| Description |
This page has been prepared for the ""Hedgehogs: Health &
Management" Wildpro volume, and is designed for the
needs of the following species: Erinaceus europaeus - West European Hedgehog
- Hedgehogs may be maintained
in long term care if they have an injury/disability which would be
considered to significantly disadvantage the hedgehog if it were
released into the wild, but is of a nature to allow the hedgehog a
good quality of life if it is maintained in a sheltered environment.
- Hedgehogs which fall into this category may include blind
individuals and those which have had one leg amputated.
- The most common long term care environment for such a hedgehog is a
securely enclosed, hedgehog escape-proof garden.
- For underweight juveniles which need heated accommodation see: Accommodation of Casualty Erinaceus europaeus - West European Hedgehog
- Escape-proof gardens or enclosures may also be used to provide temporary
accommodation for:
- Female hedgehogs with young (e.g. if the nest has been
disturbed), until the family is ready to
disperse. (V.w45, B337.4.w4)
- Juveniles which have been over-wintered in care without
hibernating, in the spring prior to full release. (D89,
V.w45)
- For assessment of a hedgehog following treatment, as an aid in
deciding whether it is suitable for release. (D89,
V.w45)
- For hedgehogs considered to be elderly, e.g. with badly worn
teeth and "gingery" colouring to the spines. (V.w45)
- Males and females must be kept in separate areas (e.g. separate
enclosed gardens) to avoid breeding in captivity. (V.w56)
- NOTE: an enclosed garden will NOT provide sufficient food and
this must be provided daily.
Perimeter:
- If a garden is to provide long term accommodation for a hedgehog it
is essential that its perimeter wall or fencing is hedgehog-proof
(escape proof) so
that the enclosed hedgehog(s) cannot get out.
- Hedgehogs are able climbers and have been
reported to climb even high brick walls. (B274)
- A hole as small as 10 cm (four inches) square in a
wall or fence may provide an entrance/exit hole for hedgehogs. (B274)
- Blind hedgehogs are more likely to climb walls
than those which have lost a limb.
- The perimeter fencing must also provide protection for the
hedgehog(s) from predators such as badgers, foxes and dogs.
- A walled garden is likely to be hedgehog-proof providing the gate(s)
are constructed appropriately. Fences must be solid and of a design
which minimises the risk of a hedgehog becoming trapped in the
fencing.
- The perimeter, including entrances, should be checked regularly, preferably daily,
to ensure that it is still proof against hedgehogs getting out and
against the predators mentioned above getting in.
- See also: External Fence (Permanent Enclosure) Construction (Techniques)
for further information on predator-proof fencing.
Nest boxes and nesting
materials:
- A weatherproof nest box must be provided in which the hedgehog can
construct its winter nest or hibernaculum. This should be placed in a
sheltered part of the garden which will not become waterlogged. (D104)
- A suggested pattern for nest box construction is a 30 cm (12 inch)
cube, with a removable lid (for inspection), waterproofed
using roofing felt (which should overhang the sides) and provided
with an air inlet in the form of a piece of hosepipe set into it
at an angle. The box may be entered by the hedgehog along an
entrance passage, 45 cm (15 inches) long and 15 cm (6 inches) wide
and high. The box should be lined with a thick layer of dry
newspaper and then filled with bedding such as dry straw. (D82)
- Nest boxes and patterns for making boxes are available from:
British Hedgehog Preservation Society Trading Ltd., Hedgehog
House, Dhustone, Clee Hill, Ludlow SY8 3PL, UK (British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS)).
- Plenty of dry leaves must be provided, left outside the nest
box, with which the hedgehog can construct its nest. Hay and
straw may also be provided but it should be remembered that wild
hedgehogs generally build their winter nests mainly from leaves.
- Remember that the nesting materials will be compacted as they are
used and a much greater quantity will be required than may at first
seem necessary. (D104)
- Nesting materials must be checked regularly and damp or soiled
materials replaced. (D89)
- Make sure that there is at least one other appropriate site in the
garden for building a good nest and that plenty of extra nesting
material is provided near that place also, since in the wild hedgehogs
do not always stay in the same hibernaculum all winter and may feel
the need to build a second nest.
