Category: hedgehogs

Top Ten hedgehog facts

As you know I was going to this post about hoglets, however I thought it was a bit premature as hoglets are born in June and July so I am going to my top ten facts about hedgehogs!

  1. Hedgehogs first evolved about 15 million years ago.
  2. The name hedgehog appeared around the year 1450, it comes from the Middle English heyghoge, from heyg, hegge (“hedge”), because it, well the live in hedges, hedgerows, and hoge, hogge (“hog”), from the fact it has a piglike snout.
  3. There are 17 species of hedgehog worldwide, today they exist in Europe, the middle east, Africa and central Asia.
  4. Did you know a hedgehogs spines are made from keratin. They also fall out and are replaced as the hedgehog grows older
  5. Hedgehogs actually have a tiny 2cm tail hidden under their spines. They also have surprisingly long legs around ten 10 cm also hidden beneath their spines.
  6. Although most hedgehogs are brown there are some albino hedgehogs.
  7. Hedgehogs are lactose intolerant!
  8. Hedgehogs have also been know as urchins, hedgepigs, furzepigs
  9. They can eat snakes and birds!!
  10. Hedgehogs are immune to some poisonous plants and sometimes they lick their spines after eating the poisonous plants to coat their spines in dangerous poison.

Hope you enjoyed my top ten facts about hedgehogs!! Next time I will do my top ten facts about foxes seen as there is one in my garden I might as well write about it !!

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If you find an injured hedgehog

Ok so first, if a hedgehog is out in the day time it is probably very ill and although it may not be injured it needs medical care and attention. If you find a hedgehog out during the day time and it is unwell or injured you should call a hedgehog rescue centre. Below I have listed some numbers you could call:

Tiggywinkles – Haddenham near Aylesbury – 01844 292 292

Hedgehog Bottom – Newbury near Reading – 01635 826 120

Hedgehog Rescue – Bristol – 07971 663 009

Prickles Hedgehog Rescue – Cheddar – 07806 744 772

Wild Hogs Hedgehogs Rescue – Gloucester – 07949 967 717

These numbers are to be used in an emergency.

However here is where it gets slightly complicated. Female hedgehogs come out during the day when building their nests for when they have their babies. So how do you tell if it is a hedgehog that needs help or a mother gathering materials for her nest. A sick hedgehog won’t be moving around very much whereas a mother getting materials will be constantly searching around. When hoglets are around 4 weeks old they too sometimes venture out in the day. So if you see little hedgehogs running around in August or September don’t be alarmed they are probably just babies. Also mothers building nests will be going around your garden and taking back to wherever they have decided to build their nest so if the are wondering around with leaves in their mouths don’t worry the hedgehog isn’t sick.

If you do find an injured or sick hedgehog you must put thick gloves on get a box and put the hedgehog in then call you nearest hedgehog rescue centre. Give the hedgehog a bit of water and if you have hedgehog food a little of that as well!!