found a hedgehog...what to do?

[montage]

I found a smallish hedgehog at 5pm today, out in the sun.

It was very unresponsive to the touch (using a stick, gently) and covered in flies that seem to be laying their eggs.
From the way it is walking it appears blind, stumbles now and again etc.

Taking it in for the night isn't really an option as I am university accommodation, and to make matters worse I am a couple of days out from my masters dissertation deadline, so do not have the time to go picking flies eggs off a hedgehog. My current plan is to see if it is there tomorrow (i have seen it in this location before, 2 days ago, in daytime, seeming tame as but when approached that time it curled up, and had no flies present). If there tomorrow, I guess I will call the vets / rspca nearest to Lancaster. If taking a spade to it is the kindest thing to do - I can do that.

If anybody has any knowledge on hedgehogs, please share!

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

http://hedgehogcare.co.uk/

 

[montage]

Have you thought about taking it to a rescue centre.

I'm not sure about which would be the nearest to you but here's a list in the SE

Called a few but they are closed for the day - I am in the NW, Lancashire, despite what my profile says, thanks though!

There is a strong argument to let nature do it's thing - who knows, a tasty hedgehog meal might save the life of a hungry fox or badger... it's just the thought of murder by fly eggs that isn't a nice one to envisage!

 

[Saluki]

Take it to a wildlife rescue centre. DO NOT feed bread and milk. Contrary to popular belief (thank you Mrs Tiggywinkle) they don't do well on it. Try a little dog food meat if you can't get to a rescue centre this evening.
Fly eggs won't hatch tonight. Pop him or her in a box, leave a little water and some canned dog food and hope for the best.

Don't call the RSPCA, they are totally crap and will top it as soon as look at it.

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

Well done, 26 - that's what I was looking for

Google is so useful

 

[young Ed]

depends who you are but being a country lad and half farmer i wouldn't mess about and it would be dead and te crows would have picked out what they can by now
if i had a shotgun it would also be used as bait to shoot the crows or whatever else that comes to have it
Cheers Ed

 

[MartinQ]

@nappadang

 

[welsh dragon]

Another on for calling nappadang

 

[Fab Foodie]

BBQ?

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

BBQ?

Gypsy recipe - coat in clay and bake in bonfire. Spikey bits come off when the clay is broken leaving just the yummy bits behind.

Well that's the rumour. I've never tested it and won't be doing so.

 

[roadrash]

And i bet they say it tastes just like chicken

 

[MartinQ]

BBQ?

My daughter says unlike to your post

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

weigh it. If it is under 600g then in needs to be in a rescue centre and fed up to survive the winter in hibernation. If it is over 600g then it is probably doing OK and should be put back where you found it.

Useful fact sheet here http://www.sttiggywinkles.org.uk/images/PDF/PDF Fact Sheets/Overwintering Hedgehogs.pdf

But to be brutally honest, it does not sound good if it is blind and covered in flies.

 

[winjim]

Canal, pillowcase, half a brick.

 

[Glow worm]

Before you get it to a recue centre, try to hydrade it. Cat food is good, particularly sachets of chicken. If you can mash it up with cat milk, that's good too (not cows milk, that's bad for them as said above).

We took one covered in flies and fly eggs yesterday to a rescue place doubting it would survive the night and it's doing fine today apparently. This is after finding another, very young one (100gms!) wandering about by the roadside in Norfolk on Saturday lunchtime (took him to East Winch RSPCA and they callled him Harpley - the name of the village we found him in). Hopefully we can go back and collect him in a few weeks and release him here before winter.