- Wild hedgehogs generally use more than one nest (several or many)
during the summer.
- At least one additional nest site should be provided e.g. by
filling a paper sack with suitable dry leaves, hay or straw,
waterproofing it by placing it in a dustbin bag and placing this
under a shrub or bush. (D104)
- Any bag of bedding should have an entrance hole at ground level
and several air holes punched higher up. (D82)
- Nests should be checked regularly (once weekly) to confirm that they
are dry and that sufficient bedding materials are available. (D104)
- Care must be taken not to disturb the hedgehog(s) while checking
nests and in particular not to disturb a female hedgehog which has
recently given birth. (D104)
- A sprinkling of a pyrethrum-containing flea powder such as
Head-to-Tail (Coopers, Schering-Plough Animal Health)) or Rid-Mite (Johnson's
Veterinary Products) may be used to
discourage external parasites such as fleas and ticks. (D82)
Vegetation:
- The area in which one or more hedgehogs are to be kept long term
should provide the hedgehog with opportunities for natural behaviour
including natural foraging.
- Long grass, ground-covering plants, low growing bushes, areas of
garden rubbish (old leaves, twigs etc.) all provide the hedgehog with
suitable foraging areas.(D89)
- Sharp-edged plants, including Pampas grass (which is appreciated for
nesting in by healthy hedgehogs) may be unsuitable if an amputee is
being housed in the garden. A case is known of an amputee cutting its
belly severely on Pampas grass. (B337.4.w4)
Feed & Water:
- Water must be available at all times. If the garden does not
contain a suitable water source such as a pond from which the hedgehog
can drink easily then a bowl of water, preferably shallow and non-tip,
must be provided.
- The availability of water must be checked every day, preferably
in the evening to make sure water is available to the hedgehog in
its active period (i.e. at night)
- In freezing conditions an effort should be made to keep the
water from freezing if hedgehogs are still active. The water bowl
may be placed under a box (with a hole allowing hedgehogs to reach
the water), upturned dog bed or similar shelter. (V.w56)
- Feed must be provided daily. Do NOT assume that the garden will
provide enough food for even a single hedgehog. DO ensure that
somebody else will feed your hedgehog(s) if you go away on holiday, or
even for the weekend.
- Food should be provided at night since hedgehogs are nocturnal.
- In
summer food should be put down at dusk after the flies have gone and
removed in the morning before they are active again. (D82,
D104)
- To reduce the chance of other animals (e.g. neighbourhood cats)
eating your hedgehog's food it should be provided in a protected
location:
- A 16 cm (6 inch) diameter 74 cm (29 inches) long piece of
drainpipe, wedged with a brick on either side to keep it steady,
may be used as a feeding site, with the food, on a fresh piece of
newspaper, placed in the middle of the pipe. (D82)
- Alternatively the food may be provided under a cover of a square
of wood raised on a brick at each corner and weighted down with
another brick to prevent cats knocking the wood off to get at the
food.(D104)
- Food may be placed under an upturned box with a hole cut in one
side to allow access by the hedgehogs. (D89)
- In the wild a hedgehog generally fills its stomach twice in one
night, eating a total of about 71 g of food every night (J180.21.w1). This can be
used as a guide for how much food to provide [note that with dry food
a smaller weight of food is required than with tinned food, but the
provision of water is even more important].
- A daily food requirement of 60-90 g wet weight (18-28 g dry
weight) of food per day has been calculated based on an estimated
daily energy requirement of 90-140 kcal (377-586 kJ) per day for a
500-700 g hedgehog. (B228.6.w6)
- For pregnant or lactating animals the amount of food
required is increased and may reach three times normal. (J213.2.w1)
- Dry food rather than tinned food may help to keep the hedgehog's
teeth healthy.
- Dog food is probably preferable to cat food long term. Cat food is
very high in vitamin A and in some strictly insectivorous species this
has produced problems long term, although it is less likely to be a
problem in hedgehogs as they are more omnivorous. (V.w16)
- Special diets for feeding hedgehogs are available, e.g. "Spike's
dinner" and "Claus Hedgehog Food." (D82)
- Scraps such as raw or cooked meat (not liver or pork), raw
chicken (including the carcass) or cooked chicken, raw mice can be given as part of the
diet. (D82)
- Hedgehogs must be given sufficient food to gain weight ready for
hibernation but not so much that they get overweight.
