The weather this winter has been so mild that many hedgehogs have not hibernated. Please keep feeding them in your gardens with cat food and water as they are all hungry at this time of year.
We have had reports that hedgehogs have started breeding. This is very early, as we do not usually see this until end of March/April time. It may result in some early babies this year, so please watch out for these and call the rescue immediately if you disturb a nest.
If you’re tidying your garden please be aware that there may be hedgehogs under piles of leaves, nesting under sheds or decking and under log piles. If you disturb a hedgehog and need to move it, please put on some gloves and gently place it under a dry hedge. Put food out that evening and if possible leave some dry hay (not straw) for it to build a new nest.
Some hedgehog rescues have already reported strimmer injuries coming in. If you are going to strim or mow your lawn, please check before you cut. Hedgehogs do not move out of the way of machinery, they just curl up in a ball.
This is a picture of a hedgehog in grass taken last summer, it’s really difficult to see them, so please shuffle through the area and see if you can find them.
This will also help toads, newts, frogs and even slow worms!
Within the hedgehog rescue, we are at our quietest time of the year now and are using the time to perform a deep clean on the empty cages and hutches in preparation for the new season. We do not need newspapers at the moment, thank you to everyone who has donated papers during the busy winter months.
We have been releasing some of the larger hedgehogs during the warmer weather. We always try to release hedgehogs back to the place they came from. This is best for the hedgehogs and easier for us too. If we can’t do this, we will release them to a similar type of area with a known population of hedgehogs. This is the latest best practice advice.
During half term we held a hedgehog craft day and some of the children made hedgehog snow globes. They also decorated hedgehog highways to help to connect up gardens to allow hedgehogs to move between areas.
Found an injured hedgehog? PLEASE CALL US ON 07949 976717
If you have concerns about a hedgehog you have found, please call us immediately. Do not email or send a message via social media. Do not visit without calling first as there may be no-one there. If we are unable to answer, please leave a phone message with your name and contact number and we will call you back as soon as we are able.
CORONAVIRUS (CORVID 19) UPDATE: We are still accepting hedgehog admissions.
Please call us on 07949 976717 to make arrangements. We may ask for more details over the phone to minimise contact.
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