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Hedgehog Helpline.
Have you found an injured, ill or young hedgehog? The best thing you can do is to ring and ask for advice from a professional. Follow the instructions below provided by Secret World Wildlife Rescue and contact your nearest vet or rescue centre.
Carefully place the animal in a box with non-slip bedding like a clean towel, which will help it stay warm. Use a box with a lid so it can’t escape – and remember to put holes in the top to allow your casualty to breathe!
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Keep your casualty somewhere warm, dark and quiet. If the container is clear, cover it with a towel or blanket as this will help keep the animal calm. Remember this is going to be a stressful experience for him/her!
Don’t worry about feeding your casualty. You may be advised to leave a small shallow dish of water in the box/container, but this may depend on the condition of the animal and whether help is going to arrive quickly.
Be a Wildlife saver: if you need to contain an injured animal, remember – warmth, dark, quiet!
Nearest wildlife rescue centres and veterinary surgeries.
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Hoglets hedgehog Rescue – 07712673563/07552078364 WATCHET HEDGEHOGS | Facebook
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Secret World Wildlife Rescue - 01278 783250 Home Page - Secret World Wildlife Rescue
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British Hedgehog Preservation society - 01584 890801 Found a hedgehog? - The British Hedgehog Preservation Society (britishhedgehogs.org.uk)
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RSPCA Westhatch Animal Centre - 0300 1234 999 West Hatch Wildlife Centre - Home - rspca.org.uk - RSPCA
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Hedgehog Rescue - 07971 663009 http://hedgehogrescue.info
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White Lodge Vet Clinic – Williton 01984 634013 / White Lodge Vet Clinic – Minehead - 01643703649 White Lodge Vets. First class veterinary care for Companion, Equine & Farm (whitelodgevetclinic.co.uk)
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Glenmore House Veterinary Surgery - 01643703175 Glenmore House Veterinary Surgery - Find A Vet (rcvs.org.uk)
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Quantock Vets Nether Stowey Branch – 01278 450080 Nether Stowey Veterinary Practice in Somerset (quantockvets.co.uk)
Hibernation Advice.
Sometimes on mild winter days hedgehogs may wake up form hibernation to move nest sites or forage for food. However, it is sometimes difficult for people to tell the difference between an underweight hedgehog and one that is healthy and occasionally active.
To help with this, the RSPCA has compiled a hedgehog weight guide based on fruit sizes.
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If a hedgehog is mango or apple-sized, then it requires specialist care at a wildlife centre. If a hedgehog is pineapple-sized, it has enough fat stored to survive the winter. © RSPCA