Hedgehog in Hanover Close

Sat 20 Apr, 08:53

Loving all the sightings please keep posting. We released a pair in charlbury a week ago and one of them is a very chatty noisy one. Do look out for them and let me know of any sightings. It seems many stay quite close to home and 8 have gone back to the wildside locally after over wintering at Hedgefund. We have another 4 almost ready to go, several in outside runs practicing and a couple still being treated at HF or with foster mums. They are released back to where they came from, close by or to Ditchley park. These include Boris (the one with the tummy injury), Kenya and Heggie (the noisy one with the healed leg) and a few others who have recovered from terrible injuries here with us. With abit of help they are amazing at healing themselves. If we can’t help we work with the vets to make them comfortable often in a cosy warm hat or PTS. 

Please please contact us about about any obviously struggling, or out in the day,  it’s abit early or them to be nursing mums. It’s quick and easy for us to check them over and test for parasites and injuries. Just pop them in a box and contact us. 

Thank you all for your support and contributions, we couldn’t do it otherwise. Hedgefund has been totally funded by you and a few small local grants for the last year🦔🙏. Thanks too for Hook Norton vets, Vale wildlife hospital and various Uk rescues who are always on hand for advice and guidance! 

This week we are getting support from an international HH Research group on treating a very mysterious case of a health HH who has over the last few days has suddenly lost 50-90 quills a day (yes her foster mum is kindly counting them). This could be as a result of 7 suggested parasites and diseases so far!! That will keep me busy then. 

Fri 19 Apr, 21:22

Also look out for hedgehogs with balloon syndrome!:

Rescuers deflate football-sized swollen hedgehog

Thu 18 Apr, 23:36 (last edited on Fri 19 Apr, 21:31)

If a hedgehog is clearly in distress, since they are on the Red List,  pick it up (gloves or a towel are helpful) and put it in a box (with some cover perhaps the towel) and contact the Hedge Fund or myself/take it to the vet asap. There have been quite a few sightings of the little one around Tanners Court/Sandford Rise during the day time, it sounds as though it needs a check over. Thanks.

Thu 18 Apr, 17:03 (last edited on Thu 18 Apr, 17:06)

Flora - when a Headgie is spotted in "the out", particularly during daylight hours, and who is clearly in distress, should we just leave it there?

Or should we pick it up, box it in the dark, and transport it to the Hedgepital (I prefer Hogspital 'cos its more alliterative but no matter) for "reinforcement treatment"????

I'm aware that we're told in childhood to leave wildlife critters be, but if an endangered species individual is obviously in such distress and a facility is locally available, we need a finer "line of decision" about what to do.

 Rescue for feeding up? Or let cruel Darwinian selection do its worst?

Thu 18 Apr, 10:30

Poorly hedgehog just spotted - was crossing at Tanners Court to Hanover Close.  My neighbour Mary Gregory saw and asked I contact Flora.  A driver stopped for it and placed off road.

Wed 17 Apr, 12:28

A sizeable HH heading out of Charlbury towards Spelsbury, dusk at the end of last week.

Wed 17 Apr, 10:10

Thanks for starting this hedgehog thread. I saw a smallish hedgehog on Dancers Hill on Tuesday around noon. I was worried it might cross the road, so kept an eye on it. It slowly wandered down along the verge and around the corner into Tanners Close. It seemed healthy and alert, though I did wonder whether it should be out and about in the middle of the day. Google search said the same as what Flora just mentioned about pregnant/nursing mothers, so I didn't think I should take it away. Hopefully it's safe and well.

Wed 17 Apr, 09:10

Hedgehogs are nocturnal. So if you see a hedgehog out during the day it might be sick or injured.  In which case put it in a box and keep it warm and take it to the vet/Hedge Fund asap. However if it is moving ok, it might be a pregnant female or have babies so just keep an eye out for it. It is quite early for a hedgehog to have babies but if it's been lucky enough to find a mate here in Charlbury it might indeed be the case, as it has been a mild winter. 

Please keep an eye out for hedgehogs and keep reporting where you see them and at what time, it's very helpful information. Please keep your gardens porous with your neighbours so hedgehogs can move around and find a mate, and provide a wild patch for hedgehogs and other creatures, with a dish of water available or a small pond with a beach so they don't drown. Thank you. 

Wed 17 Apr, 01:05

Small hedgehog dawdling in the road on Dancers Hill on Saturday 9 pm. We checked later and it seemed to have moved on.

Tue 16 Apr, 20:54

That’s lovely to hear Malcolm. Ideally we release them back where they came from. Some of the longer termers have been released from Hedgefund having spent significant time in the garden here. These ones in the past haven’t gone fair and have often been spotted in neighbours gardened. The last few weeks we have also released 2 to wychwood where we have received quite a few from and 2 to ditchley park. They don’t seems fazed by cats and dogs, maybe they get a quick huff and they move on. But we do get a few in that have sadly been man handled by dogs. Looking hearing about sightings!

Tue 16 Apr, 19:36

My son spotted a Hedgehog, a fairly sizeable one, three days ago. In the front garden of a house on Kendal Piece on a evening but before dark, after it had been raining as well.

He had two dogs with him - who seemed a bit baffled by the wee spiky beastie - but the HH appeared to be relatively unfazed and de-curled fairly quickly as they went away. Got used to Dudley being around in the Hogspital? Sounds like it could be one of your released HHs.

Where do you release them - out the gate of the sanctuary or do you take them off to scatter around areas of potentially good habitat?

Tue 16 Apr, 18:47

Hedgefund have released 4 HHS in charlbury over the last few weeks, so it could be one of those lovely big girls. Not idea for it to be out in the day, they should be ticked up in a nest. One of the girls I released is a lovely snuffly noisy one who you would be able to spot by her chatter. If you see one out in the day at the moment it’s best to pop it in a box and drop us a message here. I will weigh it, check it over and then if ok we can release it back again. Thank you for caring for our spikey friends. 

Tue 16 Apr, 16:28

At about 1600 there was a lovely fat hedgehog stuffing its little face on the grass just outside the window.    Possibly attracted by grubs coming to the surface because it was raining; possibly attracted by the mealworms we scatter for the blackbirds.   There was a possible photograph of blackbird and hedgehog feeding in line abreast near some primroses, for which I could have sold the jigsaw rights. 

Should one be alarmed at a hedgepig being out at that time in the afternoon?   I thought they were nocturnal or crepuscular.   Haven't seen one since I was a student, many years ago.