If you have found a hedgehog you are concerned about please use gardening gloves or a folded towel to collect it up, bring it indoors and put it in a high-sided box with an old towel or fleece in the bottom for the hedgehog to hide under.

Fill a hot water bottle so that when it is wrapped in a towel there is a nice gentle heat coming through and put that in the bottom of the box with the hedgehog, ensuring it has room to get off the bottle should it get too warm. Make sure the bottle is always kept warm (if allowed to go cold it will chill the hedgehog and do more harm than good) During particularly hot weather providing heat may not be necessary.

Put the box somewhere quiet.

Offer meaty cat or dog food and fresh water then call us as soon as possible on 01584 890 801 for further advice and the numbers of local independent rehabilitators.

Note that out of office hours there is an answerphone, if you have a hedgehog, please press option 1 and listen to the emergency numbers. These volunteers are not representatives of BHPS, but they will be able to give you advice and numbers of local independent rehabilitators. Please note as volunteers they are sometimes busy so if there is no immediate answer, please leave a message, try again later or call an alternative number. 

In the meantime, keep the hedgehog safe indoors as described above, but it should be seen by an experienced rehabilitator as soon as possible or if in obvious pain and in need of urgent help take it to a local vet immediately.