehogs hunt for food. They certainly don't announce their presence to their prey by grunting and snorting as they approach. They are silent, and they hunt via scent and sound. They listen intently, all the time. Their hearing is so incredibly acute they can hear the scurry of insects legs under an inch of soil. Hedgehogs don't come out to hunt in the rain, not because they don't like getting wet, but because the sound of the rain drowns out the sounds of their prey, making hunting imposssible. And hedgehogs are solitary animals. Being solitary means they don't socialise with their own kind, or any other species, so they have no need for a vocabulary, or any verbal communication. The only time you are likely to hear a hedgehog making a sound is the huffing a female hedgehog makes when being courted by a male during mating season. So if you hear a hedgehog snorting or grunting, or making ANY audible breathing sounds, what you are hearing is a very sick hedgehog whose breathing is compromised and who needs urgent treatment from a rescue (never a vet). When a hedgehog is sick, particularly with lungworm, the fluid in the lungs means the air moving in and out makes a bubbling sound. And as the airways become inflamed and swollen, the flow is impeded, making the passage of air noisy. The clip below is of Arthur, recently returned from his hibernation. As you can hear, his breathing has a bubbly, creaky sound. Not too bad, as yet, but bad enough to need treatment - which is probably why he's returned, to book himself into the hospital here.🥰

One of the many myths about hedgehogs which I find particulary annoying is "hedgehogs get their name from living under hedges and grunting like a hog". This is not only utter nonsense, it's very dangerous misinformation which has caused the death of so many poor sick hedgehogs, who could otherwise have been saved. Yet I've seen this utter rubbish published on websites of organisations you'd think you could trust to get their facts right. Especially when it comes to such a precious endangered animal. Hedgehogs don't grunt. They don't snort. They don't make any sound at all. Just like us, their breathing is completely silent if they are healthy. Hedgehogs hunt for food. They certainly don't announce their presence to their prey by grunting and snorting as they approach. They are silent, and they hunt via scent and sound. They listen intently, all the time. Their hearing is so incredibly acute they can hear the scurry of insects legs under an inch of soil. Hedgehogs don't come out to hunt in the rain, not because they don't like getting wet, but because the sound of the rain drowns out the sounds of their prey, making hunting imposssible. And hedgehogs are solitary animals. Being solitary means they don't socialise with their own kind, or any other species, so they have no need for a vocabulary, or any verbal communication. The only time you are likely to hear a hedgehog making a sound is the huffing a female hedgehog makes when being courted by a male during mating season. So if you hear a hedgehog snorting or grunting, or making ANY audible breathing sounds, what you are hearing is a very sick hedgehog whose breathing is compromised and who needs urgent treatment from a rescue (never a vet). When a hedgehog is sick, particularly with lungworm, the fluid in the lungs means the air moving in and out makes a bubbling sound. And as the airways become inflamed and swollen, the flow is impeded, making the passage of air noisy. The clip below is of Arthur, recently returned from his hibernation. As you can hear, his breathing has a bubbly, creaky sound. Not too bad, as yet, but bad enough to need treatment - which is probably why he's returned, to book himself into the hospital here.🥰

16,720 просмотров

With so much in the world to make you angry and upset, it's worth remembering that most people are good and kind, and are quietly going about their day performing unsung acts of heroism and generosity of spirit. Thank you to everyone who is feeding their visiting wildlife, and to those supporting and encouraging them. And I can never thank enough those who support me and the hospital here, by kind word or deed, and by providing supplies and help towards the costs of medicines, etc. You are all incredible, wonderful people, and I hope you feel proud of yourselves.❤️ Those with notes are from Sue & Ray H, Miss Le Roy, Gordon & Marcelle, Jane R, Hannah O, Heather C, Wendy B, Gary J, Rhian J, Emma L, Teia L. May your day start as happily as Figgy's.

With so much in the world to make you angry and upset, it's worth remembering that most people are good and kind, and are quietly going about their day performing unsung acts of heroism and generosity of spirit. Thank you to everyone who is feeding their visiting wildlife, and to those supporting and encouraging them. And I can never thank enough those who support me and the hospital here, by kind word or deed, and by providing supplies and help towards the costs of medicines, etc. You are all incredible, wonderful people, and I hope you feel proud of yourselves.❤️ Those with notes are from Sue & Ray H, Miss Le Roy, Gordon & Marcelle, Jane R, Hannah O, Heather C, Wendy B, Gary J, Rhian J, Emma L, Teia L. May your day start as happily as Figgy's.

39,570 просмотров

It's hard to believe, but this chubby little baby is Jip! And this sight last night brought tears to my eyes: this dear little baby doing something so completely normal and healthy - grabbing some bedding to make himself a little comfy nest in his bed. 🥹 He was so skeletal, so dehydrated, that just 6 days after admission he has almost doubled his weight. Happy Solstice everyone, I hope you all have a wonderful summer.

