Pinned Tweet
When you see a hedgehog out in the day time please remember he's been sick for a long time before taking this last desperate step.
He's dying.
IT'S AN EMERGENCY.
Take him indoors in the warmth and ring a rescue IMMEDIATELY.
Find your nearest rescue here: helpwildlife.co.uk
He's dying.
IT'S AN EMERGENCY.
Take him indoors in the warmth and ring a rescue IMMEDIATELY.
Find your nearest rescue here: helpwildlife.co.uk
204
4,597
5,134
If you are starting to build your bonfire for next week, please remember NOT to build it on the spot where it will be lit.
You’ll need to move it the day you light it, or fence off the building area NOW, to prevent wildlife deaths.
A hedgehog who has made it as a nest won’t th a broom, light the bonfire from one side, shine a torch under, or any of the other myths that you have read from well meaning sites.
They’ll just stay in a frightened ball and be burnt to death.
You’ll need to move it the day you light it, or fence off the building area NOW, to prevent wildlife deaths.
A hedgehog who has made it as a nest won’t th a broom, light the bonfire from one side, shine a torch under, or any of the other myths that you have read from well meaning sites.
They’ll just stay in a frightened ball and be burnt to death.
9
375
485
7,829
Pumpkins:
Halloween is one night.
Tonight.
If you have to waste a food item (and I strongly suggest you don't), please put it out for that one night, then safely dispose of it.
Please DO NOT put it out for the wildlife.
Once you've handled it, cut it, left it out in the t will not be hygienic or safe for anyone to eat.
Pumpkins are a low-acid vegetable, so once they are cut and left at room temperature, pathogens will rapidly grow on the flesh, producing mould spores.
Our precious wildlife do not have any magical properties that protect them against food poisoning.
Additionally, this time of year there are baby hedgehogs around, born too late to find natural food, desperate to eat anything to stop the pain of starvation.
Pumpkin has a laxative affect so it would be particularly cruel to leave it out for starving wildlife to eat in desperation, causing them to lose precious fluids that may make the difference between life and death.
So no matter what you read elsewhere, please DO NOT put your discarded decoration out for the birds or any other wildlife.
Please DO NOT compost them either, as a composting pumpkin can produce highly toxic tremorgenic mycotoxins, which will be deadly if the compost bin is not properly secured and is accessible to wildlife (or pets).
Many hedgehogs, seeking the warmth of a compost bin, die this way every year.
Once you've used the pumpkin as decoration it's waste, fit only for the bin.
Please help get this vital message spread far and wide, to save precious lives and prevent suffering.
Halloween is one night.
Tonight.
If you have to waste a food item (and I strongly suggest you don't), please put it out for that one night, then safely dispose of it.
Please DO NOT put it out for the wildlife.
Once you've handled it, cut it, left it out in the t will not be hygienic or safe for anyone to eat.
Pumpkins are a low-acid vegetable, so once they are cut and left at room temperature, pathogens will rapidly grow on the flesh, producing mould spores.
Our precious wildlife do not have any magical properties that protect them against food poisoning.
Additionally, this time of year there are baby hedgehogs around, born too late to find natural food, desperate to eat anything to stop the pain of starvation.
Pumpkin has a laxative affect so it would be particularly cruel to leave it out for starving wildlife to eat in desperation, causing them to lose precious fluids that may make the difference between life and death.
So no matter what you read elsewhere, please DO NOT put your discarded decoration out for the birds or any other wildlife.
Please DO NOT compost them either, as a composting pumpkin can produce highly toxic tremorgenic mycotoxins, which will be deadly if the compost bin is not properly secured and is accessible to wildlife (or pets).
Many hedgehogs, seeking the warmth of a compost bin, die this way every year.
Once you've used the pumpkin as decoration it's waste, fit only for the bin.
Please help get this vital message spread far and wide, to save precious lives and prevent suffering.
24
594
898
17,539
Thank you so much, you lovely, lovely people, for helping to spread this warning far and wide, and helping to save lives.
Aren't you brilliant?😊
I'm thrilled that this topic is sparking such important conversations, and is still generating broad media coverage, with the advice arious mainstream press and community networks, both here and internationally.
And I'm delighted to see that instead of cherry picking a snippet, they've published my whole tweet, which is really brilliant news.
I’m incredibly grateful to see it resonate so widely, and awed at the sheer amount of kind compassionate people working together to get this important message amplified.
