The Algerian hedgehog is now considered to be a rare species. Its home is limited to the flat lands of the eastern Mediterranean coast where its numbers have been devastated by urban intrusion, means of transportation and predators.

The Algerian Hedgehog’s spikes are smaller and a lot softer than what you would expect of a European Hedgehog. The Algerian also has a longer snout and bigger ears than the European.

Did you know that Eurasian eagle owls overlap in geographic range with Algerian Hedgehogs and are known to prey on them?

Photo credit – Grace the Hedgehog

The African pygmy hedgehog is a hybrid of the four toed hedgehog and the Algerian hedgehog. It is the most popular species of domesticated hedgehog in the world and a very desirable pet!

Where do African pygmy hedgehogs come from?

In the wild, African pygmy hedgehogs can be found across the steppes, grasslands and savanna of West, central and East Africa.

What is the African Pygmy hedgehog’s natural habitat like?

The African pygmy hedgehogs are a very active species and travel large distances in the wild. So in captivity they need plenty of room to move around.

How long do African pygmy hedgehogs live?

Up until around 40 years ago, people didn’t tend to keep hedgehogs as pets. Domesticating hedgehogs and keeping them as pets began as recently as the 1980’s. The
lifespan of the African pygmy hedgehog is around two to three years in the wild, or as many as ten years in captivity.

What do African pygmy hedgehogs eat?

In the wild, African pygmy hedgehogs are natural omnivores, meaning they mostly eat small invertebrates like earthworms, spiders and other insects, as well as plants.

In captivity, live insect food is an important part of the African pygmy hedgehogs diet – allowing them to continue with their natural foraging and hunting behaviour – but their diet can also be supplemented with specialist hedgehog food.

This particular type of hedgehog is found in lowland China and lives in forest-type open spaces. It thrives in long grass and bushes or hedges. As with most types of hedgehog, they are nocturnal.

Amur hedgehogs have similar characteristics to the European hedgehog in terms of appearance and behaviour, although the Amur is more lightly coloured and is larger than the European.

Did you know that the name ‘hedgehog’ refers to the pig-like grunts it makes as it forages?

Photo credit – Grace the Hedgehog

For some time, Northern White-Breasted hedgehogs were considered to be a subspecies of European hedgehog and later a subspecies of Southern White-Breasted hedgehog. It is now considered a species of its own and has been since the 1990s!

The range of the species extends in the west as far as Poland and Austria, and south to Greece, including populations in Crete, Corfu and Rhodes.

This species of our spiky friends like to build grass nests in secluded places. They are very similar to European Hedgehogs, though differ slightly in appearance with their white chest. For a period of time, European Hedgehogs and Southern White-Breasted Hedgehogs were considered to be the same species! The Southern White-Breasted differs to its European relative, as it prefers to build grass nests in secluded places rather than dig a ‘den’.

Photo credit: British Hedgehog Preservation Society

Here at Spike’s, caring for the nation’s hedgehogs is our number one priority. If you want to do your bit to help our spiky friends, you can build a hedgehog feeding station. This will encourage hedgehogs to visit your garden without worry of other animals, such as your cat or dog, stealing the food you provide for them. A feeding station will also protect the hedgehog and its food from inclement weather and offer them a safe space away from predators. 

You only a few simple materials to build your hedgehog feeding station:

  • Large plastic or wooden box
  • Hacksaw or strong scissors*
  • Strong, thick tape
  • 2 bricks or large stones

How to build a hedgehog feeding station:

  1. Choose a quiet spot in your garden to place the feeding station, ensuring the area is in relatively close proximity to the ‘hedgehog highway’ (a small hole cut into your fence which allows hedgehogs to come and go as they please).
  2. Carefully cut, using a hacksaw for a wooden box or scissors for a plastic box, a 13cmx13cm/4.5’’x4.5’’ hole in one side of the box. This will be your hedgehog entrance point.
  3. Next, if using a plastic box, ensure that all sharp edges are covered with thick tape. This will ensure that the hedgehog will not be harmed by any sharp bits.
  4. Turn the box upside down and place your hedgehog food and water at the furthest point away from the hedgehog entrance.
  5. Place one of your bricks on top of the plastic box to ensure that the box does not fall over or move and expose the hedgehog and its food.
  6. Place the second brick approximately 13cm away from the hedgehog entrance point.

And there you have it… your own hedgehog feeding station! We’re sure that your spiky garden visitors will love their new restaurant! Make sure you clear away any leftovers and replenish the supply of food and water every evening. Make some time to keep watch every night and you may just catch sight of a snuffly little hedgehog enjoying their dinner!