It's hard to believe, but this chubby little baby is Jip! And this sight last night brought tears to my eyes: this dear little baby doing something so completely normal and healthy - grabbing some bedding to make himself a little comfy nest in his bed. 🥹 He was so skeletal, so dehydrated, that just 6 days after admission he has almost doubled his weight. Happy Solstice everyone, I hope you all have a wonderful summer.

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Hedgehogs are solitary animals so are silent - they have no need to communicate so don't have a 'vocabulary'. Even when in pain or fear they usually suffer in silence. The only time you'll really hear them vocalise is this time of year - mating season. And it's only the girls who talk.😁 The male approaches the female and circles her, trying to mount. The female turns to face him, keeping her nether regions out of his reach, and makes a chuff-chuff sound, telling him she's not interested. She'll keep this up for hours, sometimes days, until she whittles down which of her suitors is the strongest, has the most endurance and energy, is the fittest and healthiest and most determined. She wants only the very best to be the father of her precious children. Only when he's proved himself to be worthy, does the female crouch down and lay her spines flat, and allow him to mate. Inexperienced males often need to use their mouth to hold on and get into position, so this time of year you may see females with a small wound on their back. There can be more than one winner, and she'll allow other males who have made the grade to mate with her also. So the resulting litter can be hoglets with several different fathers, producing a truly diverse and healthy gene pool. This genetic diversity within a population allows it to adapt to changing environments and resist diseases. Just one of the reasons our humble little hedgehog has survived for over 15 million years!

Hedgehogs are solitary animals so are silent - they have no need to communicate so don't have a 'vocabulary'. Even when in pain or fear they usually suffer in silence. The only time you'll really hear them vocalise is this time of year - mating season. And it's only the girls who talk.😁 The male approaches the female and circles her, trying to mount. The female turns to face him, keeping her nether regions out of his reach, and makes a chuff-chuff sound, telling him she's not interested. She'll keep this up for hours, sometimes days, until she whittles down which of her suitors is the strongest, has the most endurance and energy, is the fittest and healthiest and most determined. She wants only the very best to be the father of her precious children. Only when he's proved himself to be worthy, does the female crouch down and lay her spines flat, and allow him to mate. Inexperienced males often need to use their mouth to hold on and get into position, so this time of year you may see females with a small wound on their back. There can be more than one winner, and she'll allow other males who have made the grade to mate with her also. So the resulting litter can be hoglets with several different fathers, producing a truly diverse and healthy gene pool. This genetic diversity within a population allows it to adapt to changing environments and resist diseases. Just one of the reasons our humble little hedgehog has survived for over 15 million years!

28,963 просмотров

Lots of calls to the hospital now are from people who have acidentally disturbed a nest. The most important rule is immediately (and I mean immediately, every second counts so no photo taking!) put everything back as you found it and urgently call a good established rescue for advice. We're coming into the height of baby season now so this is particularly important, and could mean the difference between life and death for the babies. Pregnant hedgehogs build two or three maternity nests, in case the chosen nest becomes uninhabitable (from flooding or predators for example). This means mum can quickly move her babies without having to leave them to find bedding and build. BUT.. Moving babies isn't a cute, Disney-esque event. It's a dire emergency. It's difficult, sometimes painful, and fraught with danger and tragedy. Babies get dropped, the ones left in the new nest may wander out while mum is back getting the next one from the old nest, and mum will be suffering extreme stress. Prevention is always better than cure so please be extra careful in the garden during this baby season. Before doing anything, think hedgehog. Anything left undisturbed for long will be seen as an attractive nesting place: Beneath a shed/wendy house/decking Inside a shed Inside a compost bag/rubbish bag Under piles of rubbish/wooden palettes Under furniture/barbeque covers Taking a moment to gently check before moving could save precious little lives.

Lots of calls to the hospital now are from people who have acidentally disturbed a nest. The most important rule is immediately (and I mean immediately, every second counts so no photo taking!) put everything back as you found it and urgently call a good established rescue for advice. We're coming into the height of baby season now so this is particularly important, and could mean the difference between life and death for the babies. Pregnant hedgehogs build two or three maternity nests, in case the chosen nest becomes uninhabitable (from flooding or predators for example). This means mum can quickly move her babies without having to leave them to find bedding and build. BUT.. Moving babies isn't a cute, Disney-esque event. It's a dire emergency. It's difficult, sometimes painful, and fraught with danger and tragedy. Babies get dropped, the ones left in the new nest may wander out while mum is back getting the next one from the old nest, and mum will be suffering extreme stress. Prevention is always better than cure so please be extra careful in the garden during this baby season. Before doing anything, think hedgehog. Anything left undisturbed for long will be seen as an attractive nesting place: Beneath a shed/wendy house/decking Inside a shed Inside a compost bag/rubbish bag Under piles of rubbish/wooden palettes Under furniture/barbeque covers Taking a moment to gently check before moving could save precious little lives.

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If you really have to have fireworks, and I hope you don't - I hope you make your own new, kinder tradition for 5th November, like creating your own family home made Christmas cake together, or your own candles, or ornaments, or inviting all your friends over and telling them to bring their favourite takeaways so you can swap... But if you really have to have fireworks, please choose the low noise type, to limit the harm and suffering you will cause neighbour's pets and all the wildlife in your area.

