Last October we took in a teeny-tiny baby hedgehog that weighed just 250g. Autumn hoglets, as they are known, need to be around 350g to survive hibernation over winter, so this little one was doomed if he were to be left in the wild. You can read the first post about the baby here.
The hedgehog rescues in the local vicinity were all at full capacity so, after speaking with a hedgehog expert, we committed to looking after the baby for the duration of winter. Seven whole months to be exact!
I tell you now; the hedgehog rescues are doing an amazing job. I have just the one hedgehog who creates enough poo to build one of those eco round houses. The hedgehog rescue who gave me advice has 80 of the smelly creatures!
Looking after Lindy (the name we have given her) was quite a novelty at first, but the constant replenishment of towels and the amount of poo I need to remove from said towels, is beginning to get a little tedious. However, I know it’s for the greater good. It’s estimated that there are around 1 million hedgehogs left in the UK compared to a huge 30 million in the 1950’s. It’s not good news. So when I’m scraping poo off towels and scrubbing the inside of her heated box, I feel happy to be doing my bit for saving our beautiful spiky friend.
In three months Lindy has bulked out quite a bit. She’s an eating, sleeping, pooping machine. She's gone from a weight of 250g to almost 850g! She's more than than trippled her original weight.
These are ‘before and after’ photos to show what she looked like when we rescued her compared to what she looks like now. Although she looks pretty much the same length, she is actually more curled in the latest photo. Her width is clearly larger, though. Beefy hedgehog!
October
January
Come the end of April it will be time to let Lindy back into the wild. Hedgehogs love woodland so we are in the ideal place for her to be. I hope she sticks around when she goes back into the wild.
The other week I discovered a wonderful lady, Emma, on Twitter who recues hedgehogs and makes jewellery to raise funds to pay for their upkeep. Her Etsy shop is called the Little Silver Hedgehog, which is full of her delightful handmade silver jewellery. If you are looking for a beautiful gift for someone who loves nature, do take a look at the Little Silver Hedgehog Etsy shop and maybe buy a present from there.