- Hedgehogs will feed themselves on invertebrates around the garden
but it should never be assumed that they will find sufficient food in
one garden without supplementary feeding.
- It is important to remember that natural food will be scarce in
hot, dry weather and in very cold weather. (V.w45)
- In winter when hedgehogs may be hibernating dry food rather
than tinned food may be advisable as this may be left for several days
without going off. (V.w56)
Safety:
- It is essential that an enclosed garden used to provide long-tem
care is maintained in a state which minimises the risks of further
injury to the hedgehog. This includes:
- Not using slug pellets or other pesticides. (D82)
- Ensuring ponds have gently sloping sides, ramps, stones or other
means of easy exit even for disabled hedgehogs which have lost a
limb, with more than one exit point in large ponds.(D82,
D104)
- No netting at or near ground level where a hedgehog may get
tangled in it. (D82,
D104)
- If there is a swimming pool, it must be covered and the pool
checked daily. (D82)
- Keeping a hedgehog in an enclosed garden which contains a
swimming pool is not recommended as it is extremely difficult
to make sure that the pool is safe and that the hedgehog
cannot get into the pool and be trapped under any cover and/or
be unable to get out. (V.w56)
- Open drains and similar holes/pits must be covered to prevent a
hedgehog falling in. (D104)
- Rubbish including jars, pots, car batteries, loose wire or
netting, oil, paraffin, barbecue fuel etc. must be picked
up and put away safely.
- Consider removing sharp-edged plants (including e.g. Pampas
grass if amputees are to be kept.
- Consider whether one or more steps (e.g. to a patio area) may be
too high for an amputee to negotiate. (B337.4.w4)
Breeding:
- Males and females must be kept separate (except for juveniles before
their first winter) i.e. in separate enclosed gardens, to avoid
breeding in captivity. (V.w56)
- If hedgehogs in permanent care do breed it is necessary to release the
offspring, when they are old enough (about 4-6 weeks (B142,
B261)
and at a body weight of about 250 g (B261)),
into a habitat which is not enclosed (e.g. nearby gardens, if
suitable). See: Release of Casualty
Erinaceus europaeus - West European Hedgehog
Requirements for additional care:
- The weight of hedgehogs should be monitored regularly to ensure they do not
get too thin or too fat. Hedgehogs should weigh at least 500-700 g
before hibernation for juveniles (D97),
700g to 1 kg (1.5-2 lb) for adults (D82),
and should not be allowed to pass 1.361 kg (3 lb)
for a female, 1.588 kg (3.5 lb) for a male. (D82)
- It has been recommended that each hedgehog should be weighed
every three to four days. (D89)
- Hedgehogs which lose weight, and juveniles which are not gaining
weight, require further examination and treatment as appropriate.
(D89)
- Hedgehogs should be monitored to check they have not been injured or
particularly in summer, struck by flies (see: Myiasis).
- Hedgehogs should be checked regularly for signs of internal
parasites including lungworm (respiratory signs) and intestinal
parasites (roundworms, flukes, acanthocephalans and coccidia) causing
signs such as weight loss or diarrhoea.
- Hedgehogs should be checked regularly for external parasites to
ensure that large burdens do not build up, and for development of
baldness which may indicate ringworm. Hedgehogs which have lost a hind
leg, in particular, have a reduced ability to scratch and remove
parasites such as fleas.
- Consider prophylactic worming in March/April and in
September/October to prevent worm burdens becoming too large. Fenbendazole
or Ivermectin are
suitable wormers for this use (both available from veterinary surgeons). (D82)
- Droppings should be inspected daily to check for illness, and
removed. If abnormal droppings (e.g. green and slimy) are found then
the hedgehogs in the area should be placed in separate boxes until the
hedgehog affected is identified, so that it can be examined and
treated as appropriate (D89).
- Hedgehogs which are found outside during the day or are lethargic
and not showing their normal activity need to be examined by a
veterinarian.
B274, B337.4.w4,
D82, D97,
D104,
V.w5,
V.w26,
V.w45, V.w56 |