If you really have to have fireworks, and I hope you don't - I hope you make your own new, kinder tradition for 5th November, like creating your own family home made Christmas cake together, or your own candles, or ornaments, or inviting all your friends over and telling them to bring their favourite takeaways so you can swap... But if you really have to have fireworks, please choose the low noise type, to limit the harm and suffering you will cause neighbour's pets and all the wildlife in your area.

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Anya Rossi

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Two minutes is all it took. Between me leaving the water for wildlife and the birds mobbing it. Just look at their delight!😍 Drinking and bathing - all that joy from just a turn of the tap from me. This week will be very hot and most natural sources of water have dried up. Please provide water for our wildlife. Day and night. You'll never find an easier, more satisfying way to save a life.

Two minutes is all it took. Between me leaving the water for wildlife and the birds mobbing it. Just look at their delight!😍 Drinking and bathing - all that joy from just a turn of the tap from me. This week will be very hot and most natural sources of water have dried up. Please provide water for our wildlife. Day and night. You'll never find an easier, more satisfying way to save a life.

152,110 просмотров • 20 дней назад

I really have seen every make and model of bird enjoy this water. Some so surprising, like this buzzard and jays. Yet through them all, the squirrel still photobombs.😁

I really have seen every make and model of bird enjoy this water. Some so surprising, like this buzzard and jays. Yet through them all, the squirrel still photobombs.😁

60,715 просмотров • 14 дней назад

My original water tub was always so busy, with animals queuing up to use it, that I put out a second tub on the other side of the dried out stream. That too was quickly mobbed by thirsty wildlife. And of course my little squirrel photobomber found me.🥰 Please provide water for wildlife.

My original water tub was always so busy, with animals queuing up to use it, that I put out a second tub on the other side of the dried out stream. That too was quickly mobbed by thirsty wildlife. And of course my little squirrel photobomber found me.🥰 Please provide water for wildlife.

35,829 просмотров • 8 дней назад

Anya's babies were born here on 10th June, so they're 3.5 weeks old now. This is the exact age that most 'abandoned' babies come into rescue, and here's why. It's 6.30am, the sun is up and it's daylight so mum has gone to bed for the day, (but it's still a bit too dark in the hospital for the cameras). She's in her own nest, away from her babies. She's left her precious babies sleeping safely in the maternity nest for the day, to encourage their transition from diurnal to nocturnal, and to wean them off daytime feeds from her. But for one little baby who should be asleep, it's just too exciting having ears and eyes that work, and teeth that are starting to erupt. He just can't wait. So with mum away, he sneaks out to have a little explore... All what you see here is happening in the safety of the mother and baby unit here at the hospital. But now imagine this happening in the wild. How easy it is for the baby to take the wrong turn. For mum not to hear. For a human to come and pick the baby up before mum has a chance to retrieve him. This is why it's so important that the first thing you do when you see a tiny baby out is to stop, stand still, keep your eyes on him from a distance, and ring a good rescue for advice. They will ask all the right questions and will be able to remotely assess the situation, and advise what actions, if any, need to be taken. Put the number of your local trusted hedgehog rescue in your phone now, ready, just in case.🥰

Anya's babies were born here on 10th June, so they're 3.5 weeks old now. This is the exact age that most 'abandoned' babies come into rescue, and here's why. It's 6.30am, the sun is up and it's daylight so mum has gone to bed for the day, (but it's still a bit too dark in the hospital for the cameras). She's in her own nest, away from her babies. She's left her precious babies sleeping safely in the maternity nest for the day, to encourage their transition from diurnal to nocturnal, and to wean them off daytime feeds from her. But for one little baby who should be asleep, it's just too exciting having ears and eyes that work, and teeth that are starting to erupt. He just can't wait. So with mum away, he sneaks out to have a little explore... All what you see here is happening in the safety of the mother and baby unit here at the hospital. But now imagine this happening in the wild. How easy it is for the baby to take the wrong turn. For mum not to hear. For a human to come and pick the baby up before mum has a chance to retrieve him. This is why it's so important that the first thing you do when you see a tiny baby out is to stop, stand still, keep your eyes on him from a distance, and ring a good rescue for advice. They will ask all the right questions and will be able to remotely assess the situation, and advise what actions, if any, need to be taken. Put the number of your local trusted hedgehog rescue in your phone now, ready, just in case.🥰

20,148 просмотров • 5 дней назад

A trail cam not only allows you to keep an eye on your hedgehog house, and its occupant's health. Even now, while your hedgehog hibernates, you'll discover all sorts of secret goings on in that nice tucked away undisturbed corner of your garden. (Footage here taken with a Victure HC100 Mini Wildlife Camera 16MP 1080P, around £42).

A trail cam not only allows you to keep an eye on your hedgehog house, and its occupant's health. Even now, while your hedgehog hibernates, you'll discover all sorts of secret goings on in that nice tucked away undisturbed corner of your garden. (Footage here taken with a Victure HC100 Mini Wildlife Camera 16MP 1080P, around £42).