Thank you to everyone who has read and shared it!
I am awed at the uptake, and so grateful for your amplification - you will have saved so many lives.💞
x.com/HedgehogCabin/…
Aren't you brilliant?😊
I'm thrilled that this topic is sparking such important conversations, and is still generating broad media coverage, with the advice arious mainstream press and community networks, both here and internationally.
And I'm delighted to see that instead of cherry picking a snippet, they've published my whole tweet, which is really brilliant news.
I’m incredibly grateful to see it resonate so widely, and awed at the sheer amount of kind compassionate people working together to get this important message amplified.
Thank you to everyone who has read and shared it!
I am awed at the uptake, and so grateful for your amplification - you will have saved so many lives.💞
x.com/HedgehogCabin/…
Halloween artificial cobweb material:
It may be a bit of fake fun for you, but it's a very real and terrifying death for them.
And it's not only birds.
Last year I had my first call of the season of a hedgehog trapped in this horrific fake 'cobweb', made especially for gullible over their greenery, trapping all unsuspecting birds, insects and mammals, including hedgehogs.
The fine synthetic fibers are difficult for animals to see and can quickly wrap around their legs, spines, and neck, leading to severe injuries.
When a hedgehog struggles to free herself the web tightens, cutting off circulation and causing deep wounds.
These constriction injuries often lead to permanent damage or death.
Unfortunately the call was from Manchester, so all I could do was talk them through getting the poor creature to a rescue.
Clearly she had been trapped there for at least one night, and her struggles had pulled the strong nylon strands so tightly that one of her toes had been amputated.
Can you imagine the pain and the sheer terror?
And then seeing dawn approach, while hanging there, tightly bound and helpless.
Aside from being stressed, dehydrated, starving and exhausted to the point of near death, she also had horrific bite/peck wounds to her face, where she had been held there, helpless, unable to curl and defend herself, while a predator tried to eat her alive.
If you have used this deadly cruel trap to 'decorate' your garden, please take it down now.
Please don't be conned by the greedy makers and sellers of this rubbish into hurting defenceless animals.
21
303
744
6,526
The real horror of Halloween.
Artificial cobweb: a bit of fake fun for you, but a very real and terrifying death for them.
If you see your neighbours using it, it's possible they don't know the danger so please print out this simple leaflet and pop it through their door:
tinyurl.com/HalloweenHedge…
The fine, strong synthetic fibres of this lethal 'web' are difficult for animals to see at dusk and can quickly wrap around their legs, wings, and neck, trapping and killing birds, insects and mammals.
When Eden the hedgehog struggled to free herself the web tightened, cutting off circulation and causing deep wounds.
Can you imagine the pain and sheer terror?
And then seeing dawn approach, while hanging there, tightly bound and helpless, only an inch above the ground but suffering slow strangulation.
Aside from being stressed, dehydrated, starving and exhausted, she also had horrific bite/peck wounds to her face, where she had been held there, helpless, unable to curl and defend herself, while a predator tried to eat her alive.
Tragically her constriction injuries were too severe to survive, and poor Eden had to be put to sleep.
If you have used this deadly cruel trap to 'decorate' your garden, I beg you - take it down now.
Please spread this vital information, and help save lives.
Artificial cobweb: a bit of fake fun for you, but a very real and terrifying death for them.
If you see your neighbours using it, it's possible they don't know the danger so please print out this simple leaflet and pop it through their door:
tinyurl.com/HalloweenHedge…
The fine, strong synthetic fibres of this lethal 'web' are difficult for animals to see at dusk and can quickly wrap around their legs, wings, and neck, trapping and killing birds, insects and mammals.
When Eden the hedgehog struggled to free herself the web tightened, cutting off circulation and causing deep wounds.
Can you imagine the pain and sheer terror?
And then seeing dawn approach, while hanging there, tightly bound and helpless, only an inch above the ground but suffering slow strangulation.
Aside from being stressed, dehydrated, starving and exhausted, she also had horrific bite/peck wounds to her face, where she had been held there, helpless, unable to curl and defend herself, while a predator tried to eat her alive.
Tragically her constriction injuries were too severe to survive, and poor Eden had to be put to sleep.
If you have used this deadly cruel trap to 'decorate' your garden, I beg you - take it down now.
Please spread this vital information, and help save lives.
