Ealing Hedgehog Friends

10/06/2025

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: to help with info-flier distribution

Sadly, we had three rescues in the last ten days that involved hedgehogs with cutting wounds that might have come from garden tools or litter. One of the hogs has sadly passed away, the other two are still at wildlife hospitals fighting for their lives.

This got some of our volunteers going - and they created a specific flier, which they will put through mailboxes, and place in park cafes and local businesses. Thanks, Janet, Ann and Jess for initiating this.

WE NEED HELP DISTRIBUTING OUR FLIERS

We will start with this communication in the Pitshanger area (home to many hedgehogs!). Later, we will custom-design the fliers to other areas where we found injured hedgehogs in the past. We will also create a "stop littering" flier to raise more awareness that litter can kill hedgehogs!

If you like to help us with this project, please get in touch, the best way is sending an email to [email protected].

WE ALSO NEED HELP WITH PRINTING COSTS

If you have no time but a bit of extra cash - please help us with the printing costs for this and other educational tools. A little can help a lot! Many thanks (for bank link please email us), if you can, use paypal:
paypal.me/Ealinghedgehogfriend

08/06/2025

UPDATE: sadly, the wildlife vet has informed us that this hedgehog has died of its wounds, very likely caused by a strimmer. At least he died with some pain relief. So again we ask: PLEASE CHECK FOR SLEEPING HEDGEHOGS BEFORE SWITCHING ON YOUR STRIMMER

BEWARE STRIMMERS! This hedgehog was rescued from Pitshanger Park this afternoon, missing toes from its back leg, so dragging the leg behind him and out in the day. We have taken him to a wildlife vet for treatment, who says it's likely a strimmer injury. They are flooded with strimmer injuries at this time of year, including one hedgehog with his nose cut off. PLEASE CHECK LONG GRASS BEFORE YOU USE A STRIMMER! There could easily be a sleeping hedgehog under the long grass.
Also:
IF YOU SEE A HEDGEHOG OUT IN THE DAY ACT FAST! it's a sign they need help. Can you see what looks like rice grains on this hog's head? They are FLY EGGS which will hatch into maggots which in turn attack the hedgehog. Injured hedgehogs out in the day are sitting targets for flies, so the sooner you contact us the better. PLEASE DON'T DELAY! Email [email protected]. Thank you to Kate, who did just this, so this hedgehog is now receiving treatment.

06/06/2025

HEDGEHOG OUT IN THE DAY: NEEDS HELP.
DON'T DELAY.
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The hedgehog below looked "normal" when walking around in a garden during day hours.

But it had a broken leg and an abscess wound, which was full of puss and about 70 maggots. Maggots kill hedgehogs.

The finder watched it a few days, as "it seemed to be O.K.". But it was not. You can clearly see the utterly swollen leg sticking out of the rolled-up hedgehog.
Wild animals will hide their injuries, so that predators don't consider them weak and easy prey.

IF YOU SEE A HEDGEHOG OUT DURING THE DAY:
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Try to secure it (in a box with breathing holes and a soft towel or some newspaper). Wear gloves or use a towel when handling the hedgehog. It will need no food at this point. Then quickly get in touch with us:

[email protected]

Only exceptions: Foraging mums. But they walk fast and with a purpose, likely collecting nesting materials or foods. Never sunbathing, never resting in the open. If we take one in by accident, we will immediately put it back. But 95% of hogs out in the day need your help fast!

01/06/2025

UPDATE: HE'S BEEN FOUND! AND IS SAFE

Calling all users of Cleveland Park! We have been told about a hedgehog out this morning in Cleveland Park, which is a sign that it needs help. We have searched in the middle of the park but havent foound it yet. If you are in the park and see a hedgehog out in daylight PLEASE EMAIL OUR HELP LINE [email protected] as soon as possible, noting its position (What3Words is perfect for this)
Thanks, and please remember - a hedgehog out in the day isn't sunbathing, it needs help!

31/05/2025

At Ealing Hedgehog Friends, we always work as a team.
Here is an example - Brent the hedgehog.
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Brent was handed in to a vet by a member of the public, and the vet was a bit iffy about what to do with it. Thankfully, our supporter Caroline Allen heard of it, and informed the vet about our rescue.

After that, we had six volunteers gathering as a team to help poor little Brent: Dorothy Goodall went to pick him up, and fostered him. Gertie Walsh went over to refresh both Dorothy and Francesca Fraser on providing fluid injections, important re-hydration work, which they continued doing, both late at night and first thing in the morning.

Then Elettra Marziani drove Brent to Pumpkin's Wildlife hospital the next morning. At all times, our experienced Lydia Howarth was on stand-by for additional medical advice, and Mary O'Neill kept everybody aligned as the dedicated member of our hedgehog coordinator team.

Sadly, the hedgehog passed away at Pumpkin's - but you know what: We did all we could for little Brent, we gave him love and care - and now we certainly don't quit. The direct outcome: We have two more volunteers who are solid with fluid injections.

This is to the unsung heroes of hedgehog rescue work. You can't get famous with it, but it is certainly an important and heartfelt job. Thanks, team.

If you like to support our work in the future: paypal.me/Ealinghedgehogfriend

25/05/2025

IMPORTANT if there are any
VETS, VET NURSES, VET RECEPTIONISTS
in this group. Please read this:

Ealing Hedgehog Friends will launch a broad communication campaign to vet surgeries soon, but this is quite urgent. We had several cases of hedgehogs in need being just "dropped off" at a vet's surgery by members of the public.

If this happens to your practice, we hope the following is helpful to you.

* If a hedgehog is handed in to your practice by a member of The public and you are unsure what to do, please:
Get in touch with Ealing Hedgehog Friends ([email protected]). We can take the hog off you, provide some info, or put you in touch with a Wildlife Hospital. Tiggywinkles is brilliant, but they do not return recovered hedgehogs to be released where they were found in Ealing.