294,849 просмотров • 6 месяцев назад

Solomon and Marshall have finished their course of ringworm treatment baths but still have a few stubborn mange scabs. Normally I would soften them by the daily application of Thursdays Plantation Tea Tree cream, but Solomon in particular hates the smell, so here I'm using pure aloe vera gel instead. It's very labour intensive as you can imagine, but it works extremely well, and nothing worth having comes easy.🥰

Solomon and Marshall have finished their course of ringworm treatment baths but still have a few stubborn mange scabs. Normally I would soften them by the daily application of Thursdays Plantation Tea Tree cream, but Solomon in particular hates the smell, so here I'm using pure aloe vera gel instead. It's very labour intensive as you can imagine, but it works extremely well, and nothing worth having comes easy.🥰

284,982 просмотров • 9 месяцев назад

There was a terrible smell coming from pen number 4, in the lodge. I knew no one was living there, because nothing had moved; it was spotless still from the last clean, and the food in there had been untouched for 3 days. When I opened the house, where the terrible smell was coming from, I found Arthur. Laying on his side, dying from a severely infected wound to his head. He was lying in a puddle of stinking pus, and had been lying like that, unable to move or eat or drink for 3 days. The pain just too much for him. This darling boy who, just 3 weeks ago, had been successfully treated and rid of the lungworm which was killing him, made fit and well and shining with health and released back into the wild. This darling boy, who had made us laugh with his gentle persistent moves on the girl of his dreams. This sweet gentle boy, who had left the safety of home, led by his hormones to neighbouring gardens, where he had been casually dealt a death blow by someone strimming grass that offended their eye by growing wild and free where they demanded order and obedience. As I carried Arthur into the hospital, I swatted away flies, hungry for the smell of death on him. I've drained a massive abscess and started him on antibiotics and pain relief. I really have no idea if he can overcome this, it's just a matter of time, and waiting. I'm just so grateful (and deeply touched) that this poor boy used the last of his strength to get home, where he knew he'd be safe. Please. Don't strim.

There was a terrible smell coming from pen number 4, in the lodge. I knew no one was living there, because nothing had moved; it was spotless still from the last clean, and the food in there had been untouched for 3 days. When I opened the house, where the terrible smell was coming from, I found Arthur. Laying on his side, dying from a severely infected wound to his head. He was lying in a puddle of stinking pus, and had been lying like that, unable to move or eat or drink for 3 days. The pain just too much for him. This darling boy who, just 3 weeks ago, had been successfully treated and rid of the lungworm which was killing him, made fit and well and shining with health and released back into the wild. This darling boy, who had made us laugh with his gentle persistent moves on the girl of his dreams. This sweet gentle boy, who had left the safety of home, led by his hormones to neighbouring gardens, where he had been casually dealt a death blow by someone strimming grass that offended their eye by growing wild and free where they demanded order and obedience. As I carried Arthur into the hospital, I swatted away flies, hungry for the smell of death on him. I've drained a massive abscess and started him on antibiotics and pain relief. I really have no idea if he can overcome this, it's just a matter of time, and waiting. I'm just so grateful (and deeply touched) that this poor boy used the last of his strength to get home, where he knew he'd be safe. Please. Don't strim.

621,090 просмотров • 2 лет назад

Isn't this so lovely to see? The difference providing water makes. This dear little family were once lacklustre and listless, just sitting around look thin and drained. Just a bucket of water and they are puppies again, playing and having fun, as all fox cubs should.🥰 It may be cooler but it's still so dry. Please put out water for our struggling wildlife.

Isn't this so lovely to see? The difference providing water makes. This dear little family were once lacklustre and listless, just sitting around look thin and drained. Just a bucket of water and they are puppies again, playing and having fun, as all fox cubs should.🥰 It may be cooler but it's still so dry. Please put out water for our struggling wildlife.

13,275 просмотров • 10 дней назад

Hedgehogs can live as long as dogs. But the sad reality is, very few are lucky enough to see their third birthday. Vinnie is a rare exception. Although it's impossible to accurately age a hedgehog, I would say he's close to 10 years old. This clever, resourceful old boy has managed to survive the odds. But now he needs help. Sweet old Vinnie has every ailment a hedgehog can suffer from. Aside from having roundworm and lungworm, his skin is in a dreadful state, so I'm spraying him daily with a cooling, moisturing medication, and bathing him every 3rd day in a treatment for his ringworm and scabies. This bath is warm and slightly oily, so it soothes his itching and relieves his tight dry skin.

Hedgehogs can live as long as dogs. But the sad reality is, very few are lucky enough to see their third birthday. Vinnie is a rare exception. Although it's impossible to accurately age a hedgehog, I would say he's close to 10 years old. This clever, resourceful old boy has managed to survive the odds. But now he needs help. Sweet old Vinnie has every ailment a hedgehog can suffer from. Aside from having roundworm and lungworm, his skin is in a dreadful state, so I'm spraying him daily with a cooling, moisturing medication, and bathing him every 3rd day in a treatment for his ringworm and scabies. This bath is warm and slightly oily, so it soothes his itching and relieves his tight dry skin.

