The Hedge-Hogspital

22/07/2024

Enjoy this short video of one of our hand reared litters enjoying the grass and fresh air for the first time!
This lot was hand reared from only 2 days old and now that they are 280g and the weather is warm, they have all gone out in an outdoor enclosure to acclimatise themselves to the wild!
They will now start to experience different smells, sounds and learn to forage all whilst remaining safe in the pen. All of our outdoor enclosures have night vision cameras to continue to monitor them!
We are a self funded rescue and completely rely on the generosity of the public, please support us at - https://www.gofundme.com/gba5an-helping-the-hedgehogs
We are incredibly grateful! 🦔

21/07/2024

Hoglet season has been well underway for some time now but this little girl was found whilst a member of public was on their dog walk. Unfortunately, Rose obtained a very small wound from the dog but thankfully to the quick thinking of the finder she was brought to me!
She is now settled in an incubator and I am syringe feeding her every 3 hours. We have also started her on antibiotics, to combat any infection from the wound, especially has her immune system is not developed yet.
As hoglets are immunosuppressed and have a low resistance to infection whilst young; her future is guarded, but we will give her every chance that she deserves.
Please consider donating to our GoFundMe page to support Rose and the other hedgehogs currently in our care! 🦔

https://www.gofundme.com/gba5an-helping-the-hedgehogs

19/07/2024

This is by far the worst case of fly strike I have ever seen! This poor little boy was brought to me today after being found collapsed in the middle of a field on the hottest day of the year! :(
He was evidently heat exhausted, severely dehydrated, collapsed and by far had the worst case of fly strike I have ever seen!
He had gone beyond saving and was rushed straight in to end his suffering.
It saddens me that many people decided to ignore a hedgehog in such desperate need of help! Please share this post to create awareness of contacting your local wildlife rescue sooner!
Please also consider donating to our gofundme page to support the work that we do! - https://www.gofundme.com/gba5an-helping-the-hedgehogs

18/07/2024

This is Lydia, on admission she weighed just 70g. She was severely dehydrated, malnourished, hypothermic, unconscious and on deaths door :(
I instantly started warming little Lydia alongside giving subcutaneous fluids every 2 hours and syringe fed every hour for the first 12 hours of being admitted.
Over the course of 72 hours she started to find her strength and with assistance; started to lap up food on her own even though she was so exhausted. I started to get hopeful that she would pull through!
Unfortunately, Lydia was still presenting very wobbly and unable to walk without falling over. Radiographs showed no sign of broken bones/limbs and so we were now looking at a neurological diagnosis :(
Lydia’s prognoses is guarded and over the course of 4 weeks there is still no improvement. Lisa from Thorne Hedgehog Rescue started physiotherapy therapy techniques to encourage muscle strength and agility. She remains comfortable but her future unfortunately is not bright! 🦔
Please consider donating to our GoFundMe page to support all the hedgehogs currently in our care - https://gofund.me/9a613b96

26/06/2024

At last limoncello has started weaning! He has been hand reared since he was a couple of days old and today has started to transfer from specialist formula to puppy mousse. He is still unable to regulate his body temperature due to how small he is, so for now will be kept in a temperature controlled incubator until he is a minimum of 200g, this will take some time but he will get there eventually!
Please consider donating to our GoFundMe page - https://gofund.me/d39dcd6b
This allows us to continue to support and care for wild hedgehogs in the UK 🦔

25/06/2024

Enjoy this short video of some of the hoglets that we currently have in our care in the new incubator!
A temperature controlled incubator has been incredibly useful for this time of year as we have hoglets who need to be kept at a certain temperature; it also saves alot of time with not having to microwave heat pads every couple of hours! 🌡️🦔

18/06/2024

Everyone meet little lemon. He was found by a member of the public when they heard him squeaking whilst on their dog walk.
He currently only weighs 34g and still awaiting for his eyes to open. This means syringe feeding him every 3 hours, keeping him warm and toileting him throughout the day!
Please consider donating to our gofundme to support the hedgehogs and hoglets in our care.

https://gofund.me/d39dcd6b

Thank you 🦔

12/06/2024

Here is just a handful of the hedgehogs that we currently have in our care. We have many baby hedgehogs needing around the clock feeding as well as our other hedgehogs who require treatment/surgery.

Please consider donating to our gofundme - https://gofund.me/d39dcd6b
All donations are incredibly appreciated!
Thank you 🦔

06/05/2024

Here is the radiograph of Pinny’s broken hind limb!
As you can see in the image below, the leg has a complete break. This means we are able to hopefully save her leg by placing an external fixator which holds her broken leg together with pins. As Pinny isn’t even a year old yet we would love to save her leg rather than amputating or even worse, euthanising her!

