When should you rescue your hedgehog? professional guide

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Hedgehogs are Britain’s most protected wild animal. Here’s a guide to knowing when you need to rescue them and when it’s best to leave them alone.
As night approaches, our sharp friends can often be seen snorting around the garden at dusk. Previously, the public was advised to pick up hedgehogs in the fall and keep them indoors until spring, as it was believed that hedgehogs with a low weight could not survive hibernation.
Ecologists now know that even small hedgehogs can survive the winter. In fact, climate change is making British winters warmer and wetter, with temperatures remaining warm throughout the autumn, making hedgehogs more active. This means some do not hibernate until December or January, giving them plenty of time to gain weight.
There are more than 300 hedgehog shelters in the UK, but many are too full in the autumn and winter to take in animals. A 2006 study estimated that there were 40,000 hedgehogs in rehabilitation in the UK alone.
Small but healthy hedgehogs may take some time to reach a healthy release weight. These fall juveniles may “bedding block” by occupying space that could be used to treat unhealthy or injured pigs.
When you don’t need help
Once a hedgehog is rescued, it will only be released if it has the same potential as a healthy adult wild hedgehog. A 2019 study by Nottingham Trent University showed that rehabilitated hedgehogs released at 600g during the winter could meet this criterion. The study ensured that the hedgehogs were at sub-zero temperatures when they were released, but otherwise did not provide the hedgehogs with any special support.
This means there is no need to keep your hedgehog in a shelter until spring. That’s good news for hedgehogs, but not everyone notices.
Some wildlife conservation groups trap hedgehogs over the winter and then release them in the spring any time between late February and May. Hedgehogs emerge from hibernation when temperatures consistently exceed 10°C and begin breeding at the beginning of the year. Hedgehogs that stay indoors during the winter will miss out on a critical period of the breeding season.
Some hedgehogs may miss breeding altogether, reducing the total litter size, or may produce hoglets later in the year. With fewer breeding hedgehogs, the population may lose some of its genetic diversity (a bulwark against disease).
Keeping animals in captivity can also stress them out. Wild animals can experience stress, such as facing a predator. Long-term stress can reduce fertility, weaken immunity, and worsen health conditions.
Capturing wild animals should not be taken lightly. Capturing, handling, transporting, and testing animals are all known to cause stress.
So how do you know when your hedgehog really needs help?
When to intervene
Hedgehogs are nocturnal, so animals that are outside during the day in autumn and winter need help. In summer, pregnant hedgehogs may build nests during the day, but in autumn and winter, only hedgehogs that are active during the day become ill.
Injured hedgehogs need to be rescued. They may limp, bleed, hobble, or walk in circles. Hedgehogs face many dangers in their neighborhoods, including traffic, mowers, dogs, nets, and bonfires.
Body condition is more important than just weight. The photo below shows two hedgehogs of similar weight. The hedgehog on the left is a very healthy hedgehog, but the hedgehog on the right is starving.
A healthy hedgehog is round when curled up and has weight evenly distributed around the shoulders and hips. Hedgehogs with pointed tails or protruding hips and shoulders are in poor condition and are the ones most in need of rescue.
Gardens provide the perfect habitat for hedgehogs. Creating areas that provide wild food, such as log piles, long grass, or compost piles, will encourage earthworms, insects, beetles, and other insects to dig. Do not stuff fallen leaves into bags either. Accumulated leaves can attract insects and provide good bedding for hedgehog nests. All wildlife needs fresh water, so be sure to provide a shallow bowl as well.
If you see an injured hedgehog, or if you find it during the day, pick it up in a towel and place it in a tall plastic box with a hot water bottle. Contact your local rescue agency for advice or take your animal to your local veterinarian. You can find remedies at www.helpwildlife.co.uk.
Remember: Hedgehogs that are out at night and look healthy are best left in the wild.
Provided by The Conversation
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