SAMANTHA McCauley has given Forest residents some advice for how to care for hedgehogs and other handy tips, as she nears re-opening the rescue. 

The veterinary nurse ran the rescue “Samantha’s Little Prickles” voluntarily at her home in Mitcheldean and previously fundraised to purchase new facilities to house an expanding hedgehog rescue.

However, the new rescue moved in March and opened in May this year, but due to a change of personal circumstances, the service had to temporarily close. Now, Samantha operates on the outskirts of Newent and expects the service to be up-and-running from October 21. She also wanted to give residents an announcement.

Samantha said: “I have some very exciting news which will be announced in October regarding the rescue, but all will be revealed once the calendars for 2025 are published. If you would like to purchase a calendar, you can contact me by email [email protected] or follow Samantha’s Little Prickles facebook page as locations of where to purchase them will be posted on October 21. Calendars are £9.99 each with all the money going towards the rescue.”

In the meantime, Samantha gave foresters advice for what to do if they encounter a sick or injured hedgehog, and some general advice regarding hedgehog care. She said: “Providing feeding stations with food and water, ideally with two entrances and exits because during mating time, the boys can be nasty and they may attack each other in a feeding station, or if there is a female already in there and has a male pestering her. At least if there’s a second exit, they can scarper. 

“There’s also providing hedgehog houses. They need to be a minimum size where the bedding area is, about three loaves of bread widthwise so they can move around and nestle into it, and I recommend people put in dust-extracted barley straw in there. It can help eliminate any breathing problems and it is less likely to go mouldy like hay does when it gets wet. Both feeding stations and houses can be purchased by contacting the rescue.”

Samantha also clarified what you can feed hedgehogs, or offer them in your garden. The veterinary nurse said: “Cat and kitten food is recommended. Dog or cat meat is absolutely fine. With cat biscuits, the main ingredient needs to be protein or meat, because if the main ingredient is cereals, it’s wasted energy for them, so the higher the protein the better the food will be for the hedgehog. There is also hedgehog food such as Brambles, Spikes, and Vale Wildlife Hospital now have their own range of food which I use within the rescue.”

As autumn gets into full swing, you may encounter hedgehogs becoming more active as we enter their second mating season of the year, which starts around August and early September. September is normally the time Samantha starts getting orphans. Samantha said there is still plenty of time for the autumn juveniles to gain weight before winter approaches. Between September and November is prime time for them to fatten up for winter’s hibernation - but it’s no longer the case that all hedgehogs hibernate in winter, as Britain now has much milder winters, and their natural food sources are reduced. 

Samantha said she recommends foresters feed hedgehogs throughout the year if they are able to. When hedgehogs go into hibernation and the weather gets warmer, it can cause them to re-awaken and this uses a lot of their fat storage which they accumulated between September and mid-November. If they then go back into hibernation a few more times, this can often lead to a reawakening of malnourished hedgehogs, which may end up in Samantha’s care or other rescues. 

One of the biggest pieces of advice Samantha gave was who to contact if they encounter a sick of injured hedgehog.

She said: “If you have a sick or injured hedgehog, you must ring me or another rescue straight away. Unfortunately there have been times I’ve gone out on my day-to-day life and then I check Facebook Messenger, which isn’t monitored 24/7, and there’s a message on there saying ‘I found an injured hedgehog; what can I do?’. 

For general enquiries and non-urgent advice, you can message Samantha on Samantha’s Little Prickles Facebook page or email. If you have a sick or injured hedgehog, you must call Samantha on 07801476574. 

However, Samantha will not be available for admissions of sick and injured hedgehogs until October 21. If you need help with a hedgehog during this time, you must call another rescue.

Other local rescues are Brockworth Hedgehog Rescue on 07789268296 (8am to 7pm), or Wild Hogs Hedgehog Rescue on 07949976717 (8am to 6pm). Alternatively you can call Vale Wildlife Hospital on 01386 882288. Their lines close at 5pm, however they are open 24 hours for admissions.