Hedgehog

Re: Hedgehog

Sal the 1st — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 23:47:18 GMT

[quote user="A Little TLC"]

Both hands, if you are right handed hold your left hand like you are reading your palm, right hand like you are holding a baby (at the top), then bounce..!lol!

[/quote]

yup have also used a towel to gently bounce them in and works very well

Re: Hedgehog

Phrin Vernon RVN — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 21:37:52 GMT

a nurse i know swears by gently swinging them? personally i have no idea - the only way i know to get hogs to unroll is via iso! lol!

Re: Hedgehog

A Little TLC — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 21:18:50 GMT

Both hands, if you are right handed hold your left hand like you are reading your palm, right hand like you are holding a baby (at the top), then bounce..!lol!

Re: Hedgehog

Kim Buckley — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 21:17:58 GMT

Put your knuckles together to make a kinda m

Re: Hedgehog

Cat Woman — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 21:16:37 GMT

I'm trying to work out how I make my hand into a T!!

Re: Hedgehog

A Little TLC — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 21:00:36 GMT

lol! I remember training newbies and they all thought i was nuts showing them until they tried it themselves and realised it worked!! Members of the public too.haha!

Re: Hedgehog

Kim Buckley — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 20:33:57 GMT

I did a presentation on hedgehogs at uni and was trying to demonstrate it without a hedgehog. Think everyone thought I was nuts!

Re: Hedgehog

A Little TLC — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 20:28:17 GMT

Mebbe i should film it one day... its so hard to describe!!

Re: Hedgehog

Emma Purnell — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 20:24:11 GMT

Just a side note with the stroking - the way to do it is to stroke from the head back, get a nice thick towel to cover your hand to do it! Hedgehogs are actually quite nice to stroke if you do it the right way - in my opinion! Of course, trying to get to handle them from that point is difficult - told you TLC is the best to help!

Re: Hedgehog

A Little TLC — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 19:14:20 GMT

Place your hand in the shape of a T. Bounce the hog gently up and down, they will start to uncurl. Place your fingers under the chin, while you are bouncing, use your bottom hand to, again as you are bouncing, place your fingers areound the bottom of the pelvis..... i hope this is making sense.... not quite sure how to word it!! But bouncing is the key, moving your hands as you bounce, they can't figure out what you are doing. and then open sesame!!!

My hands have hardened over the years!!

Water is not a good idea, i have seen people mention it before, but there are some REALLY stubborn hedgehogs out there and they just end up inhaling. Its awful, we have had some in from vets that had done this, and they had severe breathing difficulties because of it.

If they are really bad, you can use a bit of Diazepam injected into the muscle ring to relax them a bit .

Re: Hedgehog

Jo Mackenzie — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 19:01:45 GMT

[quote user="Bizzy McClure"]

The BSAVA wildlife text book says to place them on a flat surface. Hold the hind legs and gently lift up. The will unroll and try to place their fore legs onto the surface. I find this quite effective. Sometimes simply gently stroking their back works. Sometimes they are so nervous nothing will get them to unroll and a quick GA is the only way.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/iamthebestartist/4293763727/

[/quote]

I tried the back leg thing too but it was so tightly curled that we couldn't even get to its back legs! Ended up having to gas it to examine it, had been bitten by a dog so needed to clean its wound anyway. Now gone to a nice home in the country where it wont have annoying vet nurses poking and prodding it!!!

Re: Hedgehog

Honeybadger — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 18:51:33 GMT

http://www.flickr.com/photos/iamthebestartist/4293763727/

Re: Hedgehog

Jo Mackenzie — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 18:49:48 GMT

Tried that!

How are you supposed to rub a hedgehog's bum exactly?!?!?

Re: Hedgehog

Emma Purnell — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 18:03:30 GMT

I have found a few different tricks work for the ones I have looked after.

Heather who lives with me at the moment likes a fairly firm bum rub, or alternatively a journey in the car!

A little jiggle tends to work fairly well for most.

TLC is the one to give you the best advice on this!

Re: Hedgehog

Steph Worsley — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 17:47:57 GMT

[quote user="Claire 'Duke' York RVN MBVNA"]

dim the lighting, be quiet and rub their bum

[/quote]

sounds like an interseting technique claire is that how you

got your fella???

Re: Hedgehog

Claire Cameron — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 17:06:27 GMT

dim the lighting, be quiet and rub their bum

Re: Hedgehog

Fiona Leathers — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 17:03:49 GMT

I think lowering into warm water makes them uncurl