Help how to fatten up a little hedgehog ?


Hi there,  i have 2 hedgehogs that visit me nightly for about almost 2 months and there is a big field outside my back garden and last night i found this little hedgehog,  well very little compared to the 2 hedgehogs that visit me and im not 100% sure but i think this could maybe be a baby.. so my question is how fo i fatten this little baby up in time for hibernation my friends?  Do i need to bring him indoors.. i didnt want to lift him last night and do anything until i got some advice as i dont want to cause any harm by moving him obviously!  Im happy to search this massive field day and night until i find him to fatten him up if need be... thanks guys for any advice.. Xx

  • Hi Pauline & welcome to the forum ... if hoggie is still very small then a bit too late to fatten it up in time for successful hibernation this winter ... best if you can catch it, weigh it, pop into deep box with blanket, hot water bottle & water, best not to offer food until you know it's healthy & contact a wildlife hospital in your area for advice ... St Tiggywinkles would be a good general first contact
    www.sttiggywinkles.org.uk/.../
    they may be able to direct you to your nearest help!

    Good luck & please do let us know how you get on!

  • Hi wendy Barterr, thank you i looked for him or her last night but it was heavy raining and stong winds most of the night here in Glasgow but i was out looking for him or her.. but i know when its heavy rain and windy my 2 that visit regularly dont come so i didnt hold out much hope if finding it, but i did leave food for it and when i got up today it was gone but i have foxes and birds and cats about that would eat this food so that means nothing the fact the food was gone! But i will honestly look for this little hedgehog until i find him as where i found him i had put food at the exact spot the night before as i spoke to a little girl and she said she found a hedgehog 2 days previously so thats why i left food out at that spot and it was like he was waiting on me bringing more food at that spot.. but i will honestly do everything i can to save this hedgehog and if hes under weight i will go with your advice my friend.. and if under weight i will get it the help it needs via your link above as a starting point like yiu said... Thank you so much.. Xx
  • Wish you luck in tracking down this little hoggie & much kinder weather too!
  • My advice would be to quickly weigh it and then put it back where you found it. Then get back to the community and tell us your results
  • Iv managed to add photos of this little hedgehog in the original post but as i said its very small in comparison to the 2 hogs that visit me so im thinking this mught be a baby but im totally unsure as i dont have much experience with hedgehogs apart from feeding my 2 regular visitors to my garden most nights but as i said this is really small in comparison to the 2 i see on my camera most nights... Photo attached to this is of one of my visiting hedgehogs and hes massive compared to the little one i found... Thank you.. Xx

  • What you’re doing with supplementary feeding is excellent. It is difficult to determine the ‘right’ size from a picture, so if you could try and weigh it then that would be great.
  • To be safe to hibernate hoggies need to be at least 450g - preferably 600g. If you want to weigh it your options are to wear a really stout pair of gloves to pick it up or bundle it in a towel. A healthy hog will curl up tight. Please be careful you don't get spiked, also be aware they can carry a fair old burden of fleas
  • Also just want to add that if you are not comfortable weighing it, then taking it to your local wildlife rescue centre would be the best option
  • If your Hedgie is clearly very significantly smaller than the other two you have seen, it is almost certainly too small to overwinter safely. I wonder if rather than weighing it, perhaps contacting the nearest wildlife hospital or as mentioned above by Wendy, ringing St Tiggywinkles hospital which is specifically for hedgehogs and taking it as soon as you see it again to a hospital might be the best immediate action. They will check it over, give it any medication if it needs any, and care for it until the spring when they can release it somewhere safe, possibly even where you found it. Of course, if you are able to give them a donation, that will help defer their costs, but if not, they would take in the little creature regardless so do not let that put you off! Best of luck and please let us know what happens. And welcome to the forum! Hope you come back and explore more of this (somewhat!) complicated but fascinating forum!
  • Hi guys i managed to take my scales out in the field with me where iv been leaving it food for this baby for 10 days or so and he looks bigger already but I managed to get him and weigh the wee baby and he weighed 498 grams so do i still need to get him help or should i try bring him to my garden which is about 20 meters from where i feed him where i have feeding stations and amazing hedgehog houses X 2 and try fatten him up with kitten food as iv being doing or just leave him be and continue to feed as i have.. i tried to grab him last night but he was to quick for me and ran away then he was quacking like a duck which i now know is a distress call... i felt like i was being so cruel.. Thank for any advice guys... Xx