54
1,259
2,088
46,659
@KathyParr101 I didn't realise when I replied to you earlier, but aside from my tweet trending on here, it has been picked up by National outlets including the Express, Netmums, the Irish Times as well as local papers.
I'm surprised to see that instead of them cherry picking a hed my whole tweet, which is really brilliant news.
Grok has estimated that so far 300,000 to 500,000 people have seen the warning, and the number is still rising.
I'm surprised to see that instead of them cherry picking a hed my whole tweet, which is really brilliant news.
Grok has estimated that so far 300,000 to 500,000 people have seen the warning, and the number is still rising.
4
39
87
1,461
Please remember:
The plastic Halloween decorations you're putting out for this one day will be sitting in a landfill for centuries, killing starving wildlife, and washing out into the sea where they will end up choking, terrifying and killing vulnerable marine animals.
Please, be kind.
They'll remember that lesson far longer than any decoration you buy.
The plastic Halloween decorations you're putting out for this one day will be sitting in a landfill for centuries, killing starving wildlife, and washing out into the sea where they will end up choking, terrifying and killing vulnerable marine animals.
Please, be kind.
They'll remember that lesson far longer than any decoration you buy.
7
340
700
8,087
Halloween artificial cobweb material:
It may be a bit of fake fun for you, but it's a very real and terrifying death for them.
And it's not only birds.
Last year I had my first call of the season of a hedgehog trapped in this horrific fake 'cobweb', made especially for gullible over their greenery, trapping all unsuspecting birds, insects and mammals, including hedgehogs.
The fine synthetic fibers are difficult for animals to see and can quickly wrap around their legs, spines, and neck, leading to severe injuries.
When a hedgehog struggles to free herself the web tightens, cutting off circulation and causing deep wounds.
These constriction injuries often lead to permanent damage or death.
Unfortunately the call was from Manchester, so all I could do was talk them through getting the poor creature to a rescue.
Clearly she had been trapped there for at least one night, and her struggles had pulled the strong nylon strands so tightly that one of her toes had been amputated.
Can you imagine the pain and the sheer terror?
And then seeing dawn approach, while hanging there, tightly bound and helpless.
Aside from being stressed, dehydrated, starving and exhausted to the point of near death, she also had horrific bite/peck wounds to her face, where she had been held there, helpless, unable to curl and defend herself, while a predator tried to eat her alive.
If you have used this deadly cruel trap to 'decorate' your garden, please take it down now.
Please don't be conned by the greedy makers and sellers of this rubbish into hurting defenceless animals.
It may be a bit of fake fun for you, but it's a very real and terrifying death for them.
And it's not only birds.
Last year I had my first call of the season of a hedgehog trapped in this horrific fake 'cobweb', made especially for gullible over their greenery, trapping all unsuspecting birds, insects and mammals, including hedgehogs.
The fine synthetic fibers are difficult for animals to see and can quickly wrap around their legs, spines, and neck, leading to severe injuries.
When a hedgehog struggles to free herself the web tightens, cutting off circulation and causing deep wounds.
These constriction injuries often lead to permanent damage or death.
Unfortunately the call was from Manchester, so all I could do was talk them through getting the poor creature to a rescue.
Clearly she had been trapped there for at least one night, and her struggles had pulled the strong nylon strands so tightly that one of her toes had been amputated.
Can you imagine the pain and the sheer terror?
And then seeing dawn approach, while hanging there, tightly bound and helpless.
Aside from being stressed, dehydrated, starving and exhausted to the point of near death, she also had horrific bite/peck wounds to her face, where she had been held there, helpless, unable to curl and defend herself, while a predator tried to eat her alive.
If you have used this deadly cruel trap to 'decorate' your garden, please take it down now.
Please don't be conned by the greedy makers and sellers of this rubbish into hurting defenceless animals.
67
1,217
1,725
37,945
A smile to start your weekend.😍
Hedgehogs have survived, unchanged, for 15 million years.
15 million years!
Just think - our humble little garden visitors once walked with woolly mammoths and sabre-toothed tigers.
They survived so well because they are resourceful, nd problem-solving.
Just look at how this clever boy solves the problem of the feeder being bricked up.
You wouldn't expect that level of intelligence from a humble little hedgehog, would you?😊
The fact our hedgehogs are on the brink of extinction now, despite surviving persecution, drought, famine, and the ice age, is a serious indicator of how just how profoundly endangered our fragile ecosystem has become.
Please do what you can to help these gentle, clever little animals.