409,462 просмотров • 1 год назад

If anyone knows these boys, who stole a tub of water (labelled "Water for Wildlife, Please Do Not Remove") from the dehydrated desperate wildlife in the Phoenix Green woods on Dilly Lane, Hartley Wintney, at 7pm last night, and stole the small bird's water dish, and destroyed the safety ramp from the tub, please explain to them that this isn't a game. This water is the difference between life and death to these poor animals. It broke my heart this morning to watch footage of these desperate animals searching the ground where the life saving water was. And watching small birds, whose own water dish had been stolen, trying and failing to get to the water left in the tub - seeing it but unable to safely reach it. Please share this on other social media platforms. Please don't be angry or rude to these children, we all did bad stuff when we were kids. But they need to understand the consequences of their thoughtless actions. We must teach kindness and tolerance to animals.

If anyone knows these boys, who stole a tub of water (labelled "Water for Wildlife, Please Do Not Remove") from the dehydrated desperate wildlife in the Phoenix Green woods on Dilly Lane, Hartley Wintney, at 7pm last night, and stole the small bird's water dish, and destroyed the safety ramp from the tub, please explain to them that this isn't a game. This water is the difference between life and death to these poor animals. It broke my heart this morning to watch footage of these desperate animals searching the ground where the life saving water was. And watching small birds, whose own water dish had been stolen, trying and failing to get to the water left in the tub - seeing it but unable to safely reach it. Please share this on other social media platforms. Please don't be angry or rude to these children, we all did bad stuff when we were kids. But they need to understand the consequences of their thoughtless actions. We must teach kindness and tolerance to animals.

202,178 просмотров • 10 месяцев назад

Darling Anya who arrived so terribly sick has responded really well to her treatments and is now in tip-top health. She is due to go home tomorrow. Well, she was.... As you can see from my bodycam footage, Anya gave birth this morning.❤️ I'd lifted her bed box out, cleaned her pen, and was about to open the box to weigh and medicate her when I noticed the wet lid lining. From experience I've seen birthing fluids evaporate with mum's body warmth then condensate on the lid, wetting the lining, so I went very carefully. What we catch a quick glimpse of here is a baby she's literally just given birth to. Hoglets are born with soft white spines, which are hidden beneath a fluid-filled layer of skin to protect the mother during birth. This is what you see here. Within 1 to 2 hours this protective skin shrinks and retracts, allowing the baby's white spines to break through and become visible. From now on sweet Anya will be left hands off, undisturbed in the seclusion of her pen, allowing her to bond with her new babies in peaceful solitude. Anya's history:

Darling Anya who arrived so terribly sick has responded really well to her treatments and is now in tip-top health. She is due to go home tomorrow. Well, she was.... As you can see from my bodycam footage, Anya gave birth this morning.❤️ I'd lifted her bed box out, cleaned her pen, and was about to open the box to weigh and medicate her when I noticed the wet lid lining. From experience I've seen birthing fluids evaporate with mum's body warmth then condensate on the lid, wetting the lining, so I went very carefully. What we catch a quick glimpse of here is a baby she's literally just given birth to. Hoglets are born with soft white spines, which are hidden beneath a fluid-filled layer of skin to protect the mother during birth. This is what you see here. Within 1 to 2 hours this protective skin shrinks and retracts, allowing the baby's white spines to break through and become visible. From now on sweet Anya will be left hands off, undisturbed in the seclusion of her pen, allowing her to bond with her new babies in peaceful solitude. Anya's history:

22,261 просмотров • 1 месяц назад

This is the importance of hedges. If you have them, please keep them. Unlike fences they won't blow down, won't ever need painting or mending, and they protect and sustain our precious wildlife. This is Arthur at dawn, leaving Hedgehog Cabin where there are over 20 houses and pens, all warm and dry and safe with food nearby, to sleep away the day in my neighbour's hedge. Even though they have a dog. That's how important they are. Under that hedge, where the sun never reaches, the air is cool and dry, but fresh. Nature's rare and perfect atmosphere we can never imitate.

This is the importance of hedges. If you have them, please keep them. Unlike fences they won't blow down, won't ever need painting or mending, and they protect and sustain our precious wildlife. This is Arthur at dawn, leaving Hedgehog Cabin where there are over 20 houses and pens, all warm and dry and safe with food nearby, to sleep away the day in my neighbour's hedge. Even though they have a dog. That's how important they are. Under that hedge, where the sun never reaches, the air is cool and dry, but fresh. Nature's rare and perfect atmosphere we can never imitate.

