Lots of dead hedgehogs

brianthebard

Has anyone else noticed a load of dead hedgehogs on the road this year over the last month or so?Ive never seen so many (all dead unfortunately) are they hibernating already?

whitser

i think its cos they are all on the move. young adults moving on etc...my area is full of them,and i see lots squashed.

stevoman

i have seen a load myself so i have. i wouldnt mind a fella for around the garden so i wouldnt!

whitser

you dont want them in your garden near the dog stevo. they are riddled with everything from ring worm,fleas ticks etc...

stevoman

whitser wrote: »

you dont want them in your garden near the dog stevo. they are riddled with everything from ring worm,fleas ticks etc...

cheers for the heads up whitser. if i see one then i'l be getting my shovel and moving him on so!

stereo_steve

to the next life or to the neighbors garden ?!

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Unfortunately it's just that time of year when they are on the move and they fall foul of our roads.

whitser wrote: »

you dont want them in your garden near the dog stevo. they are riddled with everything from ring worm,fleas ticks etc...

That's nonsense. I've encouraged them to the garden for years with no ill-affects on the dogs. Hedgehog fleas will not transfer to dogs you know!
If you applied that logic you would never encourage any wildlife to your garden.

whitser

is that so? cos i had a terrier that got ring worm from worrying a hedgehog out on a walk. and hedgehogs are known for ticks and ticks will stick to dogs believe me. were your dogs in contact with hogs?
cant correct you for sure in fleas but if you read up on hogs it'll tell you that they are notorious for carrying parsites,they trive in the spines and the hogs cant do any thing about them. i seen a hog on tv before with a tick infestation at it was alive with hundreds of ticks.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

whitser wrote: »

i seen a hog on tv before with a tick infestation at it was alive with hundreds of ticks.

Yes, and I've seen Foxes destroyed with mange, Cats which carried ring worm, Badgers infested with fleas; but it doesn't mean all of them were carrying parasites or disease and so it is with Hedgehogs. You are generalising incorrectly. It's like saying all people are contagious because you read about a leper somewhere.
:mad:

whitser

Devon Better Sidewalk wrote: »

Yes, and I've seen Foxes destroyed with mange, Cats which carried ring worm, Badgers infested with fleas; but it doesn't mean all of them were carrying parasites or disease and so it is with Hedgehogs. You are generalising incorrectly. It's like saying all people are contagious because you read about a leper somewhere.
:mad:

yeah and urban foxes have been known to spread mange to dogs and i personally had a dog get ring worm from a hog. so if it was me i'd pick him up and release him in a field in stead of my garden. i wouldnt risk my dogs catching parasites for the sake of having a hog in the garden. thats all.

Whispered

Hi, would it be dangerous to treat a hog with a kitten or puppy flea/tick drop. I don't have hedgies in my garden or anything, but just in general. Or if you were to pick up an injured fox/squirrell etc and have pets in the house can you treat them?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

helena.ryan wrote: »

Hi, would it be dangerous to treat a hog with a kitten or puppy flea/tick drop. I don't have hedgies in my garden or anything, but just in general. Or if you were to pick up an injured fox/squirrell etc and have pets in the house can you treat them?

1. Regarding the tick drops - you should check with your vet about the particular one you use.

2. Having pets in the house should be no deterrent to helping an injured wild animal.

Please please take no notice of the scaremongering above as I have had wild animals in my garden with my pets for decades without any illness or disease problems and have nursed more sick/injured wild animals than I can count, without any adverse affects on my pets. There is a touch of painting all animals (esp Hogs) with the one brush.

Whispered

Having pets never stopped me before but it has crossed my mind when bringing in animals (strays or wild) that I could be putting my own pets at risk, not to mention a flea infestation in my house or something. With the dogs or cats, i know what I can treat them with. But if I saw a wild animal, I wouldn't be sure what to do with regards to handling them safely etc. Thanks

shqipshume

I have noticed rathcoole area is over run with them in the last year,So much digging they are moving out poor things.I have saved fox hanging from barbed wire and Hedgehog from road<i had seen one dead already some scumbag had bashed it with a brick

I picked it up in old coat the hedgehog and into field with and away went the coat in the bin after lol

whitser

Devon Better Sidewalk wrote: »

1. Regarding the tick drops - you should check with your vet about the particular one you use.

2. Having pets in the house should be no deterrent to helping an injured wild animal.

Please please take no notice of the scaremongering above as I have had wild animals in my garden with my pets for decades without any illness or disease problems and have nursed more sick/injured wild animals than I can count, without any adverse affects on my pets. There is a touch of painting all animals (esp Hogs) with the one brush.

who's scarmongering, my dog caught ring worm from a hog, it happened, so its something to be aware off. dogs, and especially terriers are known to catch it from hogs. i didnt say kill them or abuse them just wouldnt let them around my dogs. just cos you havent had a dog catch something doesnt mean it wont happen. maybe im a bit obsessive when it comes to my dogs health,i hate fleas worms ticks etc...on them. hogs are know to carry lots of fleas and ticks cos they trive in the spines and hogs cant groom themselves, thats a fact.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

whitser wrote: »

. maybe im a bit obsessive when it comes to my dogs health,i hate fleas worms ticks etc...on them. hogs are know to carry lots of fleas and ticks cos they trive in the spines and hogs cant groom themselves, thats a fact.

Ever hear of preventative measures? A Flea & Tic treatment every 3 months prevents infection. They can pick them up many ways, other than contact with a Hedgehog. I find the treatment (a few drops on the skin every 3-4 months) gives great peace of mind when taking the dogs through fields and long grass.
Ringworm is a fungal infection and can be picked up from any domestic animal. Gates and posts in fields are common sources. I myself caught it from a kitten 45 years ago.
I agree you are obsessive if you think every hedgehog spreads ringworm, tics and fleas. It's like not venturing outside your gate because someone was one knocked down by a truck. Of course it has happened but it is the exception.

whitser

i read up on the ring worm last night and terriers are prone to catching a type of ring worm COMMONLY(that was the word used) on hogs.
my dogs are regulary treated for fleas etc..that book is an a-z on dogs health,written by a vet. i had a terrier catch ring worm off a hog,it cost me money and time to treat the dog so why would i want hogs around my dogs again?
my dogs are working dogs so are often exposed to ticks,mangey foxes all sorts but but i dont hunt hogs obviously so if i can minimise their contact with them i will. maybe your dogs never bothered worrying the hogs you had but my terriers would so its best for them not to be around each other. and i was just advising stevoman,who also keeps working dogs that there is risks.
i wouldnt compare it to not going outside your door in case your hit by a truck,more like look up and down and dont get in the trucks way.

magicbastarder

have hedgehogs been doing well this year, what with the weather being conducive to slug and snail numbers?

Weidii

Yes I've noticed lots of hogs this summer in my hometown (and I wasn't even living there for most of it) compared to previous years. We almost squished one in the car a while back, it was pottering around the road at night and I was half tempted to take it home to live in my garden and eat our (many) slugs. I was a bit iffy about taking it from the wild, so I left it... I just hope it didn't get knocked down by someone else!

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Weidii wrote: »

I was half tempted to take it home to live in my garden and eat our (many) slugs. I was a bit iffy about taking it from the wild, so I left it...

Hedgehogs can cover a very wide range and rarely "live" in a single garden. They cover several Kms each night. There is also a school of thought that generally if your garden is Hog friendly there will already be one using it, so adoption can be detrimental if you introduce a Hog to an area that won't support one. They are not pets and many gardens play host to them without the householders ever knowing.