Horncastle Hedgehog Rescue share advice on looking after hedgehogs this autumn

Horncastle Hedgehog Rescue, run by mum and daughter team Liz and Jess Brookes, always see a huge spike in the numbers of hedgehogs taken into their care during the colder winter months.

They’ve teamed up with the Horncastle News to share their best advice on looking after hedgehogs this autumn and winter.

If you see a hedgehog – which are nocturnal animals – wandering around in the daytime, this isn’t good news and they are likely to be ill, as Liz explained:

"If you see one at dusk, that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re ill as some do wake up a bit earlier,” she said, “But if you see one during daylight hours, they’ve got to come in as soon as possible as they’re more than likely poorly.”

If you can, take the hedgehog to a rescue centre right away as they will need some urgent care.

If you cannot get your poorly hedgehog to a rescue straight away, you can put him in a box, give him some cat food and water and place a towel in there to keep him warm, and call a rescue centre for advice.

This year, Liz said, there have been a lot of hedgehogs struggling as we had such a long, hot summer which means there have been less slugs and insects for hedgehogs to eat, and as a result a lot of the little spiky critters waking up starving.

But there are ways that you can help the hedgehogs in your garden to thrive, as Liz explains:"You can make a ‘hedgehog highway’ for hedgehogs to come and go, and also don’t have your garden looking immaculate – you can also leave an area of your garden to grow wild to give them places to hide and attract insects for them to eat,” she said.

"You can also buy special hedgehog food you can leave out for them, and kitten food is a good alternative.”

Eager to dispel some myths around hedgehog care that have been circulating online, Liz said a shallow dish of water left out for hedgehogs should not cause them to drown as long as it is not a deep dish.

But one that is true is that pumpkins are bad for hedgehogs’ tummies and should not be left where they can easily get at them.

You should also not give hedgehogs mealworms as these are bad for their bones, neither should hedgehogs be fed bread and milk as these are also bad for them.

As Bonfire Night is coming up, Liz is urging people who will be hosting bonfires to make sure they check their bonfire stacks for hedgehogs before they light them, as a large, dark space such as this will attract sleepy hedgehogs.

Horncastle Hedgehog Rescue cares for hedgehogs in Horncastle and the surrounding areas including Wragby, Skegness and Boston.

To report a poorly hedgehog to the rescue, contact Liz and Jess on [email protected] or call 07715 964346.

You can also find out more at https://www.horncastlehedgehogrescue.co.uk/