Poorly hedgehog gets flea treatment

Pearl is looking better this morning, she came out for breakfast and atewell, she loves meal worms especially.  Her wound is healing, we’ve checked her for ticks and she’s clear.

What about fleas though?  It’s a common misconception that dogs (and people!) catch fleas from hedgehogs.  They do usually have a lot of fleas but these are easily cleared with small animal flea powder or spray.  When using it make sure to avoid the hedgehog’s eyes. If you can’t spray the belly don’t worry too much, the powder will drop off on to the bedding and kill any fleas there.

Fleas don’t breed on the hedgehog, it’s the nest they reproduce in.  Flea powder will kill them.  Change the bedding frequently, burning it will be sure to get rid of the fleas.

Hedgehogs don’t seem to mind fleas, they are completely indifferent to them, it is best to remove them though.  Ticks are something else, they suck the blood and can make hedgehogs anaemic.   Remove every last one – with a tick-remover gadget is best.  If you leave any part of the tick in the skin it will become infected.   Make sure you dispose of the tick safely or it will jump on to some other animal or even you.

Hedgehog fleas are specific to hedgehogs, they don’t like dogs, cats or humans.   If one gets on to a dog by mistake it will soon drop off and go looking for another hedgehog where it will feel at home!