Up close with Prickleback Urchins Hedgehog Rescue: The hard work behind this Rutland couple’s wildlife rehabilitation
This Spring, the UK has had more sun than all of summer 2024. While most people have enjoyed basking in the sun and kicking back in beer gardens, Rachel and Jason at Prickleback Urchins Hedgehog Rescue have been inundated with poorly hedgehogs with conditions linked to extreme dehydration.
Oakham Nub News visited the Rescue, which is tucked in every nook and cranny of Rachel and Jason's house garden and garage, to get a feel for what happens behind the scenes and to discuss their recent fundraising success.
However, halfway through a tour of their space and explanations of how they manage new admissions, Rachel received a phone call from Jill, who had found a hedgehog wondering around on the main road to Stamford. After a quick conversation with Jill over the phone, Rachel gave Jill the information she needed to bring the hedgehog to the centre.
From then it was all go - Rachel explained step-by-step how they prepare for an incoming hedgehog and the process that they go through with a new admission to start trying to piece together what might have caused the hedgehog to have been bought in.
The hedgehog bought in by Jill was a small, underweight male. From Rachel's initial checks, he had no obvious injuries but could have still been involved in a collision with a car. He was showing signs of severe dehydration, large amounts of spines falling out and some large tics around his face. While tics are not in themselves a problem (they're almost unavoidable with wild animals) but tics can be a symptom of a wider issue such as other parasites. He was given an injection to start helping to rehydrate him while she worked out what other underlying issues were.
After a quick initial check, Rachel said it was important to get his temperature up. When hedgehogs go into shock, their temperature can drop rapidly so, although it was 28 degrees outside, he was headed towards coming hypothermic. It was essential at this point to gently raise his temperature by putting him in a safe container with a heat pad while Rachel prepared an incubator for him.
In what used to be a study in their home, Rachel and Jason have created an Intensive Care Area where hedgehogs that need round the clock attention, such as new-borns, nursing mums or hedgehogs needing a lot of attention. In there they have a series of incubators and special units all linked up with cameras so hedgehogs can be monitored without being disturbed. As hedgehogs are wild animals, it is essential to keep contact with them to a minimum to prevent unnecessary distress.
From this point, Rachel transferred the hedgehog into the incubator, placed safely inside a fleece tube with some shredded newspaper to give him a sense of safety and a heat pad to gradually raise his body temperature. He was also given a small bowl of oral rehydration support, which is a special electrolyte formula to help recovery.
Where was nothing that could be done for the time being for this hedgehog until he had started to rehydrate and wait for him to pass a stool so she could inspect it under a microscope for signs of parasites. Rachel demonstrated with a sample from a different hedgehog how they can spot signs of certain parasites in faeces, such as wiggling lungworms.
The next step for this Hedgehog was to wait and see how he reacts to warmth and rehydration. Rachel and Jason work closely with the local Vets and have procedures in place to ensure treatment is administered.
Sadly, in this case, our little friend didn't make it. After a few days he was not showing signs of recovering so Rachel took him to the vets. The vets identified he had a neurological issue and unfortunately there was nothing they could do for him. Even if he had recovered from dehydration and parasites, he would not have recovered to the point that he could be safely released into the wild with a good chance of having a good quality of life and in these circumstances, though heart-breaking, putting the hedgehogs to sleep is the kindest thing Rachel and the vets can do for them.
Speaking to Rachel and Jason, it is clear that they have an absolute passion for what they do. At no point in the early days of Prickleback did they intend on setting up a hedgehog rescue. From their first rescue in 2020 called Hedgepig, they fell in love with these beautiful wild animals and learnt more and more about how they could help. From there, they both went on numerous training courses and certifications, working closely with local vets and other rescue centres to reach the point they are now.
One thing they want to make absolutely clear is that what they are able to do is rehabilitation and caring for poorly hedgehogs, they are not vets. If you encounter a hedgehog out in the day or acting strangely, it is essential to take them to local vets. Vets are required to provide care for wild animals if they are bought in by the public so no one bringing in a hedgehog will ever be charged. All of the vets around Oakham are incredible with hedgehogs and work closely with Rachel and Jason to ensure the best care is given by the best people.
Prickleback Urchins is currently working towards expanding their space by building an extension. This new space will include bespoke veterinary grade enclosures, as well as three maternity enclosures for nursing and expectant mothers in their care. This will increase their capacity and mean they have more space in other areas of the rescue to take in more hedgehogs in need.
They recently hosted their fourth annual fundraising quiz, raising the first £1,500 towards their ambitious £10,000 goal. If you would like to donate towards this brilliant local charity, visit their GoFundMe page. They also regularly post updates about the hedgehogs in their care and upcoming informative talks and fundraisers.
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