Baddeley Green Hedgehog Rescue: Helping Hedgehogs Survive the Heat

We spotted our friends from the Baddeley Green Hedgehog Resue on a very colourful themed stand at Leek Show and asked Wendy how this were with the hogs especially with the long hot summer weather.

Wendy told us that they were very busy because during the hot weather, if there are no water sources, the hedgehogs suffer from dehydration. They are urging people to put out shallow dishes of water (about an inch deep). Wendy recommended a saucer that you would get with a house plant as the perfect size.

If you want to feed hedgehogs in your garden, they recommend kitten biscuits or cat food in jelly. Cat food in gravy is best avoided because it can affect their stomachs a little bit. They are very fond of kitten biscuits, and feeding is best done every evening. They don't recommend putting wet cat food out during the day because it attracts flies. They themselves put out a little feeding station—a homemade plastic box with a hole cut in the side—which stops any cats from eating the food.

If you want to make your own feeding station, the hole should be CD size, which is about 13 cm. If you have an old plastic box lying around, this could make the perfect safe feeding station for garden hedgehogs. But the most important thing is to put out water.

Wendy told us that their colourful hedgehog-themed gazebo was purchased largely with a grant, and having a presence at local events is important for both raising funds and awareness. Wendy told us that founder Claire currently has over 100 hedgehogs in the rescue centre, and the weather isn't helping because they are getting very poorly. Baddeley Green is the only hedgehog centre in the area that is still open.

Baddeley Green Hedgehog Rescue: