got me a terry for the winter

[toilet digger]

I have a little friend to stay with me until springtime.
Friday last week i was cycling back to my gaff, along a farm track and espied a, what appeared to be a dead hedgehog.
Unfortunate thinks i.....but, no apparent injury, i'm riding on a track that has 2 tractors a year roll on it. brakes on and back i walk, give it a poke and lo there is movement, slight. Ball reflex is non existent, so i whack it in my hoodie pocket and off i go.
Puncture!
Finally get home.
Thank the lord for fan assisted ovens. Gas mark Half, door open. then off to the vets.
The hog in question is one of this years males, underweight, was dehydrated, was absloutely covered in fly eggs and is now too light to hibernate.
Guess the moral is; hedgehogs don't do daylight, lack of ball reflex is VERY bad.
So if you spot owt unusual act. Be it a call to a wildlife rescue or vet.
And last but not least; vets do NOT charge for the treatment of wildlife.

regards jamie

 

[udamiano]

Well done that man! Its all too easy to walk past. but costs nothing to stop and help if you can

 

[WULF]

Good on ya jamie!!
However small or large they all deserve a chance.

 

[bilmo-p5]

Good man, Jamie.

 

[toilet digger]

Gotta admit i have a bit of a soft spot for hogs. Although i gat a feeling the little b****r will be waking up and making a god almighty racket when i go to bed

here' a linky for the British Hedgehog preservation Society http://www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk/index.html
they don't take much looking after over winter, so if you have a garage or spare room and feel so inclined, maybe you could be a hedgehog carer/superhero ?

 

[Anzia]

Good for you!

 

[Andy BB]

hope you've got rid of the fleas by now though! Apparently only the Red Squirrel has more.......

 

[Harvestman]

hope you've got rid of the fleas by now though! Apparently only the Red Squirrel has more.......

True, but they are hedgehog fleas. Fleas are usually host-specific, so a hedgehog flea has no interest in biting humans, or, for example, dogs. Getting rid of the fleas is good for the hedgehog, especially in aiding its recovery, but irrelevant to everyone else.

Cat fleas are unusual in that they will bite humans as well as cats.

 

[mountainm]

Cat fleas are unusual in that they will bite humans as well as cats.

Cats are evil. ipso facto, cat fleas are evil.

 

[toilet digger]

Firstly i shall start by stating that said hedgehog shall hereby be referred to as terry.
Terry has been ''frontlined''.
Terry has yet to be wormed. I have been informed that 'panacure' is reliable for all insundry, including the dreaded lungworm.

I've had fleas for years and it's never done me any harm

PS te little fella is just starting to wake up now; judgeing by the banging and crashing!!!!!!

 

[Harvestman]

I'll bite (unlike the fleas) - why Terry?

Well done on taking on such a project though mate. I'd be in touch with my local hedgehog rescue now if I thought Mrs Harvestman would let me. That and having a cat...

 

[mountainm]

I'll bite (unlike the fleas) - why Terry?

Well done on taking on such a project though mate. I'd be in touch with my local hedgehog rescue now if I thought Mrs Harvestman would let me. That and having a cat...

Cos the hedgehog can never be b@ggered at all?

 

[toilet digger]

Cos the hedgehog can never be b@ggered at all?

there ya go.

 

[toilet digger]

first night tremors.
Terry has had half a pouch of 'posh' food and b******d off back to his pit.
i'll post some pics soon.

 

[andybysea]

Harvestman thats interesting about flea's being host specific,do Rat fleas fall into the same catergory of cat's eg bite humans? i ask because was'nt it the flea of the black rat that spread the plague?(Toilet digger sorry for deviating off topic,and good on you for helping out Mr hog overwinter.)

 

[toilet digger]

Harvestman thats interesting about flea's being host specific,do Rat fleas fall into the same catergory of cat's eg bite humans? i ask because was'nt it the flea of the black rat that spread the plague?(Toilet digger sorry for deviating off topic,and good on you for helping out Mr hog overwinter.)

human fleas are considered all but extinct. But all fleas will garner a drinkypoos from any availiable host beit brief. most plague host's are marmots (in mongolia and surrounding steppes) and groundhogs/squirrells , in north america ( i once pulled the tail off one once; long story).

 

[blacktimberwolf]

Interestingly, or maybe not, Dogs usually have cat fleas & cats dog fleas.........those that spend sometime out of doors that is

 

[dwardo]

Are hedgehogs on the decline of recent? Reason I ask is I don't see them around anywhere near as much as I used to

 

[toilet digger]

yeah dwardo they are. multiple factors ; road traffic accidents, loss of habitat, wet summers, warm winters.
one ray of hope is that there a growing number of hogs that do NOT ball up when presented with a car, headlights glareing, instead they are rightly legging it
don't you just love natural selection

 

[andyc54]

well done jamie and good look to terry will he be coming to brockers for a meet lol we always get a couple every year in our garden funny little things to watch im suprised it was nt well fed the amount of slugs due to wet weather they should be doing well but it does seem they are on the decline although someone here may know better