Tales from the palace
The tale of Herbert (the Hun).
Herbert was brought to the palace one lunchtime having been found outside at a smallholding in Barmby on the Marsh. The finder was very concerned for him and on admission he looked thin but was rather alert and friendly (healthy hedgehogs should curl into a tight ball with the slightest provocation). Herbert was inquisitive and keen to look around and seemed completely calm and looked at me looking at him. The finder commented on his lovely demeanor but this was a poorly hog. This overt 'friendliness' is often a sign of liver fluke which causes a hog to be very active and rather 'sociable'. I have often been told how cute a hedgehog is when it displays these behaviours but in fact the activity is caused by pain. Liver fluke is deadly and once an egg is passed into the bile ducts there is no coming back for the animal. It is diagnosed by close examination of a faecal specimen under a microscope.
Herbert was settled onto a heat pad, offered food and water (he was not dehydrated so it was safe to offer food) and left to get used to his surroundings, and hopefully produce a specimen of poo.
Then I heard the cough!!! Lungworm has a very recognisable cough, rather like that heard in a chap who smokes 30 woodbine a day. I hadn't seen any lungworm larvae though and so I checked a further two samples..... there was the wiggly tell tale larvae and another treatment was required. Poor Herbert, no wonder he was feeling rough!
Lung worms have to be killed and then they are coughed up (rather gruesome) and the hog often requires antibiotic cover to remove the risk of secondary bacterial infection. Herbert started coughing as the drugs began their work. The medication is said to sting and I figure this is true as directly after the first dose Herbert sunk his teeth into my thumb in protest.
After that he began to hiss and spit as soon as I entered the palace in a rather 'keep away from me' fashion.
Unfortunately the treatments are not one offs and he had to receive a course of each (Lungworm requires six injections in total over two weeks).
I have never known an 'attack hog' before but Herbert turned into one. I put my hand into his hutch and he charged at it hissing loudly and jumping madly in an effort to scare me off. People don't often realise that hedgehogs can make a real noise when they feel under threat and I got the full works.
I soon learned that leather gauntlets were a reasonable precaution and the treatments were duly finished and Herbert ate well and gained weight and was deemed 'cured'.
When he was 930 grams in weight and cough free I decided that it was time to set him free. His hutch was at floor level and so it seemed easy to simply open the cage door and leave him to make a bid for freedom when he was ready.
The following morning I returned to the hutch to clean it out ready for a new admission, but there was Herbert curled up in his blankets fast asleep and snoring loudly.
The following night the hubster decided to put a camera up to ensure that he actually crossed the threshold of the door and indeed Herbert toddled out, explored a little, made for the cat hole in the door and ventured out four times for periods of up to an hour, and returned to his hutch at dawn. This continued, Herbert sometimes stays out foraging and exploring around the farm yard for up to three hours at a time, pops back for a snack and returns to his warm bed for the day.
I remember writing a blog (Number 10) which asked whether hedgehogs were intelligent or not and the answer seemed to be a resounding 'No'. Well herbert The Hun may not be intelligent but he definitely knows when he is onto a good thing.
It says something when my husband and I ask each other of an evening 'Have you let the hedgehog out' ???!!!!
Gill Dixon runs Pricklington Palace Hedgehog rescue here in Howden. Purely voluntarily and single handedly. Please visit www.facebook.com/pricklingtonpalace/ to support her work. Donations via www.paypal.me/Dixon1829
