The hoglet season has arrived.

We now have several litters of orphans and some with their mothers, mostly due to nests being disturbed by building work, or gardening. Some were very tiny and required hand feeding with a syringe and special milk substitute. At the time of writing we have over thirty babies at various stages and this is keeping our carers busy, but all are doing well.

If you are lucky enough to have a hedgehog nesting in your garden, it is best to leave well alone, but put out fresh water and meaty cat food for the mother, so that she does not have to forage too far for food. She is the one best placed to rear her young.

If they have to be moved, then try to catch the mother first, as she is likely to desert her babies if they are handled. Then put the whole family in a deep cardboard box, cover with a towel and keep them out of the sun. Ring us for advice and if necessary, one of our team will collect them. If the hoglets are out of the nest and wandering about making a high pitched “pipping” sound, keep an eye out for the mother, but if she has disappeared, then they will need rescuing.

Please be careful when gardening – strimmers, bonfires and slug pellets can all be lethal for hedgehogs. Watch out for hedgehogs out in the daytime – lying on the lawn in the sun is always a bad sign, and flies are very quick to lay their eggs on a poorly animal. In warm weather they hatch out very quickly, and can start to eat the animal alive.

We hope to see many of our friends at Stroud Show – let's hope for better weather than last year!

For more information and emergency advice, please see our website helpahedgehog.org