First Aid for hedgehogs

If a hedgehog is found in daylight, this is usually a sign that something is wrong. Hedgehogs are nocturnal and do not come out during the day to lie in the sun. Nest disturbance is common but many are more likely to be orphaned, injured, poisoned or cold and starving so your help is essential. Staggering and poor muscle co-ordination may mean an internal injury but it could also mean hypothermia (if this is the case, the animal will be so cold that he/she may be unable to eat or drink or curl up and is therefore on a downward spiral so WARMTH IS VITAL). Even if there are no obvious signs of injury the following guidelines should be followed:

1. Ensure the hedgehog is kept warm, by placing it in a HIGH SIDED BOX lined well with newspaper. Place the hedgehog on a HOT WATER BOTTLE that has been wrapped in a towel and cover the hedgehog with a further towel. Leave enough room for the hedgehog to move off if it gets too hot. However, direct heat is not advisable if internal bleeding is suspected. NB. Electrically heated pads for pets are ideal but not always available.
    
2. Check for fly eggs (they look like thick clumps of pollen) or the already developed maggots in the ears, mouth, anus, armpits and fur. If present try to remove them all very carefully - useful aids are a MAGNIFYING GLASS, TWEEZERS, COTTON BUDS AND A FINE PAINT BRUSH. Aromatherapy oils like oil of clove leaf or tea tree may also help.
    
3. NEVER use cat or dog flea spray on hedgehogs - JOHNSONS RID-MITE or JOHNSONS HEAD TO TAIL FLEA POWDER (from pet shops) is better if fleas are present.
    
4. Bathe open wounds with warm water and seek help as soon as possible. If there is a problem with the eyes, bathe them in warm water or Optrex and again seek advice.
    
5. Offer the hedgehog a drink of WATER OR LECTADE – NEVER cow's milk as this can cause enteritis (Lectade is a re-hydrating solution which can be obtained from a vet).
    
6. If injured, coughing or wheezing or does not respond to first aid treatment take the hedgehog to a vet or seek help from a hedgehog carer. If it is not injured and appears to respond to your treatment, then offer a small amount of meat based pet food or a little cooked chicken (without bones). Continue with LECTADE to drink as this will replace vital salts and minerals and can even be given via a dropper or syringe if the hedgehog is very weak – but only once the hedgehog has warmed up.
    
7. Keep the box, covered with an old net curtain to protect the patient from flies, dirt etc in a warm, dark, quiet place to aid recovery and reduce stress.

TIPS TO REMOVE PARASITES
White/Grey shiny nodules on the skin or between the fur are probably ticks. Paint them with COOKING or OLIVE OIL or TEA TREE OIL and eventually the parasites will lose their grip and fall off. Do not just pull them as you might leave the head and mouth parts embedded in the hedgehog's flesh which may then turn septic.

SUMMER ORPHANS
If a hedgehog nest, with mother and young, is accidentally disturbed, do not handle the young or she may abandon or even kill them. Replace the nesting material and just observe to ensure mother returns to her young. A high pitched, bird-like piping sound coming from a nest could mean that something has happened to mum and the young hoglets are in distress. The abandoned hoglets should be kept warm and protected from flies and fed via a syringe with a feed mix of 2/3 goats milk and 1/3 goats colostrum at approximately 2-4 hourly intervals. Stimulation of the bladder to encourage them to urinate after each feed is essential. For further information see the British Hedgehog Preservation Society leaflet Caring for Hoglets.

AUTUMN JUVENILES
Small, underweight late born hedgehogs will either need extra feeding outside or may need to be taken indoors and looked after during the winter months. Any hedgehog weighing under 450gms (1lb) at around late October/November will not survive hibernation without some help. If taken indoors a warm box and regular food and water are essential. They may also need worming - see the British Hedgehog Preservation Society leaflets The Basic Facts or Caring for Hoglets. These hedgehogs can then be released back to the wild in the spring, see the British Hedgehog Preservation Society leaflet Into the Wild.

THE BRITISH HEDGEHOG PRESERVATION SOCIETY HELPLINE
If you are unable to look after the hedgehog yourself then take him/her to your nearest hedgehog carer or animal sanctuary. Ring the British Hedgehog Preservation Society on 01584 890 801 to obtain the name and number. This number can also be used if you need further advice

Items needed when looking after hedgehogs:

• Small plastic bowl: for use as a bath
• Pair of tweezers: Fine pointed if possible, for removal of maggot & fly egg
• Small sharp scissors: for cutting spines
• Cotton buds: Ideal for wounds, applying cream, disinfectant etc.
• Kitchen roll
• Cotton wool
• Disposable plastic gloves - Hygiene is vital
• Scales: Weight checking is important
• Artist's paint brush: For applying oil on ticks etc.
• Hot water bottles: Vital for providing heat to hypothermic hedgehogs
• Old clean towels: To use as bedding for hoglets
• Newspapers: For lining hutches or bedding for adult hedgehogs
• Syringes or Droppers: For feeding hoglets
• Tinned pet food: White meat flavours such as chicken, turkey or rabbit.
• Dried hedgehog food: Spike’s Dinner or cat/small dog biscuits added to the meat will help keep teeth clean and sharp
• Lectade Rehydration fluid: essential for sickly hedgehogs in shock
• Multivitamins: SA37 Intervet vitamin powder or Abidec vitamin drops
• Washing up liquid 2% solution for cleaning off oil, paints etc.
• Milton or Sterilising tablets: To keep hoglets' feeding equipment infection free
• Panacur Granules Obtained from your vet - for worming hedgehogs - follow vet's instructions
• Cooking Oil: Apply to ticks with paint brush and ticks will drop off
• Arnica Homeopathic remedy for shock: powerful internal antiseptic
• Bach's Rescue remedy: Good for calming down stressed out hedgehogs
• Heat Pads: Available from Spikes World Ltd. Tel 01522 696 467
• Feeding plates: Shallow, heavy plates for adults, jam jar lids for hoglets