Not every hedgehog needs rescuing....
but every rescue must be appropriate
A love of animals on its own is not enough to help a hedgehog in trouble. If you find a hedgehog you should get in touch with a hedgehog rescue centre and/or a vet at once.
Pro Igel
First off don't panic. Hopefully you now have the hedgehog somewhere safe, warm and quiet. Somewhere it can't escape from. If not, please go and get it.
Handling a hedgehog
Hedgehogs have spines and they can be very sharp. If your animal is curled then you will need to wear some thick gardening gloves or get a couple of towels to lift it without getting spiked.
If the animal is uncurled you can slip your hand under its tummy and lift that way but be warned, it may then curl round your fingers which can be equally painful. Please try not to drop it.
Emergency housing
Once you have your hog, place it in a deep box or cat basket, something it can't escape from. It's usually an idea to put some newspaper down first to soak up any little accidents. If the hog feels cold to the touch, provide heat. This can be in the form of a heat pad, hot water bottle or leakproof drinks bottle. Wrap it in a towel and place it at the bottom of the box. Place the hog on it and cover both with a towel or fleece. Make sure there is room for the hog to get off the heat if it gets too warm.
Get help
What you do depends on the condition of the hog.
If the hedgehog is injured, lifeless or screaming:
URGENT intervention is required. Please do not hang around with this one, a few minutes can literally make the difference between life and death.
- Phone or take the animal to your nearest rescue or vet immediately. If one place doesn't answer the phone, call another, time is of the essence.
- Any local vet should take the animal and treat it under their RCVS Code of Practice.
- The RSPCA. Phone them as a last resort if you have exhausted all other avenues.
If the hedgehog is mobile and appears uninjured:
Most hedgehogs out during the day have a problem. Don't assume that because you can't see anything wrong that there isn't. Rescues and carers will check the hog over thoroughly and keep it for a while to monitor it. If there genuinely is nothing wrong and it's just been disturbed from its sleeping place, the animal will be released and carry on as if nothing happened.
- Phone your nearest rescue. We are in Thatcham, West Berkshire. We will happily take an animal if you can get it to us but there may be somebody closer. Please see the Carers list
- Any local vet should take the animal, check it over and treat it under their RCVS Code of Practice.
- If all else fails and you have the room, and the confidence, you could look after the animal yourself. For advice visit the information pages on this site, the BHPS web site or The Hedgehog Forums. Don't panic about fleas, just have a read of our Myths and Legends page.
Other reasons for rescue
We are now beginning to see exotic Hedgehogs, bred for the pet market, being abandoned or thrown out into the wild. These animals cannot survive on their own. If you see a hedgehog that is any combination of the following:
- A different colour -
- pale colouring
- all white
- completely white underbelly
- blonde
- Very large ears
- Pink eyes
at any time of the day or night, please pick it up and take it to a rescue centre, not a vet/RSPCA who may not know what it is they're looking at. The only exception to that is if the animal is injured in any way in which case follow the guidelines above
The exotics are obviously different to somebody who regularly works with our wild species and they should have contacts with specialist carers.
If you want to see what these animals look like, please check out the video on the right hand side of this page.
