Britain’s hedgehogs are disappearing at an alarming rate. This book provides clear descriptions of what to do if you find a sick hedgehog and how to create a hedgehog-friendly garden.The hedgehog is Britain’s most iconic animal and used to be a familiar visitor to our gardens. Unless we act now it will soon disappear and will exist only in our memories. Stories from York Hedgehog Rescue Centre help to create an understanding of why hedgehogs are under threat and how we can help them.
Dr Toni Bunnell, a wildlife biologist, has cared for hedgehogs for 24 years and shares her wealth and experience in this easily accessible book.
‘The Disappearing Hedgehog book contains information, plus several case histories which provide invaluable references for anyone who may need to help a sick or injured hedgehog if transporting it to a vet has to be delayed. I highly recommend it.’ Geraldine Williams, Vet Nurse.
‘Brilliant. If you are seriously interested in saving these amazing, interesting little Guys this book is a must. It tells you everything you want to know. It’s lovely.’ Gloria Muir
‘Hedgehogs are fast disappearing from our countryside. Those that survive face a whole host of dangers. This excellent, clearly written and authoritative book gives precise and detailed information of how to make our gardens more hedgehog friendly, and how to help and look after hedgehogs that are poorly or who have had bad encounters with dogs, foxes, or garden machinery. Very well presented and illustrated I would thoroughly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in hedgehogs – and buy one for a friend who should be interested but perhaps is not!’ Westfield
N.B. Postage costs apply to UK only. In order to take into account extra postage costs when ordering from outside UK please order: A minimum of 2 books (within Europe but outside UK) and a minimum of 3 books when ordering from anywhere else in the world including the USA, New Zealand, Australia and Asia.
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Toni Bunnell's Songs, Stories and Music 
Hi, Do you have any advice on getting a hedgehog out of a humane rat trap?
It’s unhurt but will be dehydrated and shocked I should think.
Thanks Déa
Hi Dea it depends on how long it’s been in the trap and whether exposed to the elements. I would take it in for observation. Check to see that it’s eating and drinking normally. Do you have a rescue nearby who would take it in for a couple of days? Best Toni
Hi, I’m looking for some advice please.
I’ve found a very little hedgehog today, he is eating but very wobbly on his feet. I have him set up with cat food mashed up, water and scrambled egg but I don’t know what else I can do for him in such short time. I’ve tried giving him water through a syringe but he won’t let me and has gone back to his sleeping area.
He passed what looked like white circles but I didn’t know if this was due to having milk from his mother. Seems as though his eyes might have just opened in the past couple of days. I’m happy to have him in my garden in the long term and we are setting up a hedgehog area so he can be safe but I want to take the right steps to help him.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated
Many thanks
Sophie
Hi Sophie thanks for getting in touch. Where are you based? The hedgehog needs to be at a rescue asap. It is dehydrated, hence the wobbly behaviour. He will need lactose free milk. Goat’s milk is best. Better still Esbilac. He really needs attention very quickly. Please can you keep him inside in a recycle box with newspaper on the bottom. Can you also contact me via Messenger as it’s more straightforward. Thanks Toni
Hi
I’m just 4 miles out of Durham City. Trying to find how to contact you directly on messenger. I’ve tried lacto and dairy free milk as I’m lactose intolerant aswell qnd tesco is shut but he’s not interested. He’s in a big carrier of straw indoors to keep warm at the moment but i can put him in a box for transportation
I’ll try and message ASAP, just clicked on the message now option and it brought me back here
Can you send a photo via Messenger please to show what his poo looks like. Thanks Toni
Hi Sophie can you phone me now please? 078809 38510. Thanks Toni
Can you phone me now please: 078809 38510
Hi I have been putting out dried mealworms soaked in water for the hedgehog in my garden. They seem to love them more than the commercial hedgehog food that I was putting out. But is this ok. Don’t want to harm them.
Hi Joan we’ve learned over the past few years that dried mealworms can be detrimental to hedgehogs. They prefer them to most other food and they are deficient in vitamins and minerals which causes them to develop metabolic bone disorder. A good food is Tesco dried kitten food: biscuits. £1.10 a box.
Hi Toni,
I’ve just picked up a young hog, 268g. She was running into the busy road in Acomb about 6pm. She’s been drinking and eating and seems well. My daughter is looking after her. We’ve put her in a tall sided box with a cardboard box inside it as a nest. She had a sleep but is now vet active. She seems to small to release so we will keep her until a get some advice.
