Safe at Last in Hedgehog Hospital

It’s been hectic in our wildlife world so far this year. We’ve had injured birds brought in most days, often they just need time to recover, feed again and get their strength back.Lucky the pigeon had been attacked by a cat and was in a sorry state. His wounds have healed and feathers grown back. It’s been an amazing recovery and wonderful to see him released back into the wild. It’s not all about our feather friends though. We’ve been helping hedgehogs for many years. It’s an important part of Sanctuary life.

Most of our spring hedgehogs have wandered off but it’s amazing to see so many little uns still being brought into our hedgehog hospital. We’ve had a hedgehog brought in to us nearly every day over the past couple of months. Mostly they are young and weak. Do their mothers leave them? Or do they become separated and then can’t find their way home. Perhaps it’s down to the weather. Usually we are told the little hoglet has been found on his own in the garden or in the middle of a road or path. A more unusual one was the trio of small hoglets found up at Chesterfield Royal Hospital. If you find a hedgehog of any age during the day wandering about, it usually means they are unwell or hungry. These are nocturnal creatures who sleep off their midnight feasts during daylight hours. Give us a call if you are unsure and we’ll do our best to help.

This hoglet was way too small to survive for long out in the open. Luckily a passerby found him and brought him down to hedgehog hospital. We’ll nurse him along until he’s ready.

This little chap was ravenous when he came in. We offer cat food, sunflower seeds, special milk and goats milk but don’t give cows milk which is indigestible to most small animals. Hedgehogs love their food and make slurping noises when they are eating.

We always take in hedgehogs in need of help – in fact our hospital has been so popular this year we’ve had to expand it to cope with demand. A small donation is always appreciated when dropping off so we can continue to offer this service for our hedgehog friends. If you would like to sponsor a Hedgehog at Hedgehog Hospital, please click on the button below this video. Thanks!