05/05/2024

Another new admit! Everyone meet Bessie 🦔
Unfortunately, Bessie was found during the day stuck in netting!
The finder very quickly cut Bessie out of the netting and brought her to The Hedge-Hogspital. Bessie is wobbly on her feet and disoriented. This could be just due to her being immobile for a long period of time or something more serious. She will stay with us to make a full recovery!

10/09/2023

Volume up! 🦔
This is Jasper, who was admitted after a member of the public found him out and about during the day looking for food and only weighing 80g!
He now weighs 220g and has been moved outside into a pen where we will start scatter feeding to encourage natural behaviour!
Enjoy this video of Jasper eating his dinner! 😋
Please remember to put food and water out of you have any hedgehogs in your garden!

Please consider donating to our GoFundMe to support the hedgehogs in our care -
https://gofund.me/c85a43a3

Thank you 🦔

03/09/2023

This is Betty and she was admitted as the finder had seen her out and about during the day!
On arrival it was evident that Betty was severely dehydrated, the video below shows the severity of her dehydration; in particular how sunken Betty’s eyes are 🙁
After administering fluids, a full examination was done. During auscultation of Betty’s chest it was very clear that there was an upper respiratory concern as her chest had a rattling noise through the stethoscope 🩺
A p**p sample under the microscope confirmed that Betty had lungworm; she is currently being treated for this and hope she makes a full recovery! ❤️‍🩹 🦔

If you would like to donate to support The Hedge-Hogspital we currently have a GoFundMe - https://gofund.me/c85a43a3

Thank you 🦔

23/08/2023

Another 5 hoglets were admitted to the hogspital as their nest was unfortunately disturbed by a dog! The mum was no where in sight and these poor hoglets were squeaking away looking for their food!
They all weigh between 27g to 35g and so can only be a few days old!
They are now warm, safe and currently being fed their formula every 3 hours!
Hand rearing hoglets should only be carried out by a specialist as it is an extremely difficult and delicate job this therefore means their future is guarded!

If you are able to support the hoglets and other hedgehogs currently in our care; please consider donating to our GoFundMe -

https://gofund.me/c85a43a3

Thank you 🦔

13/08/2023

Meet Rodney 🦔
A member of the public found Rodney out during the day stuck in netting at a local fishing lake! 😔
The netting had been captivating Rodney for some time as he had many deep cuts where the wire was!
Rodney was anaesthetised to cut him free of the netting and to lavage his wounds.
He is now on a course of antibiotics and should hopefully be released back into the wild once the wounds are fully healed! 🦔

Please consider donating to our GoFundMe so we can continue to treat and support the Hedgehogs 🦔💙

https://gofund.me/c85a43a3

Thank you!

08/08/2023

We were sent this video of a little hoglet out during the day on her own trying to find some food!
Instantly, I told the finder to scoop little one up so we can admit her to the hogspital.
On admission she weighed 105g, she was in need of a warm cosy bed and plenty of food!
She is currently housed with two other hoglets of similar weight to encourage natural behaviour.
Hoglets cannot regulate their body temperature until 200g, this hoglet would not have made it if it wasn’t for the quick response of the finder, especially in this very rainy weather!

We are going through food constantly; on average 8 tins of food, in combination with vet bills, petrol, beds etc it adds up quickly!
If you’re able to donate to our GoFundMe we would be extremely grateful! 🦔

https://gofund.me/c85a43a3

01/08/2023

This little guy was found outside the nest during the day on his own. On admission Fraser only weighed 80g and was desperately looking for food! He was extremely cold, dehydrated and due to this he was unable to stand up. Fraser was in a life threatening situation!
We instantly gave Fraser plenty of warmth and started him on fluids. After a few hours he turned a corner.
We are pleased to say he is now putting on weight gradually and eating ravenously! 🦔
Please consider donating to our GoFundMe page to continue to treat and support the hoglets and hedgehogs in our care 🦔

https://gofund.me/c85a43a3

Thank you!

