Brockworth Hedgehog Rescue

Every day in Britain, numerous hedgehogs are killed, injured, or orphaned, leading to a significant decline in the hedgehog population of the UK, which has fallen from approximately 30 million in the 1950s to about 1 million today. Brockworth Hedgehog Rescue is committed to providing care for hedgehogs in Gloucestershire

emergency guidelines

If you find a sick or injured hedgehog it will probably be suffering from hypothermia, even in summer

Never try and force feed a hedgehog. The danger is the fluid/food will be inhaled

Place it on a hot (but not boiling) hot water bottle wrapped in a towel and put in a cardboard box or recycle box lined with newspaper, cover the box in a blanket, place in a quiet place to warm up and phone us immediately

Hedgehogs that need help 

Injured hedgehogs - with open wounds, fractures, bites, burns, or trapped in some way.
Sick hedgehogs - usually found out in the day, thin, dehydrated, possibly poisoned, or with breathing problems. Hedgehogs that are unsteady on their feet (wobbling, rocking) or with flies around them.
Orphaned hoglets - found out of the nest in day, the nest has been destroyed or the mother killed/injured
Hedgehogs that should be left alone

Adult females in summer that are uninjured but found out in daylight may be nursing mothers.
Any large uninjured hedgehogs found at night (e.g. in winter or in the road) can be left, if in the road just pick up and place away from the road but near to where found.
Healthy hedgehogs will often rouse from hibernation for short periods even in cold winter weather. Do not assume these hedgehogs need help unless they are underweight or obviously unwell.

Autumn and Winter 

Autumn juveniles - young hedgehogs born late in the year, if found out in the day, please contact us ASAP, please do not attempt to look after them yourselves as they will need medical help. 

Autumn Juveniles from October onwards, if out at night need can be left. Support feeding them with meaty cat food / cat biscuits will help them to gain weight. They do not need to come into the rescue based on their weight. With milder winters now many hedgehogs do not hibernate, and those that do can successfully hibernate from 450g. If you have any concerns about a small hedgehog during the colder months please contact your local rescue for advice.

Please avoid picking up hedgehogs and weighing them during the colder months . The stress caused in picking them up is huge.        
Unit 5, Abbotswood Shopping Centre, Brockworth, Gloucester GL3 4NY
07789 268296
Phone line is manned 8am - 7pm daily, please call to arrange to bring a hedgehog in as the rescue is not always manned during this time. 

Frequently asked questions

A large percentage of the hedgehogs we have brought to us are returned to the garden they were found in, the guidelines from the British Hedgehog Preservation Society state that hedgehogs should be returned back to where they came from where possible. 

We will only release hedgehogs where there is already an existing population, which is within the guidelines set out by the BHPS, if there is not a population there will be a reason for that.

When feeding in the garden we must remember that this is support feeding, we are not trying to replace their natural feeding. 

We recommend feeding the following 

Meaty Cat food

Cat Biscuits

Specialist meat based hedgehog food such as Brambles or Vale Hedgehog Food

A shallow bowl of water  

Mealworms

Peanuts

Sunflower Hearts, 

Dried Fruit

Eggs

Cooked / Raw meat

Processed foods such as cakes etc

The foods that are listed to avoid are due to the effects they can have on the health of the hedgehog

The only time the public have access to the hospital part of the rescue is on our 2 open days each year in May and September. Please see our events page for more information.

 We accept donations of food (Cat food both wet and dry), Newspapers (Please no magazines, junk mail etc) and have an amazon wish list for items to be purchased and delivered to the rescue.https://amzn.eu/cc6lqhF
Donations can be left in the green bins outside of the rescue and in our collection points in Tesco Brockworth, Co-op in Abbotswood and Barnwood

 

Unit 5, Abbotswood Shopping Centre, Brockworth, Gloucester GL3 4NY
07789 268296
Phone line is manned 8am - 7pm daily, please call to arrange to bring a hedgehog in as the rescue is not always manned during this time. 
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