Sanctuary Life
Hedgehogs, birds, wildlife rescue weekend
We’ve had lots of injured and poorly wildlife brought in this weekend and thanks to all the kind people who have taken the trouble to rescue these little creatures in trouble and give them a chance of life. The young greenfinch above can’t fly properly yet and she has an inury to her eye. It’s not too bad and she is fully feathered which gives her a better chance. She’s feeding herself and eating well so we’re hoping that a few days, a week maybe and she’ll be ready for release.
The young blackbirds are surviving but it’s touch and go when they are still so young. We try to mimic the conditions they would have in the wild so we make a nest and keep them as quiet as possible. This little greenfinch retreats to her nest as soon as she’s fed and feels safe out of sight. These wild birds are so amazing and exquisitely beautiful – if wishing could make it so they would all survive.
Mr. Stumpy the rook has a great appetite and is settling down more in his pen. He is learning to trust and is less afraid of us now. Will he learn to perch with only one leg though? He seems to have given up trying for the time being. When his injuries have healed and he’s stronger hopefully he’ll try again.
This is the third injured hedgehog this weekend. She seemed quite poorly yesterday and was on her back with her eyes closed. We’d given her some medication but even so were surprised that she made it through the night. This morning we were able to have a better look at her, it’s very difficult with hedgehogs – getting them to open up takes some doing! She has a wound on her back, looks freshly done so we’ve cleaned her up – and she’s let us. This can be either a good or bad sign. Maybe she appreciates the attention and likes the feel of the soreness easing. Or she could be so far gone that she doesn’t care what we do. We hope it’s the former. She is a sweet little hedgehog – looks like one of last year’s late babies and even though she is hurting and breathing badly she has had some food and a drink.
Yes, we’ve seen the big horrid tick on her side, we check all the hedgies for ticks when they come in. We spray with Frontline if the hedgie is fit and well but when they are frail and injured we take the ticks off with a tick remover. It’s easy enough to do but make sure you definitely dispose of the tick, they are persistent parasites and could easily jump on to you or another creature if they get away. Putting them in a pot of vaseline is a sure way of stopping them.
On to the other hedgies, the owls, the chicks, the kestrels, the hamsters, hens ….. oh and ponies, goats, cats, kittens and dogs!