Baby Hedgehog

[Scarlet]

Aww man, that thing is so cute! Can you pick them up and pet them!? Is it legal to keep them as pets?

I'm trying not to handle him too much so that I can release him. As Nicos has said, he just a rescue that needed a little medical attention and food in the hope that he can be released in the Autumn at a good weight to get him through hibernation.

Muddled, as I'm trying not to handle him too much he not getting weighed everyday. Saturday morning he weighed 180g. He's eating chicken or Turkey kitten food. No preference with goats milk. He is now in a rabbit hutch in the garden. Having a few runs out on Nicos advice re: exercise and muscle. The boys are doing this cos he's pretty quick now.
I'm in constant touch - every other day- with the hedgehog rehab and they said he doing well. If he doesn't make the weight for hibernation he can be kept somewhere caged where there will be food available. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. He's happy to eat beetles and stuff the boys find him, so far he'll eat anything. I froze the goats milk in small pouches when I bought it and have been told when it's run out he can go on water.

[Scarlet]

Hedgehog update

This little one is a greedy b@gger! I weighed him this morning and he weighed a huge 315g. I'm amazed that they put on weight so fast. He's going through the cat food super quick. I now realise that the amounts of food I left out in our "hedgehog feeding station" was nowhere near enough.
I'm feeling pretty optimistic that I will be able to release him for the winter.
Nicos what weights did yours get too before you released them and did you see them again?

[muddled]

Thanks Scarlet,
I was wondering how he was but trying not to bug you with questions every day!
It's fantastic (and amazing) that he's already half way to being releasable weight, he's got, what...about six weeks? to gain the rest....sounds a lot more likely now!

Are hedgehogs territorial?
Is there a chance he'll visit your garden regularly, year after year, now that he's spent so long with you?
Do you feel you'll recognise him if he does?
(maybe paint his toenails scarlet, Scarlet...just to be sure)

[Scarlet]

Sorry, I thought I'd be boring everyone one if I put it up everyday to be honest we don't see him much. Son no1 gets more look in as he takes it out. I'm just here for feeding and cleaning!
I've been told to release him where he was found ( in and around a huge pampas grass )and that as he was so small there would probably be others - I did look but couldn't see any, though my brothers spaniel went nuts every time it went near there when she was here. Nicos said paint a couple of his spines when he goes so I could identify him. I think they are territorial but cover a huge area at night so perhaps a few can pass through every evening.?
There used to be a grape on here who was a member of the hedgehog rescue, I remember reading a few of her posts. I may have a read up.

[Verinda]

Definitely not boring Scarlet, I love hearing about him I'm so glad to hear he's doing well.

[Nicos]

I think my gal was just over 800g- but that was October/November and the lad was less than that and needed to be kept for another month or so.

The gal hung around for a week or so and then must have gone into hibernation and the lad just bogged off apparently ( he was being looked after by another kind Grape )

Yours sounds more advanced than mine.

[Scarlet]

The lady who I spoke to said that they often have two sets of young, the first being June and July - these have the best chance of getting through the Winter. The next litter can come in September, these ones really need feeding up, so if you can put cat food down, start it in September.
Mine is one of the luckier ones from an early litter, he was just unwell from the worm burden and the ticks.

[Jay22]

How is the baby doing Scarlet?

[Scarlet]

He is still with us, wondering whether I can defriend Muddled as he's eating me out of house and home - I honestly didn't realise how much they could eat. It's no wonder their numbers are falling rapidly. He eats one and a half packets of cat food per day. I'm just feeding the once now around 8 in the evening. I'll have to give him a weigh to see how heavy he is and let you know.

[Verinda]

You have done such a good deed saving him, he'll probably repay you by regularly visiting your garden and eating all the slugs

[Scarlet]

I've just fed him and weighed him at the same time. He weighed 349g. That's just 34g this week but he's slowly getting to his target release weight. He had another tick that I managed to get out with my tweezers. He had so many the vet couldn't quite get them all, the tiny ones were difficult. Though I think that's the last one. Ugh! They are disgusting.

[muddled]

He is still with us, wondering whether I can defriend Muddled as he's eating me out of house and home -

Harsh Scarlet....very harsh!
I've said it before and I'll say it again....
YOU'RE LOVIN' IT!

and they're not called hodge Pigs for nothing

[Bal]

Glad to hear he's doing so well.

[Starling]

I've just fed him and weighed him at the same time. He weighed 349g. That's just 34g this week but he's slowly getting to his target release weight. He had another tick that I managed to get out with my tweezers. He had so many the vet couldn't quite get them all, the tiny ones were difficult. Though I think that's the last one. Ugh! They are disgusting.

Man, if I had the chance to have a hedgehog I would flip! I doubt I could ever part with one.

Are the sold as pets ( domestically)? Like I know you said it's illegal to take them from the wild, but are there licensed breeders who sell them?

I've always been against the prohibition of owning native animals, stupid legislation. It's not as if they can go feral if they escape--the only things that do that are introduced animals. It's thought that in Australia over 11 species have gone extinct because of cats alone, yet it is legal to own as many cats as you want!

Doesn't make any sense to me at all.

[veggiechicken]

Hedgehogs aren't sold as pets but if you have one in your garden you can feed it and do everything you can to tempt it to stay local and not wander off to some other garden.

Starling, could you have an Echidna - they're a bit similar.

Just a little reminder about this link The Creature Feature: 10 Fun Facts About the Echidna | WIRED

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