While hedgehogs who are healthy and well nourished will have hibernated now, those who are sickly or underweight are still around, desperately searching for a kind garden that provides.
Please leave out a dish of fresh clean water each evening, by your back and front door. A dish of dry kitten food kept safe inside a feeder would be a life saver.(Please see hedgehogcabin.info/making-a-feeder for how to make one).
Remember to leave the leaves where they fall, and keep the edges of your garden and at least one corner uncut and undisturbed all winter, to allow natural food to safely live and grow.
Hedgehogs have survived, unchanged, for 15 million years.
15 million years!
Just think - our humble little garden visitors once walked with woolly mammoths and sabre-toothed tigers.
They survived so well because they are resourceful, nd problem-solving.
Just look at how this clever boy solves the problem of the feeder being bricked up.
You wouldn't expect that level of intelligence from a humble little hedgehog, would you?😊
The fact our hedgehogs are on the brink of extinction now, despite surviving persecution, drought, famine, and the ice age, is a serious indicator of how just how profoundly endangered our fragile ecosystem has become.
Please do what you can to help these gentle, clever little animals.
While hedgehogs who are healthy and well nourished will have hibernated now, those who are sickly or underweight are still around, desperately searching for a kind garden that provides.
Please leave out a dish of fresh clean water each evening, by your back and front door. A dish of dry kitten food kept safe inside a feeder would be a life saver.(Please see hedgehogcabin.info/making-a-feeder for how to make one).
Remember to leave the leaves where they fall, and keep the edges of your garden and at least one corner uncut and undisturbed all winter, to allow natural food to safely live and grow.
28
353
1,214
10,779
If your visiting hedgehogs have disappeared into hibernation - well done! 🥰
Hedgehogs will only attempt to enter the hibernation process if they are healthy and have enough brown fat to see them though winter.
Thanks to you and your kind provisions of safe food and clean water happy state.
Hedgehogs occasionally rise from hibernation for a top up, so please keep providing food and clean water all through the winter.
Covering the biscuits with a saucer will keep dry cat food fresh for around 3 days, before it starts losing its crunch, aroma, and nutritional quality.
Here's dear sweet Anya, who rose from her hibernation last night for a top-up snack, before going back to bed. She has been in hibernation since 1st September.
The babies she gave birth to here in June dispersed when they were old enough, but sweet Anya decided the maternity wing of the winter cabin makes a nice home, thanks very much, and has stayed.😁
Anya's history: x.com/HedgehogCabin/…
Hedgehogs will only attempt to enter the hibernation process if they are healthy and have enough brown fat to see them though winter.
Thanks to you and your kind provisions of safe food and clean water happy state.
Hedgehogs occasionally rise from hibernation for a top up, so please keep providing food and clean water all through the winter.
Covering the biscuits with a saucer will keep dry cat food fresh for around 3 days, before it starts losing its crunch, aroma, and nutritional quality.
Here's dear sweet Anya, who rose from her hibernation last night for a top-up snack, before going back to bed. She has been in hibernation since 1st September.
The babies she gave birth to here in June dispersed when they were old enough, but sweet Anya decided the maternity wing of the winter cabin makes a nice home, thanks very much, and has stayed.😁
Anya's history: x.com/HedgehogCabin/…
Darling Anya who arrived so terribly sick has responded really well to her treatments and is now in tip-top health. She is due to go home tomorrow.
Well, she was....
As you can see from my bodycam footage, Anya gave birth this morning.❤️
I'd lifted her bed box out, cleaned her pen the box to weigh and medicate her when I noticed the wet lid lining.
From experience I've seen birthing fluids evaporate with mum's body warmth then condensate on the lid, wetting the lining, so I went very carefully.
What we catch a quick glimpse of here is a baby she's literally just given birth to.
Hoglets are born with soft white spines, which are hidden beneath a fluid-filled layer of skin to protect the mother during birth.
This is what you see here.
Within 1 to 2 hours this protective skin shrinks and retracts, allowing the baby's white spines to break through and become visible.
From now on sweet Anya will be left hands off, undisturbed in the seclusion of her pen, allowing her to bond with her new babies in peaceful solitude.
Anya's history: x.com/HedgehogCabin/…
25
167
616
5,977
If you feed your visiting hedgehogs, they will leave a healthy scent trail that sick hogs will follow.
So sooner or later you will have a casualty arrive who needs taking to a rescue.
