Volunteers

If you would like to join us in a more active way, please contact us by phoning 734340 or emailing druburdon@jerseymail.co.uk

If you would like your enclosed garden to be considered as a home for disabled hedgehogs Please read on:

ENCLOSED GARDENS. This does involve quite a lot of work. It is cruel to keep healthy hedgehogs in an enclosed garden, they need to be able to wander about 1 mile per night, especially in the mating season. The hedgehog(s) you will be given will have been examined and treated by a vet who has decided that for some reason they will not survive in the wild. They may have had a leg amputated, be unable to roll up after an injury or possibly be blind.

All the hedgehogs in your care will need to be weighed and checked regularly, every 3 or 4 days. Amputees are especially prone to mites, as they use their hind legs to groom themselves. You may have to do this for them with a flea comb. You will be given a record sheet for each.Food and water must be provided every night. There will not be enough natural food in your garden for even one hedgehog after a few nights. It is an added bonus that they will help clear up slugs, snails and other pests, however, it is NOT the reason they are in your garden - they are there to be looked after!

They will all need plenty of cover for foraging - low growing bushes, ground cover plants, piles of garden rubbish and long grass all make an interesting hedgehog garden.You will also need to provide nest sites ( at least one more than the number of hedgehogs - even though they will probably all share only one or two!) under bushes, in your compost heap, under a board against your shed, or in dustbins on their sides, old rabbit hutches or hedgehog boxes. Bedding of hay, dry grass or leaves will also have to be provided and changed regularly once it is damp or soiled.

Droppings should be removed from the ground every day.  Any slimy green droppings will be infectious and may contain parasites, if you find some nasty droppings, you must find the culprit by weighing everybody or putting them in separate boxes until they perform and then the sick hedgehog must be returned for further treatment. This also applies if they lose or do not gain weight.

Food and water: you will be informed of your hedgehog’s preference, but this often changes once they are outside with others! Always provide a solid water bowl and food bowls should be put in different places round the garden under cover (an upside-down box with a hole in the side) to stop cats and early morning birds getting it. We generally offer a selection of tinned foods and some dry complete cat food.

We are always on the end of the phone (734340) .If you have any doubts or questions about the hedgehogs you are looking after, please give us a ring.

Ambulance drivers During busy periods we often need to call on extra people to go and collect hedgehogs which have just been found in distress. Please contact us if this might interest you. We would obviously take account of when you are available and what part of the island you live.

Emergency care team.When we are busy we need extra help to care for our patients. This can be demanding physical work and not for the squeamish as you may see some horrible injuries and very sick hedgehogs. If you offer your help you would be shown what to do.

On a more relaxed note, if you can knit, we would like to hear from you. We sell lots of knitted hoglets filled with catnip at the vets and in pet shops and we also sell plain hoglets during school visits. We can show you how to knit the loops! Please contact us if you can help.

Fund raising. We often need help at our fund raising events, please get in touch if you are able to help.

Contact Information

Dru Burdon

White Lodge

Waterworks Valley

St Helier

JE3 1HQ

01534 734340

IMPORTANT NOTICE

This web-site is protected under international copyright laws and is the property of Dru Burdon.  Any unauthorised copying or transmission of its contents in full or in part is prohibited without prior permission of the author. Schools, colleges and universities are allowed to use the contents for educational purposes.

Dru Burdon08©