We always read and hear about hedgehogs needing help when they are injured, sick or malnourished. If you want to help the animals, you do so with good intentions. But here too you should inform yourself, because “well-intentioned” does not always mean “well done”.
Various information sites provide tips and advice on the subject of “hedgehog help”. Above all, the question arises:
When does a hedgehog need help?
If you run into one of these prickly creatures in the fall, you don't have to worry. The animals are usually looking for food in order to build up a reserve of fat as an energy reserve for hibernation. And they only start this when the outside temperature is consistently around zero degrees.
But there are a few points to consider in order to recognize whether a hedgehog actually needs help:
- Is he injured or sick?
If a hedgehog walks unsteadily or limps, holds its head to the side or stops curling up when threatened, these are signs that it is sick. Support from wildlife relief or a veterinarian is required here in order to provide the animal with professional help. - Is he in danger?
If you have the impression that the hedgehog is at risk of being hit, for example, you can pick it up carefully and put it in a safer place. - Does he seem malnourished?
This can be recognized by sunken flanks and “dents” behind the ears. - Is it winter already?
Then the hedgehog should actually hibernate. Maybe he actually needs help. The best way to do this is to get support from wildlife rescue organizations or veterinarians. - Is it a very young animal?
Keep an eye out for other young hedgehogs (siblings) and the mother animal.
In a Facebook post by “Vienna Wilderness” a poster was posted with a “Hedgehog Help Guide” that helps with uncertainties:
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What should you definitely not do?
You should not give hedgehogs water or food without prior consultation with experts.
Vegetables, nuts, fruit and milk (including cat milk) are generally taboo as this could cause digestive problems. You should also not give flea or tick preparations or dewormers.
Transport to the vet/wildlife station
If you have found a hedgehog that obviously needs help, you should first consult a veterinarian or a wildlife station in the area. If it is discussed here that the animal should be taken and brought, you should also take a few things into account when transporting it.
A dry transport box is recommended. A shoebox with air holes in it is also sufficient. It is important that the hedgehog is housed in an escape-proof manner. To prevent the animal from getting cold during the journey, you can attach a cherry stone pillow or a lukewarm thermophore in or under the box or box so that the hedgehog can use it as a heat source.
They are wild animals!
Even though they look very cute with their snub noses and small button eyes, hedgehogs are wild animals and should not be taken in or raised at home.
They are protected by the Nature Conservation Act. Admission is only permitted in exceptional cases - in the case of injured or sick animals. According to the Nature Conservation Act, you are obliged to contact a qualified hedgehog station. Here it is then decided whether the animal needs medical attention or can be released.
Contacts in Germany:
Contacts in Austria:
Contacts in Switzerland:
Source: Geo , Vier Pfoten , Hedgehog Center , LBV , Wild Animal Aid Vienna
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