It can be a worrying time, but being prepared will make things a lot easier and calmer. ther will take away the worry, and will last you for years of essential service.
More information: hedgehogcabin.info/emergency
So sooner or later you will have a casualty arrive who needs taking to a rescue.
It can be a worrying time, but being prepared will make things a lot easier and calmer. ther will take away the worry, and will last you for years of essential service.
More information: hedgehogcabin.info/emergency
16
265
592
6,971
I don't live in the middle of the New Forest.
This is a tiny triangle of woods at the end of my road.
But the water I put out there every night is the only water available for miles.
Despite some recent rain, the ponds, rivers and streams are all still dry from the drought.
So with badgers, foxes, squirrels, hedgehogs, and all manner of birds are forced to travel miles each night to get to this water.
It's a lifesaver for them.
Please be a lifesaver for your local wildlife.
A dish of water in the back and front - even if you don't have a garden - may mean the difference between life and death to some poor struggling animal.
Please keep it full, and keep it clean, every night.
Please don't give up, it may take a while for the wildlife to find you.
Every single hedgehog through these hospital doors this year has been suffering from dehydration.
It's heartbreaking, hearing these dear sweet animals gasp their last breath, knowing that if someone, somewhere, only turned on their tap and put out some water this precious life would have been saved.
Our wildlife are dying of thirst.
In this green and pleasant land.
Weather and conditions have changed, and we need to change too, and help out those less fortunate than ourselves.
It's such a small effort, for such a huge reward.❤️🩹
This is a tiny triangle of woods at the end of my road.
But the water I put out there every night is the only water available for miles.
Despite some recent rain, the ponds, rivers and streams are all still dry from the drought.
So with badgers, foxes, squirrels, hedgehogs, and all manner of birds are forced to travel miles each night to get to this water.
It's a lifesaver for them.
Please be a lifesaver for your local wildlife.
A dish of water in the back and front - even if you don't have a garden - may mean the difference between life and death to some poor struggling animal.
Please keep it full, and keep it clean, every night.
Please don't give up, it may take a while for the wildlife to find you.
Every single hedgehog through these hospital doors this year has been suffering from dehydration.
It's heartbreaking, hearing these dear sweet animals gasp their last breath, knowing that if someone, somewhere, only turned on their tap and put out some water this precious life would have been saved.
Our wildlife are dying of thirst.
In this green and pleasant land.
Weather and conditions have changed, and we need to change too, and help out those less fortunate than ourselves.
It's such a small effort, for such a huge reward.❤️🩹
59
562
1,704
15,513
I was invited as the guest speaker on BBC Radio Surrey live this morning, discussing this, and all things hedgehog.❤️
The host was the lovely Sarah Gorrell, and her programme is on until 2pm.
You can go to bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/li…
now, and scroll back to 10.12am, which is my spot.
catch up, anytime: bbc.co.uk/sounds/search?… to hear this morning's show.🥰
The host was the lovely Sarah Gorrell, and her programme is on until 2pm.
You can go to bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/li…
now, and scroll back to 10.12am, which is my spot.
catch up, anytime: bbc.co.uk/sounds/search?… to hear this morning's show.🥰
29
176
738
5,830
Yes, this calm, silently breathing, 703g sweetheart of a boy is Owen!🤗
His airways are still a little congested but his breathing is now silent, so his lungs are healing.
And he's managed to reach 700g, slowly but surely, so his villi are recovering.
(sorry about the 'wind con unit. Yes, 6th October and still so hot down in the south here that air conditioning is needed!).
Owen's history: x.com/HedgehogCabin/…
His airways are still a little congested but his breathing is now silent, so his lungs are healing.
And he's managed to reach 700g, slowly but surely, so his villi are recovering.
(sorry about the 'wind con unit. Yes, 6th October and still so hot down in the south here that air conditioning is needed!).
Owen's history: x.com/HedgehogCabin/…
🔊This poor boy is Owen.
Owen's finder is a delivery driver.
Driving along a busy highway he noticed traffic ahead of him diverting and swerving around something in the road, so he slowed.
He saw Owen, thought he was dead, then saw what the other drivers must have seen - this each time another bird came down to peck at him.
Thankfully this busy delivery driver's heart was full of compassion and he stopped, scooped poor Owen up off the road, wrapped him in some bubble wrap and brought him straight here.
If not for the kindness of this man, Owen would have suffered an agonising, terrifying death.