What do hedgehogs eat?

In the wild, a hedgehog’s diet is usually made up of invertebrates (creepy crawlies) like worms, beetles, caterpillars, earwigs and millipedes. But hedgehogs can also eat crumbled cat biscuits, or better yet, specialist hedgehog food like Spike’s. Always be sure to leave a dish of water out to help keep your hedgehog visitors hydrated.

When should I put out my hedgehog house?

Hedgehogs hibernate during the winter months and are usually most active between April and October. There’s no better time than the present to start building your hedgehog feeding station!

For more ideas on how you can help local hedgehogs, follow us on social media for tips, tricks and advice. 

*Please always be careful when using sharp objects. Children should seek assistance from a parent or guardian.

Hedgehogs need our help to ensure their survival now more than ever, as numbers in the UK have dropped from 30 million in the 1950s, to fewer than one million today*. We have put together this handy list of top tips so that you can get to know the ways in which you can do your bit to help save our spiky friends:

Cultivate a wild corner in your garden to make your hedgehog feel at home. Hedgehogs love to hide and wild corners also provide a natural food source.

How to help hedgehogs in your garden

  1. Avoid using slug pellets and other strong pesticides if possible. These are extremely harmful to hedgehogs.
  2. Leave a ramp or slope out of your pond so hogs can climb out
  3. Avoid handling baby hogs unless orphaned, as the mother will abandon them. If you do have to handle a sick or injured hedgehog, ensure you are wearing protective gloves i.e. gardening gloves or thick plastic ones
  4. Hogs seen in daylight are usually hungry, thirsty or ill. When in doubt, contact your local hedgehog hospital
  5. Leave food and water out in shallow dishes each evening at dusk
  6. If you have a fully fenced garden, ensure that you create a ‘hedgehog highway’ by cutting a small hole in the bottom of your fence so that hedgehogs can come and go as they please.

*sourced from gracethehedgehog.co.uk: https://www.gracethehedgehog.co.uk/about-hedgehogs/197-general-facts

What is an autumn juvenile hedgehog?

Autumn juveniles are second littler hogs. They are born later in the year and therefore have a shorter time to get up to hibernation weight. An autumn juvenile hedgehog is one which is old enough to be away from its mother, yet too small to hibernate for the winter. The autumn juvenile season usually begins in September and ends in November. Being an autumn juvenile can cause problems for a hedgehog, as it will not have enough time to build up the necessary amount of fat in order to hibernate for the winter due to long, cold nights and lack of food availability.

How can I tell if an autumn juvenile needs help?

Yearlings will need to get their weight to 600g or more in order to give themselves the best chances of survival. It is highly unlikely that a hedgehog will survive if it weighs 450g or less.

How can I help autumn juveniles?

If you would like to do all that you can to help our spiky friends, a good way to start is by providing a good food source for them. It is advised that food should be left out for hedgehogs all year round nowadays, as some hogs will be seen well into the winter season and have been sighted even past Christmas. Through the winter months, it might be a good idea to provide Spike’s Crunchy Dry Food, always ensuring that there is clean, fresh water available for our friends.

If you spot a hedgehog out in the day, it could be a tell-tale sign that the hog is poorly and needs medical attention. If you see a hedgehog which appears to be in need of assistance, take it inside, place in a high-sided cardboard box lined with a sheet, towel without holes or ripped up newspaper and ensure that the hog has heat by placing a well-wrapped hot water bottle inside the box. If you are placing a hot water bottle in the box, make sure that the hedgehog has enough room to move away from the hot water bottle to avoid overheating. It is vital to keep this hot water bottle warm, as letting it go cold will do more harm than good. Ensure that you check the temperature of the hot water bottle very frequently and change the water if necessary. Some autumn juveniles may need over-wintering and the best place for this is at a hedgehog rescue.

Once you have taken all of the advised steps stated above, you can contact The British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS) on 01584 890 801 who will further assist you on next steps.  If you think that the hedgehog needs urgent or professional medical attention, you can take it to your local veterinary practice.

With reference to:

‘Autumn juveniles’: https://www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk/leaflets/L15-Autumn-Juveniles.pdf

‘Autumn juvenile hedgehog care’: https://www.arkwildlife.co.uk/Wildlife/Post/179/Autumn_Juvenile_Hedgehog_Care.html

 

How can I tell if a hedgehog is sick?

A hedgehog seen out in the day is uncommon. Seeing one out in daylight could be a key indicator that the hedgehog is sick and in need of your help, especially if it is during winter time when most hedgehogs should be hibernating. Sick hedgehogs could be thin, dehydrated, possibly poisoned or have breathing problems. Injured hedgehogs may be seen with open wounds, fractures, bites or burns.