285,788 просмотров • 2 лет назад

This post is mainly to help other rescues, but I know a lot of you will be interested as well. This sweet boy is Merlin. Merlin self admitted, but aside from his scabby nose from a bit of ringworm, he appeared fine. But I knew by his behaviour that he was sick. Healthy hedgehogs don't self admit to a hospital pen. Especially boys at this time of year - they are out chasing girls.🥰 I tested his poo in the lodge, where he booked himself into an open pen, and it was clear. I admitted him into hospital where he stayed overnight and left me 6 lovely poo samples. Every single one was clear. And yet his behaviour, his aggitation, the way he dug the corners of the pen, even his smell, told me through years of experience that he was sick. So I started treatment anyway. And as his condition improved, as he became hydrated and nourished, and the first antiparasitic administered, just like magic the confirmation appeared! A diagnosis needs to be made on observed behaviour and history (either your own or of the finders); the poo sample is *confirmation of the diagnosis*. So a hedgehog making unhealthy breathing sounds but producing clear poo samples is still unhealthy. You can't always rely on a sick hedgehog to produce parasite larvae or eggs in their poo sample, for several reasons, but the main reason is: Parasites, like all living organisms, have to preserve energy in order to stay alive and thrive. So when they find themselves in a hostile environment - a host who has become starving and dehydrated - they reduce their energy expenditure by temporarily shutting down systems that are not neccessary for life, like reproduction. They stop laying eggs and go into a sort of stasis, until conditions become welcoming again. Also of course, parasites don't constantly churn out eggs. They have a reproduction cycle. So not every sample will contain eggs. It's so frustrating when people contact me saying they have been sent home with a hedgehog who is clearly in audible respiratory distress, because the poo sample the rescue took was clear. As for sweet Merlin - at first it was a trickle; his poo showed just a few parasites, so microscope samples had to be very carefully scrutinised. But very quickly it became apparent that this poor boy was in fact full of deadly fluke, lungworm, and roundworm. He's only on day 3 of his treatment, so is still very sick, but clever Merlin got himself the help he needed just in time.

This post is mainly to help other rescues, but I know a lot of you will be interested as well. This sweet boy is Merlin. Merlin self admitted, but aside from his scabby nose from a bit of ringworm, he appeared fine. But I knew by his behaviour that he was sick. Healthy hedgehogs don't self admit to a hospital pen. Especially boys at this time of year - they are out chasing girls.🥰 I tested his poo in the lodge, where he booked himself into an open pen, and it was clear. I admitted him into hospital where he stayed overnight and left me 6 lovely poo samples. Every single one was clear. And yet his behaviour, his aggitation, the way he dug the corners of the pen, even his smell, told me through years of experience that he was sick. So I started treatment anyway. And as his condition improved, as he became hydrated and nourished, and the first antiparasitic administered, just like magic the confirmation appeared! A diagnosis needs to be made on observed behaviour and history (either your own or of the finders); the poo sample is confirmation of the diagnosis. So a hedgehog making unhealthy breathing sounds but producing clear poo samples is still unhealthy. You can't always rely on a sick hedgehog to produce parasite larvae or eggs in their poo sample, for several reasons, but the main reason is: Parasites, like all living organisms, have to preserve energy in order to stay alive and thrive. So when they find themselves in a hostile environment - a host who has become starving and dehydrated - they reduce their energy expenditure by temporarily shutting down systems that are not neccessary for life, like reproduction. They stop laying eggs and go into a sort of stasis, until conditions become welcoming again. Also of course, parasites don't constantly churn out eggs. They have a reproduction cycle. So not every sample will contain eggs. It's so frustrating when people contact me saying they have been sent home with a hedgehog who is clearly in audible respiratory distress, because the poo sample the rescue took was clear. As for sweet Merlin - at first it was a trickle; his poo showed just a few parasites, so microscope samples had to be very carefully scrutinised. But very quickly it became apparent that this poor boy was in fact full of deadly fluke, lungworm, and roundworm. He's only on day 3 of his treatment, so is still very sick, but clever Merlin got himself the help he needed just in time.

26,257 просмотров • 1 месяц назад

Dear little Merlin, who was so full of deadly fluke, had quite a battle recovering. But recover he has, and is bursting with good health and strength now. Even his poor once-scabby nose is sprouting new fur and will soon look brand new. After a good breakfast he returned to the wild, where he belongs. Dirty water can harbour the microscopic but deadly fluke parasite which almost killed Merlin, so please keep all drinking water containers clean, and refill with fresh water daily. Let's all help make Merlin's world a little safer.❤️ Merlin's history:

14,715 просмотров • 26 дней назад

Just a quick update: Darling Christian was successfully treated and released back to the wild on Sunday night. Before leaving he self-anointed with the smells of the open pen, and the tree stump beside the garden exit, so he'd know his way back.🥰 When hedgehogs self anoint they lick an object and make a saliva froth of all its scent molecules, then contort themselves to spread this scented froth all over their body. Officially nobody has discovered why hedgehogs do this, but after decades of observing thousands of hedgehogs I am pretty sure it's a memory aid. All hedgehogs self-anoint, even newborns. The sense of smell has a unique, direct highway to the emotional and memory centres of the brain, and I think our clever hedgehogs use self-anointing as an aromatic memory map, employing this powerful connection between scent and brain to navigate their world. Godspeed, sweet Christian. 😘