I'm so grateful for his act of mercy.
As you can hear, the poor darling is in acute respiratory distress, struggling for every breath, so his prognosis is still poor.
But for now he is safe, warm, free from fear, and having every medication possible to help him overcome this lung infection (secondary to parasite invasion).
Seriously ill hedgehogs suffer from hypothermia.
This is a stage of dying where the blood is redirected to the vital organs, to keep them supplied with oxygen for as long as possible, leaving the rest of the body feeling cold.
So the hedgehog seeks warmth.
Tarmac and paving holds the sun's heat longer than soil or grass, so these poor animals often drag themselves onto a road, for the residue heat the surface retains.
Please remember this, and if you see a hedgehog in the road who isn't obviously dead, pull over and check, when it's safe to do so.
70
237
1,434
10,334
It's October, and despite the temperatures dropping a little, our wildlife is still suffering the effects of the drought, especially in the south of the country.
It really isn't normal to see an owl using a bird bath.
But with all the ponds, streams and rivers dried up, they are how incredibly nervous this poor owl is.
But birds need to bathe to keep their feathers in a safe condition, and that goes for our nocturnal birds too.
I've never seen such a variety of animals visit my little watering station.
The situation is dire.
So please remember to keep water out, front and back, at ground level, refreshed each evening with clean tap water.
Until we are blessed with some sustained rainfall, we are making the difference between life and death for so many creatures.
It really isn't normal to see an owl using a bird bath.
But with all the ponds, streams and rivers dried up, they are how incredibly nervous this poor owl is.
But birds need to bathe to keep their feathers in a safe condition, and that goes for our nocturnal birds too.
I've never seen such a variety of animals visit my little watering station.
The situation is dire.
So please remember to keep water out, front and back, at ground level, refreshed each evening with clean tap water.
Until we are blessed with some sustained rainfall, we are making the difference between life and death for so many creatures.
35
379
951
10,195
This is dear little Owen right now, this afternoon, still eating little and often, just the way a patient recovering from starvation should.
I'm so pleased to say he has survived all his antiparasitic treatments, and will have his last injection tomorrow.
But better still - out called!
I had no way of contacting him, as he was working when he brought Owen in and was in such a rush he didn't leave his details, so I was delighted that he rang.
Paul actually lives in Northamptonshire - a very long way from where I am in Hampshire. But he said he would make the trip down to pick up Owen when he is recovered, and give him a home in his garden that is open to countryside, and where other hedgehogs regularly visit and are fed and watered year round.
I am so happy that this dear brave boy, once starving and so gravely ill, will now have a happy home!
He needs a couple more weeks of recovery time here, to build up his strength, but his outlook is bright.😊
Owen's history: x.com/HedgehogCabin/…
I'm so pleased to say he has survived all his antiparasitic treatments, and will have his last injection tomorrow.
But better still - out called!
I had no way of contacting him, as he was working when he brought Owen in and was in such a rush he didn't leave his details, so I was delighted that he rang.
Paul actually lives in Northamptonshire - a very long way from where I am in Hampshire. But he said he would make the trip down to pick up Owen when he is recovered, and give him a home in his garden that is open to countryside, and where other hedgehogs regularly visit and are fed and watered year round.
I am so happy that this dear brave boy, once starving and so gravely ill, will now have a happy home!
He needs a couple more weeks of recovery time here, to build up his strength, but his outlook is bright.😊
Owen's history: x.com/HedgehogCabin/…
🔊This poor boy is Owen.
Owen's finder is a delivery driver.
Driving along a busy highway he noticed traffic ahead of him diverting and swerving around something in the road, so he slowed.
He saw Owen, thought he was dead, then saw what the other drivers must have seen - this each time another bird came down to peck at him.
Thankfully this busy delivery driver's heart was full of compassion and he stopped, scooped poor Owen up off the road, wrapped him in some bubble wrap and brought him straight here.
If not for the kindness of this man, Owen would have suffered an agonising, terrifying death.
I'm so grateful for his act of mercy.
As you can hear, the poor darling is in acute respiratory distress, struggling for every breath, so his prognosis is still poor.
But for now he is safe, warm, free from fear, and having every medication possible to help him overcome this lung infection (secondary to parasite invasion).
Seriously ill hedgehogs suffer from hypothermia.
This is a stage of dying where the blood is redirected to the vital organs, to keep them supplied with oxygen for as long as possible, leaving the rest of the body feeling cold.
