Captive or Pet Hedgehogs

We are noticing an increasing trend for people wanting to keep captive or pet hedgehogs. This is not something we recommend or approve of in normal circumstances.

Hedgehogs are wild animals and do not take well to being kept in captivity in a garden. A normal hedgehog will travel about 2 or 3 kilometres every night, looking for food or exploring. To keep a healthy hedgehog confined in a small space or garden is cruel and many just give up and die, they need the stimulation of the hunt and feel the need to explore in order to prosper.

One of the main reasons people tell us they want a hedgehog is to keep down the slugs and snails. This is not a good reason to confine a hedgehog. If you have a suitable garden with good access for hedgehogs and provide the right sort of facilities as shown on the garden page, a hedgehog or several hedgehogs will find you.

Slugs & Snails

Traditionally people have had the idea that hedgehogs live almost totally on slugs and snails.

This is wrong information and a hedgehog that is forced to rely on that diet will very soon die. These slugs and snails are the primary carriers for the lung worm which is one of the biggest killers of hedgehogs in an urban environment.

When the lungworms breed inside the hedgehog they start to eat away the hedgehogs lung and the hedgehog either dies from drowning due to the build up of fluid in the lungs (Pneumonia) or dies when the lungs bleed due to the lungworms.

in fact a hedgehog will not eat slugs if other food is available.

Another reason is that many people see a cuddly image on a card or healthy hedgehog picture on a website. Unfortunately it's not like this in real life, a lot of hedgehogs come to us in very poor condition and it takes months of work and treatment to get them looking beautiful.

The only reason to keep a hedgehog confined to a secure enclosed garden is if it is unable to fend for itself, for example a blind or disabled hedgehog.

Keeping a disabled hedgehog in a confined garden is a big responsibilty, they need feeding every day, fresh water every day. A house provided for it, that needs cleaning frequently. They become your pet and need to be treated if ill or injured, taken to the vet for regular checks and dewormed frequently.

A hedgehog in a confined garden will clear it totally of edible insects and slugs etc in a matter of days, so plenty of fresh food is needed. You can't just go on holiday or away for a few days and come back and expect to find the hedgehog healthy and waiting for you. You must make arrangements for someone to come in daily and feed it and make sure it has water. Otherwise it is quite likely to have starved to death or died of dehydration (Thirst) while you are away.

We sometimes have elderly or disabled hedgehogs needing a safe place to live out the rest of their lives, if you think you have a suitable enclosed garden please contact us

Many of our patients are not able to be released back into the wild as they would not be able to fend for themselves.

We sometimes also need suitable gardens to release healthy hedgehogs

We are compiling a list of suitable places and people who would be willing and able to adopt one of these hedgehogs and give it the care it needs or would be willing to release a hedgehog in their garden and provide food & shelter and other care for it. If you think you can help read HERE first

Most hedgehogs come in looking in poor conditions like these 4 pictures below
Images of cuddly looking fit hedgehogs like these below only come after months of hard work and lots of treatment