Your frequently asked questions, answered!

CAN I VISIT THE HOGSPITAL?

We are not open to the public (this would require a zoo license). All of our patients are wild animals that are usually very unwell, we therefore try and limit human contact, noise and disturbance so as not to negatively impact upon there recover. Our social media will allow you to meet some of our residents and follow their stories. We are also able to offer virtual tours of the rescue and our wildlife garden via Zoom or Teams.

WHAT SHOULD I FEED A WILD HEDGEHOG?

Our recommendation is to feed wet cat or dog food, or cat biscuit (smaller pieces are easier for them). You can get hedgehog specific foods such as Ark, Brambles and Spikes. There are lots of different hedgehog food brands, just make sure you check the label to ensure it has a low wheat content and no mealworms, peanuts or sunflower hearts in. Avoid milk and bread - hedgehogs are lactose intolerant. Never feed meal worms, sunflower hearts or peanuts, these are high in phosphorus and can cause metabolic bone disease. For more detailed information visit our Help Hedgehogs section for more info.

HOW TO DO I STOP THE CATS STEALING THE HEDGEHOG FOOD?

Feeding stations can be very easily made using an upturned plastic crate or stacker box with arc cut in one side. A 13cm gap should be plenty for hedgehogs of all sizes to get through. Bricks can be used to weight and can be placed 13cm in front of and inside the opening creating a zig zag approach that should will stop the cats getting in. 

ARE HEDGEHOGS MEANT TO BE OUT IN DAYLIGHT?

No hedgehogs are nocturnal, it is usually a sign of ill health if they are out during the day. Please contact a rescue as soon as you see a hedgehog out during the day for advice.

CAN I ADOPT A HEDGEHOG?

All of our hedgehogs are wild European hedgehogs and therefore cannot be kept as pets. They and are protected under UK law. African Pygmy hedgehogs are often kept as exotic pets but these are very different from our wild hedgehogs. You can however sponsor one of our hedgehogs to help it along on its way back to the wild by helping to fund its rehabilitation.

CAN I HAVE A HEDGEHOG FOR MY GARDEN?

Wherever possible we look to release the hedgehogs admitted back to the location they were found. If this is not possible or the location was not safe then we look to place them at one of our nearby release sites. There is an advantage to the hedgehogs, particularly adults, in returning to the area they were found as they will know the area, nest sites, water sources… which reduces the adjustment phase upon release. They may also have immunity to diseases in that area. We have created a network of release sites across Cornwall to facilitate this. Check out our Release Site page to see if where we in the county we need new release sites and to apply.

IS MY HEDGEHOG VISITOR TOO SMALL TO HIBERNATE?

Mid November onwards hedgehogs will start to enter hibernation, but this is very weather dependent and can be as late as January or February here in Cornwall. We would advise keeping an eye on our social media pages for updates and advice during these months as to when underweight hedgehogs would need to be admitted, often supportive feeding is sufficient. Our general advice is that a hedgehog below 450g would struggle to survive hibernation but there is no set date they will enter hibernation, it is all dependent on the weather conditions.

CAN I OVERWINTER OR FOSTER A HEDGEHOG?

This is not something we would recommend and we currently aren’t running a foster care program (other rescues do so if your not local to us check in with your closest rescue). Hedgehogs are very complex animals that require specialist care, autumn juveniles in particular tend to have very high internal parasite burdens which require specific medications by injection to successfully treat.  Stress from handling and noise can cause a variety of conditions and internal parasite burdens to increase dramatically so the sooner a hedgehog can get to a rescue the better its chances. New research also indicates that overwintering hedgehogs is no longer necessary and that winter releases in the right weather conditions are successful and beneficial for the hedgehogs.