I just noticed a hedgehog crossing the road as I was driving along. Poor wee thing appears to be either unwell or old and frail. Not sure what to do and didn’t want him/her to get squashed so it’s now at home in a shoe box with some cat food and towels.

Should I release it into the garden (risk of coming into contact with our dog and cats) or put it back on the busy road I found it on or hand in to a vet? Am unsure what the right thing to do is.

I can see it has lops crawling up and down its spines. Ewww…. I use diatomaceous earth to keep my hens clean – would that be okay for this hedgehog or bad idea?

by Kerloick

21 comments

  1. Have a look and see if there are any wildlife rescue places near you first of all!

  2. Holy saturation, batman! It’s like autumn’s gone neon

  3. He looks a little underweight. He should be fat as fuck before hibernation.

    Is there a hedgehog sanctuary near you?

  4. *You’ve gotta stop, and think then you’ll be…*

    *King of the road*

  5. He needs veterinary treatment and rehab. Far, far too small to survive winter.

    I would not put anything on it and simply contact a wildlife rescue.

  7. You say it has something crawling on its spines – please don’t treat it with anything. Hedgehogs are famously full of fleas, and apparently they go into withdrawal when they’re removed. I second the suggestion to find a hedgehog/wildlife sanctuary or rehab centre near you if you can. Some will even come out to pick the little creatures up from where you are.

  8. Find your nearest wildlife sanctuary and drop him off for help. Do not try to keep or treat it yourself.

    If you need help locating a rescue near you or transporting him there, let us know. But get him to safety.

    Vets generally do not know how to care for them either, so that’s not really a good option.

  9. Why’s he look cute in the first and dead in the second 😂

  13. Give the British Hedgehog Preservation Society a call for advice on what to do, suspect that little one would need some expert support: 01584 890801

  14. Find your nearest rescue at [help wildlife ](http://Helpwildlife.co.uk)

    You can give it some dog wet meat and cat biscuits (chicken flavour is best) and water

    Put your shoebox in a larger plastic box if you have one and if you need to keep it overnight you can put a hot water bottle (not boiling hot) with it to keep it warm

    PLEASE DO NOT use Dichotomous earth as if it inhales it it can cause serious potentially life ending lung infections

    This time of year its probably a late juvenile and if it hasn’t gotten enough to eat it may be underweight and unable to clear any infestation

    If you can weigh it and let your local sanctuary know

  15. While waiting for a rescue, you can use old milk bottles with warm (not hot!) Water in to keep them warm and if you use newspaper as bedding make sure it is hand torn so the edges are soft- shredded paper can cause paper cuts on fragile hoggies! (Tips from a hedgehog rescuer I once met).

  16. Deffo call a local rescue
    I had to do this a couple weekends ago when I found a hedgehog out in day time and unable to curl up. They came and picked her up.

    Thank you for helping them! 🦔

  17. Hedgehogs are nasty and parasite-ridden, I honestly have no idea why folk are so enamoured by them. Leave it outside your property and protect your hens.

  18. Great shot! They used to be called parlour hogs in Victorian times, as they ate all the bugs etc

  20. He’s a lot less flat than the hog I saw on the road last night 🙁

  21. Girlfriend is a vet: that’s a juvenile hedgehog, indeed much too small to survive the winter so ring a local wildlife rescue to see if they will take it in

    You can use an flee treatment like Xeno or Advantage to start managing the investation

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