and give them a quick jerk. Then the
hedgehog normally comes out. One big
problem is when they are trying to res-
cue themselves.
"They can scratch and scratch, until
they've worn away their claws and they
can take four to eight weeks to regrow.
They are big, healthy hedgehogs, but
they need their claws or they can't dig
for food."
And Vanessa gives advice for garden-
ers.
"Garden strimmers are lethal.
Hedgehogs lose noses, lose legs with
them. And in autumn, it's the garden
bonfires that are a nightmare.
You really shouldn't build a bonfire
until the day it's being lit. One lady
from Randalstown told us she'd put a
match to her bonfire, then she heard a
squeal, so she threw water over it. It
wasn't until a week later that a badly
burned hedgehog appeared in her gar-
den.
"Its spines were burnt and it had a
hole in its back. We gave it a body scrub
to remove the dead spines, put oint-
ment on it two or three times a day and
after four months, it was safely on its
way back to Randalstown. Hedgehogs
can suffer the most horrific injuries and
recover. I've seen exposed skulls and
bones sticking out of legs and they sur-
vive."
People need to take care, though, if
they want to feed a hedgehog.
"Don't give them milk," says Vanessa.
"They are lactose-intolerant. You
should give them goat milk, not cow
milk. We buy a special milk formula
called Esbilac. It's nearly �30 a tin. We
start them on formula, then onto a
paste, kitten food, puppy food and
finally dog food.
"So if you don't fancy feeding them
slugs or worms, their
natural preference, dog
or cat food is good."
And don't get preoc-
cupied about hedgehog
fleas, adds Vanessa.
"Fleas are a sign that
hedgehogs are ill. They
will not live on any
other animal. Some
people seem to associ-
ate hedgehogs with
fleas, but there are
actually more fleas on
domestic pets."
Although hedge-
hogs are still not an
endangered species
here, the Reavys
have noticed a
decline in their num-
bers, says Nigel.
"A hedgehog can
have up to eight
babies, but this
year, there are far
less. We've seen
twos or threes, or even some with
only one baby. That's a first. Normally
there would be sevens or sixes. There
may be millions of hedgehogs in
Northern Ireland, but there is a high
mortality rate. Fifty per cent of babies
born don't survive."
And the average bystander shouldn't
intervene unless they are sure that
hedgehog babies have been abandoned.
"Babies will cry and squeak like little
kittens, but you shouldn't touch them
unless the babies cry. That probably
means their mum isn't coming back."
So what's next for the hedgehog-crazy
couple at the Happy Hedgehog Centre?
They plan on spending some quality
time with humans, and in particular
their
toddler grandson and Vanessa might
think about getting her hedgehog
poems published.
One of them invites hedgehogs into
her shed to build a nest "where it's cosy
and warm and all"
but it does-
n't misin-
terpret
their
ultimate mission for the wildlife.
"Won't it be great when we celebrate,
the day you return to the wild?"
And doubtless Vanessa and Nigel will
be doing a little celebration of their
own, when their last prickly baby
is given its final night feed.
Autumn 2009 | COUNTRY EYE 15
... bring their own problems

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