# Urgent hedgehog problem



## Marinam2 (Sep 4, 2007)

On my walk home today i found the tiniest headgehog i have ever seen. It fits very neatly in the plam of my hand. Its not sick or damaged in any way.

Now i found him wandering in broad daylight near a room so i panicked picked him up and brought him home. 

I know they need to be 500G for winter survival but when is the cut off date for that? Does he want to go back where i found him or does he need to go to a rescue.


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## Shell195 (May 31, 2007)

Marinam2 said:


> On my walk home today i found the tiniest headgehog i have ever seen. It fits very neatly in the plam of my hand. Its not sick or damaged in any way.
> 
> Now i found him wandering in broad daylight near a room so i panicked picked him up and brought him home.
> 
> I know they need to be 500G for winter survival but when is the cut off date for that? Does he want to go back where i found him or does he need to go to a rescue.


 
Any hedgehog found during the day is in trouble and needs help. Sadly many mums are abandoning ther babies due to lack of food, he needs to go to a rescue. Keep him warm and feed mashed cat food in none fish flavours and only give rearing milk or goats milk no cows milk until you can get him to a rescue.
Well done for helping him:no1:


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## Marinam2 (Sep 4, 2007)

I phoned the Hedgehog preservation society after waiting and she said he sounded fine and to pop him back so i did. He ate a wee bit of the soft dog food he was offered duck and liver. Had a quick drick and toddled off. He weighed in at 200G so i was told he was fine and probably an early riser. The corridor/avenue i found him in is heavily shaded b y the tree canopys and even if its a hot bright sunny day you'd never know.


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## Andesine (Apr 2, 2009)

I find that worrying and will talk to the BHPS about their advice. 

Assuming the little one was OK, he should at least have been kept until dark before being allowed to go. Most carers would recommend that little ones are actually seen by somebody who knows what they're looking at before being released. 

Advice based on information given over the phone is dodgy to say the least, I've had a number of close shaves with hoglets in the past few weeks.


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## Andesine (Apr 2, 2009)

Marinam, do you know who you spoke to at the BHPS? I've talked to a number of my colleagues at rescues, both Hog specific and Wildlife general and they are all saying the same thing, get it checked over. We're wondering if there was somebody new helping out at BHPS who isn't up to speed yet.

99% of the hogs found out in daylight have some problem which may not be obvious and may not present immediately. Diagnosis over the phone is pretty near impossible and it needs somebody familiar with hogs to be able to look it over and say whether the animal is right or not. Even then, we would keep it in for 24 hours to monitor the output. The only exception to that would be a fully grown female with obvious signs of having given birth recently.


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## Shell195 (May 31, 2007)

Only just seen this, I cant believe you were told to release him without anyone looking at him. We are getting so many juveniles in at the minute that are basically starving to death when found


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