* Ask the finder of the hedgehog some questions (exact time and location where the hog was found; if out in the day, for how long have they observed it; what might have caused the injury, was there a disturbed nest; has the finder given any food (if so, what?) or have they used any products on the hedgehog?

* First aid for hedgehogs: Warmth, quiet, fluids.
Providing food is secondary, and the fact that they eat is not a good indicator for being well (wild animals hide their weaknesses). We are able to provide fluid charts for subcutaneous fluid injection for re-hydration.

* Flystrike in hedgehogs is common, even if there is no wound. Fly eggs are often in the belly hair and under the arms/legs, and then not visible if the hedgehog rolls up. Removal is urgent though, as fly eggs can turn into maggots within a day in hot weather. Flea sprays for pets cannot be used on hedgehogs.

* Put the hedgehog on a scale: if it is smaller than about 120g (younger than about 3.5 weeks), it needs toileting and hand feeding.

* If it is smaller than about 250-300g it should still be with mum, and there may be other hoglets around. We can organise a search party to find them.

* A female with teats will be a mum, and there will be hoglets out there in need. Again, our organisation can go and look for the nest and the hoglets, but we need as much info about the location where the hedgehog was found as possible.

Thank you very much.

24/05/2025

Looking forward to seeing you all at the Boston Manor Park Nature Festival between 12 noon and 4pm.

17/05/2025

Looking forward to seeing you all at the Boston Manor Nature Festival next Saturday (24th) from 12 noon until 4pm.

14/05/2025

Hedgehog Emergency?
Do not use the FB messenger. Use:
[email protected]

13/05/2025

DONT MISS IT:
VOLUNTEER TRAINING STARTS TOMORROW!
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We are looking for volunteers with some flexible time to join our passionate and fun team. For our rescue volunteers, we provide an in-depth training, which is mandatory for all hands-on hedgehog work.

WHEN/WHERE:
Wednesday 14 and 21 May, 6.30-9pm (both evenings are required)
Viaduct Pub, Hanwell.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN:
Retrieving sick and injured hedgehogs
Assessing hedgehogs’ health
Providing First Aid
Fostering and monitoring hedgehogs
Working with vets and members of the public
Legal and ethical background of rescue work
Health and safety / hygiene.

WHO CAN PARTICIPATE:
People with some flexible time. If you like to foster, you need a quiet, spare room.
Adults only (some content is not appropriate for kids, as we talk about grave injuries, euthanising hedgehogs, etc)
We also have other volunteer roles available which do not require this training (such as education, projects, fundraising, social media).

COSTS:
The training is free, but we would love a small donation to cover our costs (a similar training at Vale Wildlife Hospital costs £70 and is a 3-hour drive away!). paypal.me/Ealinghedgehogfriend

MORE INFO AND SIGN-UP:
[email protected]

IMPORTANT - FOR HEDGEHOG EMERGENCIES
do not use the admin email, use: [email protected]

10/05/2025

🦔 If you are lucky enough to have hedgehogs visiting your garden then if they seem fit and well please don't pick them up or move them.

There are times when a hedgehog will definitely need your help.
If you see a hedgehog during the day then you should be especially concerned.
𝐇𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐡𝐨𝐠𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐧𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧.
The only times you may see healthy hedgehogs during the day are mothers foraging for nesting material or extra food. These will be walking confidently and in an obvious direction.

🦔 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬:

- if they are lethargic or wobbly when they walk.
- if they are walking in circles
- if they are surrounded by flies
- if they have obvious injuries
- if they are trapped in netting
- if they are in water like canals or ponds if they can't climb out
- if they have fallen in to a drain or building work
- if they have been picked up by dogs

🦔 🅆HAT YOU SHOULD DO

- Pick them up with gloved hands and put them in a high sided box.

- Put a heat pad or a covered hot water bottle in the box with a towel or some torn up newspaper. Make sure there is enough room for the hog to get away from the heat.

-Put the box indoors in a quiet location and call a rescue.

If they are trapped in netting then don't try to free them. Cut the netting around them and contact a rescue or take to a vet.

If they have been in a dog's mouth they should be checked out even if you can;t see an obvious injury as they may have an internal crush injury.

You can contact us for help and advice by emailing [email protected]

If you are interested to find out more about hedgehogs, we have a Zoom meeting on Monday evening, 12th May.
Details below or email [email protected]

10/05/2025

PUBLIC HEDGEHOG TALK
this Monday, 12 May, per zoom
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This is open to everybody, a small donation would be appreciated. If you like to receive the handouts, please send a note to [email protected], by tomorrow (Sunday), lunch time the latest.

Our paypal for donations (or ask our Admin for the BAC link): paypal.me/Ealinghedgehogfriend

Content
* 7-8pm: General hedgehog knowledge: Why hedgehogs need our help. How they live, eat and mate. Risks for hedgehogs in our neighbourhoods. How to support hedgehogs in your garden and in your neighborhood.
* 8-8.30pm: How EHF works and volunteering opportunities.

Note: FUTURE VOLUNTEERS
If you like to do hands-on hedgehog rescue work, you will need to attend our training (live in the Viaduct Pub Hanwell, on Wednesday 14 and 21 May, both evenings are required). We also look for drivers, and help with admin, events, marketing, public education. For these roles you do not need to attend the volunteer training.

Note: EXISTING VOLUNTEERS (already trained)
If you are a trained volunteer, this public Zoom talk is probably not of interest, rather join our refresher training on Monday, 19th May.

Zoom Link
Meeting number: 867 8819 0769, passcode 0050

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86788190769?pwd=OM5E6VYSKaEiFXqyIvORXyUXyjDcwG.1

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