05/09/2025
I collected a hedgehog from Caister this week and unfortunately it wasn't a happy ending. She was named Missy by the finders and she was very poorly indeed. Missy was sooo skinny, very dehydrated and covered in fleas , ticks, mites and flystrike. I spent time removing what was necessary to avoid any further suffering and then put her in an incubator. I went to check her 2 hours later and she had passed away.
When I have a hedgehog die in my care I reflect back and think about what I did and was there anything else I could have done .... The answer is and will always be No because I always do the most I can but it doesn't stop me thinking. Something that stuck with me with Missy is something the finder said .... The finder did absolutely nothing wrong, they did everything they could too but when trying to find help they took to social media. On their post, somebody had commented that they had seen 'Missy' laying on the floor but did nothing . The reason... FLEAS! There are lots of untruths about fleas on hedgehogs so I will explain ....
Fleas are host specific so will only live and breed on hedgehogs. Yes you may get one on you or on a pet but they will soon jump off. Hedgehog fleas won't be the reason you or your pet has fleas .
Hedgehogs don't usually have fleas , when they do it's likely because they're unwell and they need help.
Hedgehogs covered in fleas need help ASAP
Hedgehog flea treatment is not the same as what is used for cats and dogs so please do not treat them yourself. Using an incorrect treatment can cause the unnecessary death of a hedgehog.
Hedgehogs are on the 'Red List' which means they're vulnerable to extinction. It's important we help them when we can before its too late...
Every life matters...
Every minute matters 💖
