Rowley's Story

The first Hedgie who adopted us we named "Rowley". This is his story:

I turned up one lunch time in October 2000, shortly after my mum had kicked me out of our nest. I wandered for a long way before I found this wonderful place that I now call home.

I was a quite small little hedgie, weighing about 500 or 600 grams. I was about 4 months old. I was desperately looking for food and a place to shelter for the winter.

I was given a tin of cat food that tasted wonderful, much better than the worms and beetles I had been used to. When I had eaten enough I said Bye Bye and shuffled off to a dark, damp, smelly hole I had found. It wasn't a very nice place to sleep though so the next day at 2pm I was back again.

The nice people had made a temporary shelter for me out of a plastic bucket, a few planks of wood and a pile of bricks, filled it with hay and put me into it, with food just outside. I thought this looks good I'm staying. Next morning after I had eaten all the food they found me snoring in my new little "house"

When I woke up that night I found I was in a new house, a deluxe wooden house, raised off the ground with a ramp for me to climb up, with an internal wooden box filled with hay. I loved that and thought I was in hedgehog heaven. A comfortable box full of hay to sleep in, food on demand, dry, warm, waterproof and no predators. I carried on feeding till the middle of December when I went into hibernation. I decided stay there after waking up in April 2001. I love my beautiful house so much that I stay there all year round, quite happy to let them clean out the hay and change it a couple of times a year.

They give me lots of food, they put down many plates for me, and the other hedgehogs, to choose from.

I like Cheese, Chopped Peanuts, Sultanas and Raisins, and Hills Rabbit flavoured cat biscuits along with Royal Canin cat biscuits, "hair and skin" & Kitten are my favourites. I sometimes eat Whiskas, Felix or Arthur's cat foods, but I prefer biscuits to tinned meats. I like a drink of Felix cat milk, as well as a big bowl of fresh water. Like all other animals I like a change sometimes and am quite happy when I am given some raw minced lamb now and again, not too often though, it makes a nice treat. (See the Diet page for a complete menu for Hedgehogs)

I really like cheese, but like most hedgehogs, we cannot digest cows milk products very well, so I am only allowed it occasionally as a special treat or when they give me the "worming cream", to get rid of the Lung worms, Tape worms and other internal worms we pick up when we eat slugs, snails etc.
(Hedgehogs in captivity or fed in the garden should be wormed twice a year, see the caring page for more details)

They put my food inside a little low house, so the cats and foxes can't get at it, but me and the other hedgehogs can get through the little doorways.
The houses also keep the biscuits dry in rainy weather, and stops the water and meat freezing in the winter.
In fact there are two little feeding houses, so other hedgehogs can feed at the same time without disturbing me if I let them.

I am definitely the "boss" of the garden, all the other hedgehogs have to wait for their food until I have finished. I mean I was here first! What self respecting hedgehog would do any different.

I didn't hibernate in winter 2001. My house was so waterproof and warm and I had so much food put down for me that I didn't need to.

So far this year 2002 I have got into one or two scrapes. I vanished for a couple of days in April and went wandering, When I came back I made an almighty rumpus outside their back porch, In fact I was making so much noise that the cats refused to come out of the cat flap and see me or find out what was happening. I think I scared them a little bit.

There I was, covered from head to foot in black oil, dripping everywhere. But still trying to eat my food and chasing off another hedgehog who had the temerity to try to eat at the same time as me.

I was quickly picked up, this was 3 am mind you, and unceremoniously dumped into the bathroom sink, smothered in washing up liquid and showered off with warm water. This was repeated several times over a couple of hours to remove all the oil. I had broken a largish area of spines from my back. I had got caught under a low fence and broken or cut my spines on the low wire fence.

Surprisingly I liked the idea of having a bath. One of them supported me, whilst the other one washed me. I soon became very relaxed and in fact started to doze off.

After drying me well with a towel, I was put in a cat basket in front of the fire to dry completely. I stayed indoors for 2 days to ensure I was ok. I ate normally and was released back to the garden and my deluxe house.

My ordeal hasn't affected me, I still come for my food every night. Perhaps though it has curbed my penchant for wandering, at least for a little while. Hopefully I have decided that "Home" is better. I doubt it though, I am sure I will have more adventures to tell you about later.