We’d be very happy to do whatever is needed but are going away on 18th August.
Thanks, Maggie
Hi Maggie can you phone me please: 078809 38510 Thanks Toni
Hi Tony, unfortunately the hedgehog died this morning before I could contact you and get her help. I don’t know what happened as she was drinking and ate some dog food last night and seemed OK – alert but then sleeping lots. We are really worried we did something wrong. We kept her safe and clean and let her walk about to check for any injury and she looked OK. Our plan was to take her to a rescue this morning but now we don’t know what we did wrong.
I’ve found a young hedgehog, I’m in Copmanthorpe, York
I’ve messaged a hedgehog rescue place but they’re in Scunthorpe so too far, they suggested I contact you, they suggested as he’s small he’ll need looking at
Hi Tiffiny please can you tell me how much the hedgehog weighs. You can email me: tonibunnell2018@gmail.com
Hi,
I’m after some advice if you can help.
Myself and a couple of neighbours feed hedgehogs and we all have homes for them in our gardens with holes cut into the fences for them to get around.
My problem is none of us have seen them for the last few weeks ) not too sure how many we have))
I had a quick look in my house tonight and although she has slept in it she is no longer there but it seems very damp . Shall I take out all the bedding and leave fresh out or not and I do have the box covered with a plastic sheet over it so not sure why it’s wet inside also would a cat it them off and make them leave. We are al worried about them
Regards
Hi Vanda the bedding often gets wet due to condensation resulting from the hedgehog breathing in a confined space. If it’s not using the house I would seize the opportunity to replace the damp bedding with some fresh chopped straw. However, if the nest looks as if it might resemble a hibernaculum I would leave it alone. I hope that helps. Best Toni
Just to add that they might be hibernating elsewhere.
Dear Toni and team
Could you tell me if Hedgehogs burrow or dig?
I’ve got a hole dug out under our compost bin, with freshly removed compost and I’d love to think it’s one of our hedgehogs 🦔
I’ve set our wildlife camera up so see if it’s rats 🐀!? I really hope it’s not 😞
I only noticed it today as it’s behind a screen and just saw compost nearby
Thanks
Joan M Woods
Helmshore
Rossendale
Lancashire
Hi Joan hedgehogs can burrow to some extent but in all likelihood it is a rat that has burrowed into your compost heap. Hope it turns out to be a hedgehog though! Best Toni
Could you advise a good but reasonable priced night camera to check what is eating the hedgehog food please
Hi Dawn I can’t remember the make of mine and it’s not written on the side. Sorry. Best Toni
Hi Dawn I’ve managed to find the make of my wildlife camera. It’s Little Acorn.
Hi Toni I need some help please. I have a small hedgehog who I found sat in my feeder on Wednesday at about 7am and it had been sat there since about 4am and not eating. Looked after it overnight and last night really quite active and eating and drinking. I blocked the yard off so it couldn’t get out to see how it was outside and it ran straight into my feeder again. O kept an eye on it but 2 hours later it was still sat there not eating, so I brought it back in. Can you advise please what I should do? Thanks
Hi Katie I’ve just replied in an email. Hope I’m not too late to help x
Hi last year I had a family of hedgehogs regularly visiting the garden then they disappeared I had set up a sheltered feeding station and a nest box for them which hasn’t been used
I recently started putting food out again in case they were around somewhere but the slugs are eating it 🤢is there anything g I can do ?
It’s not usual for slugs to eat hedgehog food, unless it’s been there for some time and the biscuits have become wet. It sounds as if you don’t have any visiting hedgehogs at the moment. You could look for signs in your garden, such as foraging holes and hedgehog poo. My main hedgehog Facebook page is The Disappearing Hedgehog. Best Toni
Could you tell me how you put the cream on the hedgehog faces for ringworm when they immediately roll in a ball when you go near their face?
I place them on a high flat surface and wait for them to uncurl.
Place the hedgehog on a high flat surface and wait for it to uncurl. Then apply cream to its face using your fingers (wearing rubber gloves). Best Toni
Hi
Need some guidance. I have just rescued a hedgehog that had fallen down a water meter 5” pip head first. The house owner had taken off the cover and left it as a death trap for hedgehogs.
Anyway I dug up the pavement and got it out – 24 hrs on it is still breathing. Obvoiusly it was dehydrated and will not have eaten. I have no idea how long the poor thing had been stuck down the hole unable to move.
What can I do for it other than give it water and some cat biscuits and a calm place for it?
