Introducing Michael.

What do you do when you encounter a tiny Hedgehog with 3 legs feeding on bird seed at the Wildlife Watchpoint in the middle of October ?

He certainly wouldn’t survive hibernation as his tiny size means he doesn’t have the fat reserves. That alone means if he is to survive, he has to be brought in to captivity for the winter. This is controversial, as there are those who think that as a wild animal, they should be left alone to deal with whatever nature intends for them. And then there is the stump of bone where a back leg should be ?

Call me soft, but I picked him up and brought him in. It took two doses of insecticide to get rid of a huge flea infestation and Michael is now doing well on dog food and cat biscuits. I tried to see how he would cope in a garden, and was amazed by his speed when he runs. He is without doubt the fastest Hedgehog I have ever seen. I’m convinced that a fourth leg would only slow him down. But the vet has said that the protruding stump of shattered bone is prone to infection. The back legs are also important in grooming which of course keeps parasites down.

Michael and his good back leg

And how may this have happened ? I already have one Hedgehog in the house with a damaged front leg found in the car park earlier this year. Poor Heather will never be able to walk properly as front legs are really important to a walking Hedgehog. I suspect that Rats are attacking young Hedgehogs in the nest and pulling at their feet as they try to curl up in the normal predator response.

All of which means, I have a Hedgehog in a large Guinea Pig cage at the end of my desk, who likes having his tummy tickled.