Ealing Hedgehog Friends

10/10/2025

This is Hermione - about 3 weeks old
She came to us Tuesday with her two wee brothers.

Their beautiful moss nest under a garden studio was disturbed, and the mum took off. The studio was removed and the garden turned around, hence re-uniting the hoglets with their mum did not work. One hoglet was already dead, so with the help of the builder in the garden, we secured and hand-fed the young ones.

The girl here was the biggest and she can already eat a bit on her own. She came in at 86g and is now 128g, whereas the boys are still trying to figure out lapping from a dish...

Bucket nests

What you see in the videos: we use these bucket nests in the cage to keep them warm and clean. The hoglets had to figure out where the entrance is, but they are now masterfully finding home.

The bucket nests are open top. If it was a lodge with a roof, the hogs would figure out quickly how to use their house as an escape route out of the cage. Their are true Houdinis and can climb up wherever their paws can reach.

06/10/2025

HELP US FEED RYDAL
AND OUR OTHER ORPHANED HOGLETS.

Dinner per hoglet: £2.40 per day

Good quality kitten food, puppy mousse, vitamins, baby dog formula, syringes with rubber teats… not included heating bills to keep them warm (they cannot produce their own body until they weight about 200g), specialist cleaning materials, gloves, and the occasional vet visit.

Please use:
https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/ealinghedgehogfriend

Or send an email to [email protected] to receive our bank link.

THE AUTUMN HOGLET STORY

In early autumn, we find many orphaned hoglets around Ealing, from hedgehog mums’ second litter of the year. Second litters become more frequent based on climate change and disturbances of maternity nests in our gardens and parks. Little orphans cannot survive without our help. Some can already eat on their own, younger ones must be hand-fed. We keep them until they have a safe winter hibernation weight and then release them ‘with support’ (being fed for a few weeks in a pre-vetted garden, with lots of wild areas and hedgehog highways that provide access to other gardens). Some will have to be kept indoors over winter until March, and hopefully then hibernate while in our care.

02/10/2025

An important task of our volunteers: organising search parties for orphaned hoglets. Members of the public often find one... But where there is one, there is usually more.

This is Ridal who was found in Perivale.

Members of the public had seen a hedgehog mum out in the day who seemed very ill, collapsed on her side - with two hoglets. Mum and one hoglet were secured in a box and brought to us. The second hoglet was later found nearby by our volunteers, after and hour long search, and brought to safety as well.

Trish Hart who spotted the hoglet, is wearing these heavy builders gloves not because she feared the little fella's spikes. But because this search involved digging through bramble bushes, removing rusty iron sheets, and lifting sharp edged builder's materials out of the way. Search parties can be a very tough job. Nice to find the little ones!

The second portrait pic of the hoglet shows the progress after just two days of hand feeding. Doing much better now.

17/09/2025

Do you live on Kent Avenue, West Ealing (Cleveland Park side)? We will need help with releasing a hedgehog there.

Meet Middley - a hog with a toothache!

Middley's case is special because she is likely the oldest hogs who came into our rescue (lots of tartar on her teeth). And her medical problem was a first for us: An abscess on her back tooth.

She was found in West Ealing during the day, with blood on her head; possibly a puncture wound; litter, a dog bite, crawling through a fence with a nail sticking out... so many dangers, specially for hedgehogs who are not well to begin with.

When we noticed that she was holding her tongue in a strange angle, we feared she had a broken jaw. The vet at Pumpkin's informed us though that the strong tongue movements were caused by a tooth abscess.

She will be stabilised for a few days and then the tooth will be removed. The old girl will hopefully fully recover, and possibly even have another litter next year? She is currently on pain killers and antibiotics.

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When Middley is well again, we will be looking for a garden where she can be released and fed for a few days (with a good hedgehog highway that allows her to access other gardens and Cleveland park). If you live on this road - do get in touch.