Garry
Hi Gary thanks for getting in touch. Please can you take it to a hedgehog rescue asap as it will need a thorough assessment to check for injuries etc. Also to give subcutaneous fluids to rehydrate if necessary. You can also message me via Messenger: Toni Bunnell.
Please let me know when you receive my
last message. Thanks Toni
Thank you for the idea of using a glass lemon squeezer for baby hedgehogs. We had one that was struggling with syringe so we used your method and it was very successful. Great idea.
Thanks for letting me know 🙂
Hi, I have a hedgehog house and every evening a rather large hedgehog has been eating his dinner in there and sometimes having a nap. This evening there is a second smaller hog in the house asleep, having eaten. Do I need a second house for each hog or will they share ok? Thank you, Anna
Hi Anna Hedgehogs often share nest boxes so no need to be concerned on that score. However I would recommend putting out a separate feeding station as well as the nest box. Hope that helps. Toni
Thank you so much for your reply. I’ll set out a couple of feeding stations for them and hopefully they’ll both stay! x
Hi i found a hedgehog this morn under a car. Seems well ill put it in a recycle box while i go to work.
Hi Louise where are you based? Can you get it to a rescue when you’ve finished work? Thanks Toni
Hi, I have two glass lemon squeezers, where would you like me to take them? Thanks. Jodie
Hi Jodie whereabouts do you please? I can maybe collect them from you. Thanks very much Toni
I have a hedgehog 🦔 in our kitchen as it was outside with a magpie following it
He’s not curling up, I’ve put food in front of it,
And just let it rest for a min in a box in kitchen
He’s moving his head , not sure what to do next
Will get your book out of my bookcase for tips
Hi Joan thanks for getting in touch. The hedgehog needs to be in a rescue asap. Out in the day means it’s poorly and needs urgent attention. Where are you based? You can message me: Toni Bunnell
Hello
I just come across your Facebook page and loved going through and watching the videos of your prickly residents. Can I ask what do you use to mark which hedgehog is who. I have a winter resident, in our home she put on weight that doubled her size, 239g to 587g then she went into semi hybination for 2 weeks. She’s decided to get up and is putting the weight on she lost whilst asleep. I would like to keep a watch out for her over this year to see if she stays with our other visiting hedgehogs. The 2 boars we over wintered last year had definite personalities so we could recognise them when they visited our hedgehog friendly lean-to. Thank you for reading my message.
Best wishes
Diane Brierwood
Stafford
Hi Diane thanks for sharing your hedgehog information. I use a small amount of emulsion to create a unique emulsion mark on hedgehogs that I need to identify with ease, while they are being monitored in my garden, prior to release.
Do you take donations just let me know I’ve left information how to contact me William
Hi William, that’s very kind of you. I actually prefer for people to buy my hedgehog book. That way, I feel I’m giving something in return and providing information about how to help hedgehogs. You can buy The Disappearing Hedgehog book through my website, preferably using PayPal as they take less commission than Amazon. Thank you for contacting me. Toni
Hi. We have a poorly young hedgehog found outside in the sun on a pavement this lunchtime. They haven’t taken any water so we’ve settled them down in a shoebox while we get some advice. We’re over in Skelton. Any suggestions?
Hi John, just messaged you .
Hi. Wanting some advice please. We’ve got a very young hedgehog who seems unwell. I’ve gave it water and cat biscuits but it’s now curled up. Tried a couple of rescues places in york but no joy. Fayedixon@icloud.com
Dear Sir or MDam
Some advice please on hedgehog care.Yesterday, I came across a young hedgehog stumbling across my back lawn. I’ve brought them in and kept them overnight in a large vivarium.
He/she weighs 268 gms. There are no signs of injury or ectoparasites.They are bright and active and are eating, drinking, and sleeping.Breathing is calm and shallow.Their weight has increased by 1 gram since feeding last night.
I am keeping them in the vivarium for the time being. But is there anything else I should be doing? I would be most grateful for any advice you can let me have.
Many thanks.
Sonny Tuffnell
Hi Sonny thanks for getting in touch. The hedgehog needs to be at a hedgehog rescue asap as it’s poorly. Where are you based? Thanks Toni
Hi Toni
Thanks for such a quick response.
I live in Bishopthorpe.
Son
Just to add that it is very underweight for the time of year and should be gaining at least 10g a day. Please let me know that you’ve received this by emailing me: tonibunnell2018@gmail.com