Image credit: Bill Fairs

If you suspect a hedgehog is sick, in the first instance, you should visually examine it in order to gage an understanding as to whether or not it may need medical attention. Things you can look out for are:

  1. Does its skin spring back when you pull up a couple of spines? If the skin appears to stay in place, the hedgehog could be dehydrated. Ensure the hedgehog has access to plenty of water if you suspect dehydration.
  2. Does the hedgehog look thin? It could be malnourished and will need a nutritious food source in order to build up its weight.
  3. Does the hedgehog have a funny smell? It could have an infection somewhere on its body, meaning it will more than likely need professional medical attention.
  4. Is the hedgehog having trouble breathing/coughing? This could be a sign of lungworm and the hog will need urgent medical attention.

What should I do if I find a sick or injured hedgehog?

If you are concerned about a hedgehog which you have come across, you should think carefully about deciding what to do next. You should not take a hedgehog too far away from where you originally found it unless it is severely injured, in which case you should take it to the vet or a local hedgehog rescue centre in a sturdy, high-sided cardboard box lined with a sheet, towel without holes or ripped up newspaper. If you find a hedgehog alive and in a dangerous place, for example on a main road, you should move it to a safe location nearby to where you found it. Ensure that you wear thick gloves at all times when handling a hedgehog to avoid being pricked.

If you are caring for a sick hedgehog, it is important that they have a good heat source from, for example, a heat lamp or well-wrapped hot water bottle (to avoid burning the hedgehog). The hedgehog will also need to be kept clean, meaning its ‘bedding’ (i.e. the towel, sheet or ripped up newspaper) will need to be changed daily.

Sick or injured hedgehogs are susceptible to hypothermia. You can look out for symptoms such as the hedgehog staggering around or ‘sunbathing’ (spreading themselves out on the floor in an attempt to quickly get some heat into their bodies). If you suspect that a hedgehog has hypothermia, again, take it inside placed in a high-sided cardboard box lined with a sheet, towel without holes or ripped up newspaper and ensure that the hog has heat by placing a well-wrapped hot water bottle inside the box. If you are placing a hot water bottle in the box, make sure that the hedgehog has enough room to move away from the hot water bottle to avoid overheating. It is vital to keep this hot water bottle warm, as letting it go cold will do more harm than good. Ensure that you check the temperature of the hot water bottle frequently and change the water if necessary.  

Once you have taken all of the advised steps stated above, you can contact The British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS) on 01584 890 801 who will further assist you on next steps.  If you think that the hedgehog needs urgent or professional medical attention, you can take it to your local veterinary practice.

With reference to:

‘Care and Treatment of Sick and Injured Hedgehogs by The British Hedgehog Preservation Society’: https://www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk/leaflets/L8-Care-and-Treatment.pdf

‘Sick or injured hedgehog? What to do if you find a hedgehog that looks unwell’: https://www.hedgehogstreet.org/sick-or-injured-hedgehog/

What is lungworm?

Lungworm occurs when there is an infestation of the lungs with parasitic worms. Slugs are carriers of lungworm and as a hedgehog’s natural diet contains slugs, this is where part of the problem lies. A hedgehog can become very ill due to the amount of slugs it consumes within its diet.

How is lungworm diagnosed?

Some tell-tale signs of lungworm which you can look out for in hedgehogs are wheezing, coughing, gurgling, snuffling, respiratory distress and loss of weight and appetite in hedgehogs.
Diagnosis of lungworm can be achieved by microscopic examination of hedgehog faeces to look for Crenosoma larvae or Capillaria eggs, with help from a medical professional.

Hedgehogs which appear in your garden are wild and there is no known control for lungworm in free-living wild hedgehogs at this moment in time. This being said, you can do your bit to help with trying to prevent it.

How can I reduce the risk of lungworm?

If you feed wild hedgehogs in your garden, make sure that you are consistently and thoroughly cleaning feeding sites to prevent accumulation of faeces. If you rotate the hedgehog feeding site,
you will also be helping to reduce accumulation of faeces.

If you are handling a hedgehog, always make sure that you are wearing thick gardening or rubber
gloves and wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water.

You can also reduce the amount of slugs that our spiky friends consume by offering an alternative
food source. We suggest providing daily hedgehog food and to also build a wild corner or log pile
which will encourage insects and bugs to thrive in your garden. Both of these methods will make our
hogs extremely happy.

With reference to:

Lungworm in hedgehogs

Care and Treatment of Sick and Injured Hedgehogs by The British Hedgehog Preservation Society

Lungworm kills hedgehogs