So the hedgehog seeks warmth.
Tarmac and paving holds the sun's heat longer than soil or grass, so these poor animals often drag themselves onto a road, for the residue heat the surface retains.
Please remember this, and if you see a hedgehog in the road who isn't obviously dead, pull over and check, when it's safe to do so.
96
259
1,658
18,564
This morning, for the very first time, miracle boy Owen gained weight!🥳
As you can see, he's much livelier and his breathing has improved greatly.
He's still snotty from all the mucus produced from the heavy burden of lungworm he suffered, and his breathing is still a little But once he is calm his breathing is quiet - evidence his lungs are healing.
The fact he's managed to gain weight means his villi are also healing.
Villi are the tiny finger-like projections that line the inside wall of the small intestine, and absorb nutrients from digested food.
The massive burden of internal parasites Owen carried destroyed all his villi, so it didn't matter what he ate he would still die of malnutrition.
It takes a LOT of medications and intensive nursing to keep a casualty like Owen alive long enough for this critical recovery.
This is so important to understand, and so difficult to communicate to otherwise good kind people who mistakenly think keeping a starved hedgehog and feeding him will make him better.
Darling Owen is still my worry child, and will be for some time.
But I am overjoyed to see these small forward steps.
As you can see, he's much livelier and his breathing has improved greatly.
He's still snotty from all the mucus produced from the heavy burden of lungworm he suffered, and his breathing is still a little But once he is calm his breathing is quiet - evidence his lungs are healing.
The fact he's managed to gain weight means his villi are also healing.
Villi are the tiny finger-like projections that line the inside wall of the small intestine, and absorb nutrients from digested food.
The massive burden of internal parasites Owen carried destroyed all his villi, so it didn't matter what he ate he would still die of malnutrition.
It takes a LOT of medications and intensive nursing to keep a casualty like Owen alive long enough for this critical recovery.
This is so important to understand, and so difficult to communicate to otherwise good kind people who mistakenly think keeping a starved hedgehog and feeding him will make him better.
Darling Owen is still my worry child, and will be for some time.
But I am overjoyed to see these small forward steps.
105
236
1,456
10,666
Good rescues are so rare, because it's such a hard thing to do.
Not just physically and emotionally, but because it takes a lot of time and a lot of money to provide this free service to the public.
So having the loving encouragement and willing support of kind people makes all orld.
Thank you so much to those who donate towards the cost of medications and bills, and who send essential supplies - I am so deeply moved and inspired by the goodness of your hearts.❤️🩹
And thank you to all of you who support me by your loving solidarity - whether it's commiserating in the losses or rejoicing in the successes - and to those who advocate passionately on behalf of vulnerable animals subjected to mistreatment.
It's the very best use of our energy and passion.
It's true humanity.♥️
Thank you to Steve M and family, Sue and Ray H, Amy C, Kay W, Phil E, Ian J, Agata C, Jim B, Sophie S, Linda Fisk, Merdalf, Stephen W, Shey, Glenn C, Karen.
Not just physically and emotionally, but because it takes a lot of time and a lot of money to provide this free service to the public.
So having the loving encouragement and willing support of kind people makes all orld.
Thank you so much to those who donate towards the cost of medications and bills, and who send essential supplies - I am so deeply moved and inspired by the goodness of your hearts.❤️🩹
And thank you to all of you who support me by your loving solidarity - whether it's commiserating in the losses or rejoicing in the successes - and to those who advocate passionately on behalf of vulnerable animals subjected to mistreatment.
It's the very best use of our energy and passion.
It's true humanity.♥️
Thank you to Steve M and family, Sue and Ray H, Amy C, Kay W, Phil E, Ian J, Agata C, Jim B, Sophie S, Linda Fisk, Merdalf, Stephen W, Shey, Glenn C, Karen.
31
218
1,012
8,308
I am undone.
Just look at this little kid.
Owen hasn't moved, has had nothing to eat or drink, for 8 days.
And then this happened last night.
He licked his lips, took a few tremulous steps, then ate, oh-so-slowly, for 19 minutes.🥹
What a little warrior.
(In case you're wondering icking up from where I have administered a twice daily bolus of fluids, to keep him alive, and he's in such a poor state that his skin has lost all elasticity.
But as he gradually absorbs nourishment again his skin will recover and his spines will lay flat again).
