Education
One of our key aims as a charity is to inspire learning and conservation through improving the knowledge and understanding of hedgehogs through talks, workshops and online engagement.
If you would like to request a talk please click here and we will get back to you with more information. The vast majority of our talks are delivered remotely from the rescue via Teams or Zoom. This allows us to reach groups, schools and people all over the UK and gives you a behind the scenes look at the rescue.
How we hand raise our hoglets
It takes a lot to hand raise a hoglet.
When a rescued hoglet arrives at Prickles and Paws they are assessed by the team, given a name and started on the treatment plan! Those under 2 weeks old will go straight into incubators with a fleece pocket, a soft toy and those without siblings, a heartbeat simulator.
Some hoglets need antibiotics for pneumonia and most need rehydrating with a specialist formula solution that doesn’t include milk because, if you didn’t know, hedgehogs are lactose intolerant!
Some older hoglets may need to have ticks removed or start treatment for ringworm.
When they’re really small Hoglets need feeding every 2 hours and also help from the team with toileting! Their mums normally do this until they’re about 3 weeks old!
We keep handling to a minimum so they don’t become used to people and as soon as they are placed on natural surfaces Everything else they learn is instinct,
Feeding wild hedgehogs
When it comes to feeding wild hedgehogs you’ve got to keep it simple, they’re wild after all! If you want to start helping hedgehogs in your garden, the first thing your should offer them is a shallow dish of water, they’ve got to stay hydrated!
Any food you put out for a wild hedgehog will be in addition to their normal diet of beetles, caterpillars and worms. So when choosing food for you wild hedgehogs Think high protein, Low sugar and low wheat.
Cat or kitten biscuits tend to be highest in protein but puppy or dog kibble can also good enough! Wet cat and dog food is also palatable for hogs! You can buy hedgehog food but be sure to check their nutritional content as they aren’t currently regulated! Our favourite brand is Brambles.
Controversially meal worms don’t have nutritional value for hedgehogs and it is thought that they could be linked to the development of metabolic bone disease which can be fatal in hogs. So if you want to help the hogs in your garden, stick to high protein, low sugar, low wheat pet foods and always a shallow dish of water!