11/09/2025

The Sept/Oct Hedgehog Diary info is up in Boston Manor Park, opposite The Potting Shed Cafe 🙂
Here is the copy:
It’s been a very tough summer for hedgehogs, with 4 heatwaves and very little rain. This means no fresh water eg in puddles, and very dry soil which makes it hard for them to forage for beetles, caterpillars etc.
As we approach Autumn, hedgehogs need to fatten up for the coming winter hibernation. This is especially important for hedgehogs born this Spring, who need to grow to about 650gr in weight to be able to survive.
Late-born young hoglets have a particularly difficult task to grow big enough in time for hibernation. If born in August they will be leaving the maternity nest soon and it's a dangerous time for them.
DOG WALKERS: Please be careful that your dog isn’t digging around a hedgehog nest
IF YOU SEE A HEDGEHOG OUT IN THE DAY IT NEEDS HELP!
Particularly a young hoglet, about the size of an avocado.
Please make a note of where you see it (What3Words is perfect, or take a photo) tell the rangers here and contact [email protected] who can rescue the hedgehog, and search for any siblings in the vicinity if it’s a young one
SPEED IS OF THE ESSENCE, PLEASE DON’T DELAY

07/09/2025

Looking forward to seeing you all at Brentford Festival in Blondin Park from noon until 6pm. Come and say hello.

05/09/2025

Looking forward to seeing you all at Brentford Festival on Sunday. We're going to be near the First Aid tent and Police. Not sure if we're supposed to read anything into that!

25/08/2025

THE HOT DRY WEATHER CONTINUES!
We had to rescue 2 dehydrated hedgehogs this weekend, there isn't enough fresh water out there for wildlife.
If you know you have hedgehogs visiting your garden or allotment, here is how you can help:
Put some water out for them, in a SHALLOW BOWL (can be as easy as a plant-saucer, make sure to keep it topped up)
Offer them some food (wet dog or cat food, or cat nibbles). Ideally, you put them in a hedgehog feeding station (there is info in this group how to build one).
NEVER milk or bread - these are hedgehog killers!
Mealworms are not good for hogs (weakens their bones).
In hot and dry weather, the ground dries out. Hedgehogs starve because they can't dig for earthworms and ground beetles. And they get very thirsty.
If you see a hedgehog out in the day, its always a sign something is wrong, please contact us at [email protected]
Thank you 🦔

20/08/2025

17/07/2025

URGENT: HELP US FIND ORPHANED HOGLETS IN NORTH HANWELL (around Benham Road)

WE NEED TO FIND THEM TODAY!

There was a dead hedgehog on Benham Road in North Hanwell. She was a nursing mum and we need to find her hoglets (there was a sighting of a lone hoglet, but the little one was not captured).

Which Neighbourhood?
Please check your gardens (look under bushes) if you live in the following area: Square of:
* Benham Road
* Westcott Crescent
* Hall Drive
* Greenford Avenue
* Hale Walk
* Lile Crescent
* Bordar's Walk

What we are looking for:
* Small hoglets on their own, roaming through your garden or under bushes (you may also hear them peeping and calling their mum).
* Size; about the size of a large avocado

If you seen one:
* Please immediately alert us on [email protected], even late at night.
* Ideally take the hoglet in (Cardboard box with a towel in it). The side walls have to be about 30cm high. No need to offer food, they cannot really lap from a dish yet.

IMPORTANT:
* If you see hoglets in your garden and the mum is close by, do not pick them up. This will be a different litter. Before you pick up a hoglet; make very sure that it is on its own.
* Do not give them any food, specially not milk. Milk will kill them. If you want you can offer some water in a very shallow dish, such as a jam char lid.
* If you see any larger hedgehogs when you are searching, do not pick them up if they are out at night! We are not looking for hedgehogs that are size of a large mango or bigger.

Why is it urgent?
* These hoglets are about 4 weeks old and should still be with mum until the age of about 6-7 weeks.
* They cannot mend for themselves and will be easy prey for a predator.
* They have not learned to hunt and find their own food yet, and they still very much will rely on hand-feeding now. Do not attempt handfeeding yourself, this needs an expert and you cannot use any regular milk, kitten milk or baby formula
Thanks

07/07/2025

The July & August Hedgehog Diary entry in Boston Manor Park is out now, opposite the lovely Potting Shed cafe.
Info on the board is below in comments

28/06/2025

HEDGEHOGS ARE DYING IN THE HEAT WAVE.

PLEASE PUT WATER OUT FOR HEDGEHOGS.

Use a shallow dish (such as a plant saucer or similar) and top it off every evening.

No milk, no bread, no mealworms, no peanuts.

Even if you don't see hedgehogs in your garden, they likely visit at night if they can get through your fence (we have rescued hedgehogs all over Ealing; they do live here!).

FOOD IS ALSO HARD TO COME BY IN THE HOT WEATHER

The ground is rock hard, so hedgehogs use a lot of energy when digging for food. Earth worms and beetles are well hidden away.

You could offer wet cat or dog food.

Wet food is better in hot weather, as it has some moister in it already. Or use dry cat nibbles. No need to buy special hedgehog food.