Owen's history: x.com/HedgehogCabin/…
And: x.com/HedgehogCabin/…
Just look at this little kid.
Owen hasn't moved, has had nothing to eat or drink, for 8 days.
And then this happened last night.
He licked his lips, took a few tremulous steps, then ate, oh-so-slowly, for 19 minutes.🥹
What a little warrior.
(In case you're wondering icking up from where I have administered a twice daily bolus of fluids, to keep him alive, and he's in such a poor state that his skin has lost all elasticity.
But as he gradually absorbs nourishment again his skin will recover and his spines will lay flat again).
Owen's history: x.com/HedgehogCabin/…
And: x.com/HedgehogCabin/…
Poor darling Owen is still critical, still not eating, and only still alive because of the fluids and drugs I'm injecting him with twice a day.
He's using every ounce of energy to keep living, and can't afford to spend any on digesting food.
He has more internal parasites than gehog for many years.
Aside from a huge burden of deadly lungworm, putting him in acute respiratory distress, and a massive gutful of roundworm, leaching any nutrients left in his frail little body, Owen is full of lethal fluke.
Below are three microscopic images I took from a sample of the tiniest blob of poo Owen produced.
These are three adult fluke.
It's very rare to see one.
But that tiny blob contained three.
I shudder to think how many more are inside his body.
Inside each fluke's body you can see the eggs it is producing.
Fluke are hermaphrodites, so produce self-fertilised eggs.
The golden coloured ones are ready to hatch.
Just one is enough to tip the balance and kill Owen.
Adult flukes live in the digestive tract, liver and bile ducts.
They have strong suckers and physically bite into the delicate mucosal lining to feed on tissue and blood.
They literally eat the living liver.
This causes sharp, agonising pain.
Even without consuming enough liver tissue to cause organ failure on its own, in a wild animal whose body is already being starved by roundworms and suffocated by lungworms, that added physical stress can easily trigger a fatal heart attack or total immune collapse.
Owen's life is on a knife edge.
Only time will tell.
I am so touched by all the loving well-wishes this dear little boy has received. If only he knew how many people are rooting for him.🥹
Please do remember to wash your outside dishes and baths well, at least once a week, preferably daily.
It's likely Owen got fluke from contaminated water.
154
285
2,123
51,351
This behaviour is called kleptoparasitism.
Red kites were persecuted for centuries and are exceptionally wary of landing on the ground.
But by waiting for the highly intelligent, bold magpie to safely feed first, the kite effectively verifies that the food isn't poisoned and s, traps, or humans are waiting in ambush.
Once the magpie deems it safe, the kite swoops down to usurp the food using its superior size.
The kite using the magpie this way is interspecific: Stealing between different species.
Kleptoparasitism is heavily linked to high intelligence and cognitive flexibility.
So it's no surprise that our clever, adaptable hedgehogs also use it.
Hedgehogs use intraspecific kleptoparasitism (stealing from members of the same species), by stealth, rather than the kite's scramble method.
Many of you will have seen and filmed this - one hedgehog stealing bedding from another's house, to line his own. 😊(this always makes me smile).
This stealing, instead of having to search and forage the nesting materials for themselves, saves the hedgehogs so much time and energy, therefore boosting their survival chances.
So leaving a pile of hay beside your hedgehog's house (protected from the weather inside a large flowerpot or bucket laid on its side) will help everyone.❤️
Red kites were persecuted for centuries and are exceptionally wary of landing on the ground.
But by waiting for the highly intelligent, bold magpie to safely feed first, the kite effectively verifies that the food isn't poisoned and s, traps, or humans are waiting in ambush.
Once the magpie deems it safe, the kite swoops down to usurp the food using its superior size.
The kite using the magpie this way is interspecific: Stealing between different species.
Kleptoparasitism is heavily linked to high intelligence and cognitive flexibility.
So it's no surprise that our clever, adaptable hedgehogs also use it.
Hedgehogs use intraspecific kleptoparasitism (stealing from members of the same species), by stealth, rather than the kite's scramble method.
Many of you will have seen and filmed this - one hedgehog stealing bedding from another's house, to line his own. 😊(this always makes me smile).
This stealing, instead of having to search and forage the nesting materials for themselves, saves the hedgehogs so much time and energy, therefore boosting their survival chances.
So leaving a pile of hay beside your hedgehog's house (protected from the weather inside a large flowerpot or bucket laid on its side) will help everyone.❤️
22
153
655
24,884