Just a quick update: Darling Christian was successfully treated and released back to the wild on Sunday night. Before leaving he self-anointed with the smells of the open pen, and the tree stump beside the garden exit, so he'd know his way back.🥰 When hedgehogs self anoint they lick an object and make a saliva froth of all its scent molecules, then contort themselves to spread this scented froth all over their body. Officially nobody has discovered why hedgehogs do this, but after decades of observing thousands of hedgehogs I am pretty sure it's a memory aid. All hedgehogs self-anoint, even newborns. The sense of smell has a unique, direct highway to the emotional and memory centres of the brain, and I think our clever hedgehogs use self-anointing as an aromatic memory map, employing this powerful connection between scent and brain to navigate their world. Godspeed, sweet Christian. 😘

14,914 просмотров • 1 месяц назад

Lovely weather, isn't it?🌞 Unless you're a nocturnal animal who has to sleep all through the hot day, and wake at night to find no water. No puddles. No kind dishes. Unseen. Unthought of. Just the tantalising smell of water from a pond you may drown in, or a drain you may get trapped in, or a stagnant, dirty old birdbath you may get fatal fluke from. Hedgehogs need to drink a lot of water to stay healthy. Please provide clean, fresh, safe ground level water for our precious wildlife. Tap water is best. Pop a dish or two out tonight. Keep it clean. Keep it full. Keep it saving lives.❤️

Lovely weather, isn't it?🌞 Unless you're a nocturnal animal who has to sleep all through the hot day, and wake at night to find no water. No puddles. No kind dishes. Unseen. Unthought of. Just the tantalising smell of water from a pond you may drown in, or a drain you may get trapped in, or a stagnant, dirty old birdbath you may get fatal fluke from. Hedgehogs need to drink a lot of water to stay healthy. Please provide clean, fresh, safe ground level water for our precious wildlife. Tap water is best. Pop a dish or two out tonight. Keep it clean. Keep it full. Keep it saving lives.❤️

28,740 просмотров • 2 месяцев назад

Dear sweet Onslow had his last ringworm treatment bath this morning. Despite the name, ringworm has nothing to do with worms, it's a fungal infection. In fact it's the exact same fungal infection that causes Athlete's Foot. It's intensely itchy and super contageous. The fungi are extremely hardy organisms that can survive for well over a year in the environment, including in soil. So ringworm is a bit of an occupational hazard for hedgehogs, as they dig for their natural food in the soil. And it's why the first ringworm scab is often seen on the hedgehog's vulnerable nose, as they root around in the ground as they forage. Treatment is 4 baths, taken every 3 days in Imaverol (an anti-fungal preparation), allowing the solution to air dry on the body. Because ringworm is highly contagious and spreads easily, I have to protect myself, plus everything that Onslow touches has to be decontaminated daily. But all this intensive work is over now and tomorrow sweet Onslow will be ready to face the big wild world again, fighting fit and brimming with good health.🥰 Onslow's history:

Dear sweet Onslow had his last ringworm treatment bath this morning. Despite the name, ringworm has nothing to do with worms, it's a fungal infection. In fact it's the exact same fungal infection that causes Athlete's Foot. It's intensely itchy and super contageous. The fungi are extremely hardy organisms that can survive for well over a year in the environment, including in soil. So ringworm is a bit of an occupational hazard for hedgehogs, as they dig for their natural food in the soil. And it's why the first ringworm scab is often seen on the hedgehog's vulnerable nose, as they root around in the ground as they forage. Treatment is 4 baths, taken every 3 days in Imaverol (an anti-fungal preparation), allowing the solution to air dry on the body. Because ringworm is highly contagious and spreads easily, I have to protect myself, plus everything that Onslow touches has to be decontaminated daily. But all this intensive work is over now and tomorrow sweet Onslow will be ready to face the big wild world again, fighting fit and brimming with good health.🥰 Onslow's history:

22,796 просмотров • 1 месяц назад

Little baby Jess arrived this morning dying of starvation. Now she can smell food she's desperately biting the dish, not having seen a dish before and not realising that's not part of the food. Jess had been seen wandering around an artificial lawn, hopelessly searching the plastic grass for anything to eat, to stop the pain of starvation. For two days. This isn't cruelty or malice. It's ignorance. Treating the garden as an extension of the house; just another inanimate space to decorate and ornament, instead of the living, breathing nurturing larder and home to wildlife that it is, means you are killing animals like Jess. Without even touching them. Literally starving them out of existence. Jess's finder was devastated when she realised, and has been sent home with a pack of Iams kitten food and a dish for any siblings that may still be alive. Please leave at least some of your garden natural, and provide clean water, for the sake of Jess and all the other struggling animals.

Little baby Jess arrived this morning dying of starvation. Now she can smell food she's desperately biting the dish, not having seen a dish before and not realising that's not part of the food. Jess had been seen wandering around an artificial lawn, hopelessly searching the plastic grass for anything to eat, to stop the pain of starvation. For two days. This isn't cruelty or malice. It's ignorance. Treating the garden as an extension of the house; just another inanimate space to decorate and ornament, instead of the living, breathing nurturing larder and home to wildlife that it is, means you are killing animals like Jess. Without even touching them. Literally starving them out of existence. Jess's finder was devastated when she realised, and has been sent home with a pack of Iams kitten food and a dish for any siblings that may still be alive. Please leave at least some of your garden natural, and provide clean water, for the sake of Jess and all the other struggling animals.

