Before rescuing a hedgehog you need to be sure that it does indeed need rescuing. As a rule hedgehogs are nocturnal and only the sick, injured or abandoned ones are seen out in the day.
There are some occasions when a healthy hedgehog may be out in daylight but there is a marked difference between a sick and a healthy hedgehog. A sick one may be lying motionless with no attempt to run away or hide itself, flies may be landing on it and it may be making unusual noises or breathing heavily. Hedgehogs suffering from hypothermia tend to wobble or stagger as if they are drunk. A healthy hedgehog would be going about its own business. A healthy hedgehog can be out in the day for a number of reasons, it may be blind, it may have been disturbed (has a neighbour been tidying their garden), a female may make last minute additions to her nest just before giving birth and may be seen collecting bedding for the nest, sometimes she may also suckle her young away from the nest. Sometimes hoglets wander out of their nest to explore and perhaps look for some extra food again there is a difference between a healthy "busy" hedgehog and one that is poorly. Baby hedgehogs squeak very loudly when they are distressed, any with their eyes sealed shut should not be out of the nest.
If you are not sure whether the hedgehog needs rescuing give us a call for advice but if possible leave someone to keep an eye on the hedgehog so it can be found again.
If you disturb a hedgehog in its nest try to replace the nesting material, use gloves so that you do not leave too much of your scent about the nest. If the hedgehog has babies it is very important that you do not keep disturbing her as she may abandon them or in some cases kill them. The mother is likely to move her litter over the next few days and if you can put out food for her she can concentrate on the move rather than on searching for food as well. See our booklet in the About them section for suggestions on keeping cats from getting at the food.
If the hedgehog does need rescuing it should be placed in a high sided box (they are good climbers) with a thick layer of newspaper in the bottom and some plain, light coloured bedding eg towels (we suggest plain light bedding because this will show up any blood or pus etc). To pick the hedgehog up, use gardening gloves or a small towel. If it wobbles or is cold (if you do not mind touch its tummy to see if it is cold) then it will need a hot water bottle. Cover the bottle with a towel put the hedgehog on the towel and put another towel over the hedgehog. If you do not have a hot water bottle use some plastic bottles filled with hot water, a margarine tub or ice cream carton again filled with water and with a lid on top then cover this as with the hot water bottle. The water will need to be changed ever few hours as it will become cold. If the hedgehog is an adult it can be offered some dog or cat food and some water. If it is a youngster then it may need a special milk replacement and a lot of care - see our Rearing Hoglets booklet in the REHAB section of this site. If you are not sure how old it is weigh it and then contact a hedgehog carer.
Check the hedgehog for any injuries. If the hedgehog smells "off" then it may have an infected wound and perhaps even maggots. Check for fly eggs and maggots - see our gallery for pictures (link to gallery picture of eggs and maggots). If he has fleas do not use a dog or cat spray to get rid of them as this may be too strong, use a powder that is safe to use on birds to remove lice and mites as this should also sort the fleas.
You will need to contact someone to take care of the hedgehog or seek veterinary advice if you want to care for it yourself. See our booklet in the About them section for feeding suggestions. You will need to remember that not all vets are willing to treat wildlife and in some cases may never have treated one before. If you are in any doubt of your ability to look after the hedgehog please do contact a carer asap as the more time wasted the less chance the hedgehog has of surviving. Even if you are able to care for it yourself it is advisable to contact a local carer who may be able to give you some advice on its general care.
However Prevention is better than cure and our booklet in the About them section provides a few ideas on making your garden safer for hedgehogs.
