Care Rehabilitation and Aid for Sick Hedgehogs

Angela Squires has become quite an expert on the UK's indigenous, wild, hedgehogs and often gives talks to schools and interested groups, which not only helps educate the public about hedgehogs and their needs, it also helps to raise the profile of C.R.A.S.H. Whenever possible she takes a hedgehog with her, seeing and handling these vulnerable little creatures always creates a greater impact than any pictures.
Veterinary care can be very expensive for the charity even though local vets do offer C.R.A.S.H. special rates. This has meant that Angela has become adept at stitching up their tiny wounds and splinting their little broken bones. Even administering intravenous drips to restore fluid levels in dehydrated hedgehogs, is now something Angela can do better than some of the professionals.
A large slice of the charities funds go on antibiotics and dressings although the majority is spent on food. Cat food is the hedgehogs favourite but they will eat dog food as well. It is often thought that hedgehogs like milk but in fact it makes them ill as they can't digest it properly, plain, fresh, water is much better. Although, if you want to pamper these little visitors to your garden, then goats milk is a delicacy they will usually enjoy.
If you want to feed a hedgehog that visits your garden, a shallow saucer of cat food and a bowl of water is exactly what they need. They will reward you by eating any slugs they find on their way through your garden, so no slug pellets please as when the slugs are eaten, they will also kill the hedgehogs.
Don't forget that hedgehogs often hibernate under piles of garden rubbish and compost heaps. So when clearing up the garden in the Autumn, be careful they don't end up in the bon-fire.

Angela is always pleased to offer general advice on the best way to care for wild hedgehogs that may adopt your garden as their home.

Please remember these are wild creatures and must not be treated as pets but if you make your garden a safe place for them to live  they will reward you by eating all those slugs and other little nasties that eat your plants.

However, time is not always on Angelas side, especially when the hospital is full to overflowing with little patients demanding her attention around the clock.

So if you e-mail your queries, it may be a little while before a you get a response to your specific problem. Usually, a pre-formatted reply is sent first, allowing Angela a little more

HOW GOOD ARE HEDGEHOGS AT CONTROLLING GARDEN PESTS?
The short answer is, excellent.
They are without doubt the best friend a gardener can have.
One hedgehog has been known to eat 63 caterpillars, 22 earwigs, 75 beetles, along with numerous slugs, snails, millipedes and larvae in one sitting. And don't forget, the hedgehog usually returns to eat at least twice a night!
You can see why he is such a handy little animal to have around. He will also tidy up the garden for you by disposing of any dead carcass lying around such as rats or mice etc.

DO HEDGEHOGS HAVE FLEAS?
Yes, they inherit them from their mothers in the nest but hedgehog fleas are very different to those sometimes found on dogs or cats. Hedgehog fleas only live on hedgehogs. They like the cool open environment of the coarse and widely spaced spines where it can run fast. If it finds itself in the dense, warm coat of a dog or cat, it  immediately knows it's in the wrong place and drops off to wait for another hedgehog. The same goes for hedgehog fleas that get onto humans, they do not stay long before leaving to find a proper host. If they are a nuisance, you should lightly dust with Johnsons RID-MITE or similar powder suitable for use on cage birds.
DO NOT spray or treat with anything intended for flea control on domestic pets, IT WILL KILL THE HEDGEHOG.

Angela has put together a series of fact sheets, which include a wealth of information on wild hedgehogs and their welfare.
You may print out these fact sheets for future reference but  please remember, CRASH at the Hedgehog Hospital is a charity that cannot continue without donations from members of the public.