Help for hedgehogs

We’re getting a lot of hedgehogs brought in at present, it’s that time of year, mostly they are poorly or weak and hungry when they arrive.  The one above looks alright but she was found sitting in the middle of a lane at the weekend so we know she has a problem, no healthy hedgehog would do that.  They are nocturnal creatures and when all is well they sleep in their nests during the day.

This little girl was extremely hungry and thirsty, she drank a dish of water straight off and then devoured a saucer of cat food.  When we had a look at her we saw that she was covered in ticks so getting the bloodsuckers off was priority.  We use a special tool which makes sure the whole of the tick comes away.  If you have a go at it, have a pot of vaseline ready to put the tick in or else it may jump away and end up on you or your dog!   You can get a nasty illness called Lyme disease from a tick bite.  It can make you very unwell and is difficult to cure.   Lyme disease is on the increase in the UK as there seem to be more ticks.

If you find a hedgehog that doesn’t look well please bring him or her in to us, we release back to the wild when we have them well again, except when they are underweight.  It’s nearing hibernation time and we like to feed them up and get them fat enough to survive the winter.   Then they can wander off when they wake up in Spring.

Hedgehog Hospital – Can you help the hedgehogs?   We urgently need donations to help us keep on with our rescue work and to buy more cabins and heated pads.   We want to save as many hedgehogs as possible and get them through the winter, they are on the brink of being an endangered species, their numbers have declined so much recently.  You can donate online, by paypal or send a cheque or p.o. payable to Pet Samaritans.  Many thanks.

Pet Samaritans Animal Sanctuary, Broomhill Road, Old Whittington, Chesterfield, Derbyshire, S41 9EA.