Qniefed 101: A Complete Guide To What You Should Do When You Find A Hedgehog In Malta
Of the few wild animals found in Malta, the Algerian hedgehog is surely one of the most beloved species our island’s fauna is blessed with.
Unfortunately, hedgehogs are often in need of help, and this could be due to many reasons, such as losing their mother, having an infestation of some kind, or suffering from an injury.
Many times, a kind-hearted person would have attempted to help the distressed hedgehog, but without proper knowledge, what was intended as help could be detrimental to the hedgehog.
Lovin Malta teamed up with Angelique from Nature Trust, which is also responsible for the Wildlife Rescue Team to learn more about what should be done.
Here are some very basic situations where the hedgehogs would definitely need Nature Trust’s assessment and help:
1. Hoglets on their own crying
If it’s a single hoglet, we definitely need to pick it up as soon as possible. They lose body heat very easily and if it’s on its own, it either got abandoned by the mum or got lost or washed out. If it’s a nest, then we monitor to see if mum returns.
Our advice: Do not touch and move a few metres away. Mum needs to go look for food, so if it’s a full nest, it probably means the mum will soon come back. Never ever give cow’s milk.
Hoglets are lactose intolerant and normal milk can actually kill them. At most, provide a heat source, such as a hot water bottle, and monitor from far till we arrive.
2. Hedgehogs of any age out in daylight
Hedgehogs are nocturnal. If they are out when the sun is out, something is wrong and needs to be assessed.
3. Hedgehogs with obvious injuries or bleeding
Injuries could include flystrike, such as fly eggs or maggots, or the hedgehog appearing to be walking funny.
All these are emergencies where the hedgehog would need to go straight to the vet.
4. Hedgehogs stuck in everyday items, from fences to drinking cans and plastic
We would need to assess if the entanglement caused wounds that need to be treated and to assess for any internal damage.
What do healthy hedgehogs look like?
Hedgehogs out at night that are walking in a normal way may decide to act dead when someone goes next to them.
That is a form of defence mechanism, as the hedgehogs think that “if I don’t move, they’ll think I’m dead and move on”.
Unless it’s an extremely busy road, these hedgehogs should be left to continue on their merry way. If they’re injured, then they will need assistance.
In spring and summer, the Wildlife Rescue Team get a number of calls for hedgehogs with strimmer injuries.
These are usually horrible injuries and although the team tries their very best, they unfortunately rarely manage to save these hedgehogs.
If you encounter a hedgehog which you think needs help (according to this criteria) it’s extremely important to call the Wildlife Rescue Team on 99999505
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