98,959 просмотров • 1 год назад

Just a quick one about slugs and snails, as it's still a common question (due to some recently published misinformation). Slugs and snails are the intermediate host of lungworm, so can pass this fatal parasite to any mammal that is unfortunate enough to be forced by starvation to eat them, or is contaminated by their slime trail. This includes hedgehogs - they don't have any magical protection properties. But slugs and snails are also our heros, here's why: As well as providing food for many amphibians, reptiles and birds, they protect us humans from all sorts of potentially fatal pathogens. Take bird poo for example. Birds don't wee. Any water they consume is used and absorbed by their body. This means they don't have to have a bladder, so they are lighter for flying. Instead of wee they pass pure uric acid paste with their poo (that's the white bit on top), and so their poo is water resistent. (Anyone who has tried to clean it off their car is painfully aware of this) So if it's water resistent, therefore the rain can't wash it away, why aren't we all knee deep in bird poo? Because of slugs! Slugs eat bird poo. Isn't that brilliant? Slugs and snails are decomposers that consume various organic matter, including rotting plants, dead animals, and animal droppings, finding bird poo a nutritious source of decay from which to extract nutrients from. So slugs - don't eat them, wash everything that touches them or their slime trail, but love them for being nature's most industrious clean up crew!🥰

Just a quick one about slugs and snails, as it's still a common question (due to some recently published misinformation). Slugs and snails are the intermediate host of lungworm, so can pass this fatal parasite to any mammal that is unfortunate enough to be forced by starvation to eat them, or is contaminated by their slime trail. This includes hedgehogs - they don't have any magical protection properties. But slugs and snails are also our heros, here's why: As well as providing food for many amphibians, reptiles and birds, they protect us humans from all sorts of potentially fatal pathogens. Take bird poo for example. Birds don't wee. Any water they consume is used and absorbed by their body. This means they don't have to have a bladder, so they are lighter for flying. Instead of wee they pass pure uric acid paste with their poo (that's the white bit on top), and so their poo is water resistent. (Anyone who has tried to clean it off their car is painfully aware of this) So if it's water resistent, therefore the rain can't wash it away, why aren't we all knee deep in bird poo? Because of slugs! Slugs eat bird poo. Isn't that brilliant? Slugs and snails are decomposers that consume various organic matter, including rotting plants, dead animals, and animal droppings, finding bird poo a nutritious source of decay from which to extract nutrients from. So slugs - don't eat them, wash everything that touches them or their slime trail, but love them for being nature's most industrious clean up crew!🥰

46,890 просмотров • 5 месяцев назад

A hedgehog scratching is a common sight, but not for the reason most think. Despite the myth, hedgehogs do not have fleas. Well, no more than any other animal. In fact, it's quite rare for a hedgehog to have fleas, and when they do, the fleas are species-specific, so they can't infect any other animal. Fleas on a hedgehog are a huge red flag - a sign that the animal is sick, malnourished, or otherwise so weakened that his immune system is unable to fight, making him a target for opportunistic parasites. The real reason hedgehogs are often seen scratching is simply ringworm, which is intensely itchy. Ringworm, despite its name, isn't a worm at all but a fungal infection. For more information see: The hedgehogs in these four hospital pens here all have ringworm. It's not the reason they were admitted, but it's being treated, while they are here being treated for various other life-threatening conditions. This was last night, Friday. Merlin and Luca both had their ringworm treatment baths that morning. Compared to Anya and Christian, whose baths weren't until this morning, you can see how the treatment has dramatically relieved their symptoms. So when you see or hear the silly old myth of hedgehogs being fleabags please correct it, and help restore the reputation of these charming, harmless little animals.🥰

A hedgehog scratching is a common sight, but not for the reason most think. Despite the myth, hedgehogs do not have fleas. Well, no more than any other animal. In fact, it's quite rare for a hedgehog to have fleas, and when they do, the fleas are species-specific, so they can't infect any other animal. Fleas on a hedgehog are a huge red flag - a sign that the animal is sick, malnourished, or otherwise so weakened that his immune system is unable to fight, making him a target for opportunistic parasites. The real reason hedgehogs are often seen scratching is simply ringworm, which is intensely itchy. Ringworm, despite its name, isn't a worm at all but a fungal infection. For more information see: The hedgehogs in these four hospital pens here all have ringworm. It's not the reason they were admitted, but it's being treated, while they are here being treated for various other life-threatening conditions. This was last night, Friday. Merlin and Luca both had their ringworm treatment baths that morning. Compared to Anya and Christian, whose baths weren't until this morning, you can see how the treatment has dramatically relieved their symptoms. So when you see or hear the silly old myth of hedgehogs being fleabags please correct it, and help restore the reputation of these charming, harmless little animals.🥰

12,579 просмотров • 1 месяц назад