Rutland's hedgehog population have found a safe haven with local rescue duo, Rachel and Jay, who are striving to save the little creatures.

As the year progresses, we here at Nub will be working with Rachel and Jay to help spread the message about what you can do to support these vulnerable animals.

Kicking the year off here in January, we will be introducing this selfless couple, finding out more about what they do, and sharing ways that you can help hedgehogs at this time of year.

Rachel and Jay's haven, Prickleback Urchin Hedgehog Rescue are a small, donation funded hedgehog rescue based in Rutland who administer first aid, care and rehabilitation to sick and injured hedgehogs in the local area.

Set up in July, the pair have been running Prickleback for nearly a year. During this time, they have rescued over 42 little hogs, each with very different personalities, conditions, and needs.

Rachel is a self-proclaimed crazy hedgehog lady – an audiologist by day, and hedgehog saviour by night, she is incredibly busy but still approaches her work with a smile. Every hog in her care is given the best TLC possible while being treated like the wild animals that they are.

Meanwhile, Jay runs his own busy dog-walking company and is the lovely gent that some of you may know as The Walking Man.

Rachel's work took the pair to Cyprus from 2011 to 2015, after which they came back to the UK with their two dogs, who have asked to remain anonymous! Even with their dogs, dog walking business, and Rachel's love of horses, it seems as if they wanted more of what the animal kingdom had to offer, and since July 2021, they have had more than 40 spiky little lodgers living in their home too.

The project started when the couple discovered that there were no hedgehog rescues in the county of Rutland committed to the rescue, rehabilitation and release of this unique animal which is now classed as 'vulnerable to extinction' (2019). They wanted to change this.

Being in the know before taking in even one hedgehog is paramount. Before starting this endeavour the couple completed formal training, undertook mentoring from a more experienced rescue, and ensured that they had veterinary support from local vets, Rutland Veterinary Centre.

Rachel has made it clear that no-one should attempt to care for a hedgehog without these elements in place. They are complex creatures and many amateur rescue attempts sadly result in the demise of the animal.

The pair currently have 6 prickly residents living in their dining room-come-hedgehog hospital, with another three in foster care with their friend and fellow hedgehog hero, Nat.

Rachel explained that, at the moment hedgehogs from their rescue will only be fostered by those in the know about the little creatures, and she will only let carers who have taken the 'First Aid, Care and Rehabilitation of Hedgehogs' course at The Vale in Gloucestershire foster Prickleback's rescues.

Rachel's advice to those who find a hedgehog is to act fast and check guidance set down by The British Hedgehog Preservation Society to make sure you are doing the right thing. This is also where you can find your nearest official sanctuary who will be able to give immediate emergency care.

While Rachel and Jay have undertaken training provided by The British Hedgehog Preservation Society, they are not listed as an official sanctuary as their capacity is simply not great enough for the hedgehogs that are already brought to them.

Rachel said: "We are still very new and just on our feet. It's all kind of exploded much faster than we meant it to! We have turned over our house and time to provide the best quality care we can with the support of Rutland Veterinary Centre and expert mentorship."

"Having the rescue is basically like having a second full time job, so we're pretty busy. We can only have 10 hedgehogs at any one time (we did have 12 recently having said that!)

"When we are full we can end up spending four to five hours a day on top of both working full-time. This limited time caps our numbers. Sadly the demand in the first 5 months has already far outstripped our capacity, which is heart-breaking, but I suppose it reminds us of why we started doing this in the first place!"

The generous duo are anxious about getting too much publicity since they are almost constantly at maximum capacity, and having to turn hedgehogs away is such a shame. However, they are keen to help educate the local people about hedgehogs and what they can do to help them, hopefully spreading some long term knowledge to benefit local hedgehogs!

Rachel has provided us with a handy list of things to look which would suggest a hedgehog is in need of rescue.

Out in the day means not okay! The only exception being later in the year during breeding season which is usually April/May through to August but with the change in climate can be s late as September/October.

Lethargic - laying out in the open.

Wobbling when walking or unsteady on its feet.

Walking or running in circles.

Surrounded by flies.

Trapped - even if freed the animal should always still be admitted to a rescue.

Mouthed or picked up by a dog, pawed or 'played with' by a cat even if you can't see any injuries, they won't be obvious and the likelihood of infection or skin tissue damage developing subsequently means they should always receive immediate attention.

Obviously injured – the animal should always be admitted to a vet immediately! Rachel also added that "the best way to support your local population is to provide food and water all year round. Dehydration is a much larger problem than starvation usually, especially in the colder months when water sources maybe frozen over. Leave out water and you may be saving a prickly little visitors without even knowing it." As for Rachel's own residents: "We try and keep them with us for as little time as possible. We aim to rescue, rehabilitate and release," Rachel explained, "but some require much more care and so we have to keep them in for longer." One of their more long-term residents is Cashew. He was found in Edmondthorpe on the 26th of October weighing only 179g. He was infected with ringworm, meaning that he could not move himself properly due to scabs caused by the infection. Ringworm takes considerable time to treat since it is fungal and causes much physical discomfort. When Cashew was first brought in, he had lost his fur and some of his spines. More of which fell out during treatment. These have thankfully grown back and, although he is still in care with the duo, he is nearly a whopping 1kg. Rachel and Jay are hoping to taken him back to Edmondthorpe to release him when it warms up and he has the best chance to succeed in the wild. Hedgehogs usually hibernate between November and March, so you may not see many around now, but with the warmer winters, this has been changing and has put a strain on the local people, businesses and charities who rescue hedgehogs. Even so, Rachel urges members of the public to always find a rescue, seek advice, or contact your local veterinary team if concerned about the welfare of a hedgehog. In the Spring, Rachel will chat to us more about how we can help hedgehogs as they come out of hibernation, begin to breed, and the risks for this endangered animal that come with the new season. For now, we wish her and Jay a healthy and happy few weeks, and thank them for taking the time to teach our local community more about our rickly neighbours. We look forward to chatting to Rachel again and bringing you more hedgehog news and advice as the Spring draws in!