warm on a heat pad in a hamster cage and treated for parasites if neces- sary. The really young and ill are kept in the house for easy access, until hearty enough to be moved outdoors. Most soon start to gain weight and grow quickly, thanks to Ron and Lynne’s ministrations. Autumn brings its own set of prob-


lems for hedgehogs and carers alike. Young born then are more likely to be abandoned by their mothers at


Hog heaven! Hedgehog boxes


provide a safe, cosy home—filling them


with dry leaves means the hog has less to do to build its nest


hibernation, leaving them undernour- ished and ill-prepared to sleep the winter away. This is also the time when unlucky hedgehogs can find that the cosy pile of decaying wood and leaves they’ve nestled into has become a raging inferno come bonfire night on November 5.


More often than not, Ron ends up with a few long-staying lodgers at his centre over the winter, preparing to start a new life outdoors in the spring. Ron even has the odd hedgehog in his house—one spent a few nights asleep on a blanket in front of the fire in the living room, having escaped from its cardboard box and chased away the family cat. “I’ve always loved wildlife and


nature, and especially hedgehogs,” Ron says. “There’s nothing better than having a sick or baby hedgehog come in, then see it well enough to go back into the wild again. It’s always hard to say goodbye.” Such is his devotion to helping


hedgehogs that when Ron recently went through a spell of redundancy, he continued his rescue work despite the drop in his income. Thankfully, he’s now employed again, but, as ever, do- nations of dog or cat food, newspapers, old towels and cash are always wel- come, and make it easier to continue caring for the sick, injured and orphaned hedgehogs of the area.


» If you’d like to assist Ron in his crusade to save the hedgehogs, go to rons-hedgehogs. webs.com.


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