29/07/2023

This little hoglet’s nest was disturbed and unfortunately after waiting to see if mum would return back to the nest; there was no sign of her. So the finders scooped the hoglet up and took him straight to us.
We believe he is 3 days old, which means feeding and toileting every 2-3 hours and keeping him nice and warm.
If you would like to support the hedgehogs and hoglets currently in our care please consider donating to our GoFundMe -

https://gofund.me/c85a43a3

Thank you 🦔

25/07/2023

Please share our GoFundMe page to raise money for the sick hedgehogs. Thank you 🦔

Hi there, we are a self funded hedgehog rescue based in Kent, who take in and care… The Hedge-Hogspital needs your support for Supporting The Hedge-Hogspital

08/03/2023

We collected this little guy from Trinity Veterinary Centre after being found abandoned with an abscess on his ear. Due to his swollen ear we have decided to name him Popcorn!
The Vets anaesthetised him and lanced his abscess and came to us for antibiotic treatment and TLC. We are happy to report he is doing great and will hopefully have one last appointment to be signed off🤞🏻
To support Popcorn and other hedgehogs currently in our care please donate to -

https://gofund.me/c85a43a3

Thank you 🦔

02/02/2023

Happy National Hedgehog Day 🦔💕

29/01/2023

This little one is now safe with us 🦔💕 Trinity Veterinary Centre lanced his abscess on his ear and will now continue his treatment here. Now on antibiotics which should hopefully save his ear 🤞🏻 Please message the page if you’re missing an African Pygmy hedgehog in the Southfleet area.

This little chap has been bought into us after being found abandoned in southfleet.
Just in case someone is looking for him, although it's unfortunately unlikely, please share this post to see if we can find an owner.
Proof of ownership will be required.

24/01/2023

This little lady was found out and about during the day! The weather is still very cold for hedgehogs to be out of hibernation. After an examination at the vets it was discovered that she has a fractured hind limb. We hope this will heal on its own with strict rest, analgesia and anti inflammatory medication.

29/01/2022

The Hedgehog Flea 🦔

I often hear people vocalise their upset about a Hedgehog with fleas. When most people find a Hedgehog in need the finder doesn’t want to pick up the hedgehog as they don’t want to transfer fleas to their pets…
However, contrary to popular belief, not all Hedgehog’s have fleas.

The most important factor to remember is, any flea you see on a hedgehog is host specific; which means they cannot live on anything apart from a Hedgehog which also includes them breeding or completing their lifecycle. They will die if not living on a Hedgehog.

Therefore, there is no true concern of catching fleas from our Hedgehogs. Please don’t let fleas jeopardise our poorly Hedgehogs get the help they need 🦔

- The Hedge-Hogspital

08/11/2021

We currently have 9 underweight baby hedgehogs in that have been found out during the day away from their mum. Please keep support feeding your hedgehogs even more importantly now the weather is cold. 🦔

01/09/2021

Very useful information Trinity Veterinary Centre

12/07/2021

Update on Rosie; she’s getting used to life with 3 legs very well, she’s walking & running around like nothing has happened and her wound has healed nicely. She will be released back into the wild this week! We’re very lucky to have the space for outdoor runs for our hoggy patients, it gives us the chance to mimic a hedgehogs natural environment and to keep things as wild as possible for them whilst they’re poorly, they even have CCTV so we can watch them closely! 🦔

07/07/2021

Another Hedgehog admitted - Jim was found lying on a patio very lethargic with a few fly eggs around his face. I started removing the fly eggs, giving fluids, warmth and syringe feeding him critical care he started to perk up a little. After a few days of nursing him back, he has eventually started to eat & drink independently and is much stronger. 🦔

03/07/2021

Meet Rosie; she was dropped off at The Hedge-Hogspital after she was found walking around dragging her hind leg. It was very clear that the leg was broken. Removed all fly eggs and cleaned the wound. She then had X rays and her leg amputation operation, all went well and she is currently in recovery getting used to 3 legs! She's doing fantastically! 🦔

02/06/2021

It is extremely important to offer a shallow water bowl for Hedgehogs particularly during the hot and dry months. More Hedgehogs die a year due to dehydration than there are killed on the roads! If a Hedgehog can’t find water and is severely dehydrated then eventually it will have no choice but to give up. Please put out shallow bowls in your garden for Hedgehogs as the weather is getting warmer, even if you don’t think you have Hedgehogs, there may always be a chance that one could be passing through your garden in need of water. No cows milk! 🦔 Share to spread awareness.

🎥 Wild About Images (Paul Bunyard)

05/05/2021

The general principle is when you see a Hedgehog out during the day then it is in trouble; however now we are in Hoglet season there will be mums out and about during the day preparing for their Hoglets by building their nest as well as finding food for her young. You will easily be able to identify if the Hedgehog is a healthy mum by observing.
The main things to look out for are:
- if the Hedgehog is walking around with purpose
- nesting materials in her mouth
- mum will appear to be bright and healthy
If this is the case do not disturb mum and put plenty of food & water out for her 🦔