Thursday 13 September 2012

Some Recent Patients

Young Blackbird
This blackbird was attacked by a cat, it had no tail feathers and a small injury to one of its legs... Unfortunately it died after a few days with us.

Hedgehog
This hedgehog was only a baby when it came to us. It was so young it still needed toileting and hand feeding. One of our dedicated volunteers took it in and she is now doing very well. She's munching her way through 2 packets of cat food a day!



Pipistrelle Bat
This common pipistrelle bat was brought to us by the SSPCA. It had been caught in double glazing. The poor thing was very cold and hungry but after a night in a nice warm box with all the mealworms it could eat it was successfully released back in Castle Douglas.


Whiskered Bat
This bat was found on the bottom of a tree in the Barony College. It took 2 nights of feeding and warmth before it was ready to go.


Young Rabbits
3 young rabbits where brought in by the SSPCA. Unfortunately we are now down to 2. However they are eating well - we all have our fingers crossed for them!


Monday 20 August 2012

Help for Hedgehogs

Hello!

This is a busy time of year for us here at the hospital and I'd like to take a moment to share some interesting facts about one of our most common patients and one of Britains most interesting mammals (at least in my opinion). The hedgehog is a fantastic little creature and though we see very little of it, it has a huge (and often under-appreciated) impact in our gardens. They are a joy to see - ambling along the garden late at night, ridding your vegetable patch of slugs and pests.

The sad fact of the matter though, is that we are losing them. A report published by the BTO (British Trust of Ornithology) in 2011 shows that our hedgehog population has declined by at least a quarter in the last decade alone.

So why are we losing them? - Nobody seems sure, however there are several theories. Intensive agriculture and the increased use of pesticides reduce the amount of food available to hedgehogs. Neater gardens, enclosed gardens, more buildings and roads reduce suitable hedgehog habitats. Hedgehogs have very few natural predators - what with their nearly inpenetrable spines, however these are no match for car wheels.


At The Hospital
At the hospital we receive many orphaned, juvenile and underweight hedgehogs, especially at this time of year. Nests are often disturbed by domestic pets or unknowing gardeners and juveniles become underweight or dehydrated easily.

You've Found a Baby Hedgehog...
If it is in a nest - leave it alone. Mothers will leave their babies for long periods to feed. If the baby is in the open, injured or you have reason to believe the mother will not come back place the hedgehog in a box (with a towel) and keep it in a warm quiet place. At this point call the SSPCA or your local wildlife rehabilitator. Never attempt to rear baby hedgehogs. It is an intensly difficult and time consuming job, and should only be attempted by those with experience.

Less than 24 hours old - their spines come through within the first few hours.

Feeding is time consuming, especially with litters of 5/6. Babies need to be toileted before and after every feed!
Their eyes don't open until they are around 2-3 weeks old.

You've found a young hedgehog...
Only pick it up if it is injured, appears wobbly or lethargic or is out during the day. Again, place it in a box, keep it warm and quiet and call the SSPCA or your local wildlife rehab. Juvenile hedgehogs often over winter in wildlife hospitals as a hedgehog under 600g stands little chance of hibernating successfully.


Useful Links:
www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk - Good general information as well as things you can do to help your local hedgehogs.
www.sttiggywinkles.org.uk/hedgehogs.html - Information on when (and when not) to help a hedgehog.

Thursday 9 August 2012

Busy week 08.2012

Well we've had a very busy week at the hospital!

Over the weekend the front room was stripped out and repainted thanks to the help of some wonderful volunteers (It just needs a new floor and some furniture now!).

On Sunday we released our young pigeon (before all the thunder!) and luckily the rain missed us all day. He was a little wobbly at first as they always are but he soon got the hang of it. He hung around the hospital for a while and then off he went - of course we'll continue to leave food out for him. Later that day a man from Dumfries brought us an injured hedgehog - he was missing a back leg and had to be PTS.

On Monday we received a young hedgehog from a couple in Dumfries - she is eating well and I have high hopes for this one!

On Tuesday another couple from Dumfries brought us a very tiny baby bird. It was so young it had no feathers and we couldn't identify the species. Unfortunately he didn't survive. The SSPCA arrived later that afternoon to bring us a duckling (which unfortunately died) and 5 nestling housemartins which are currently being hand reared by one of our dedicated volunteers.

On Wednesday we released our young collared dove. It flew straight into a tree (and crashed into a few branches). Again we will leave food out for him.

Later this week we hope to release our young mallard duck and our young herring gull. Hopefully we'll get some nice pictures!
Mallard Duck - Around 7 weeks old

Hello!

Hello blogger!

I think its about time we finally had a blog. 

So for a quick update - we currently have in;
- Rabbit
- Hedgehog
- Tawny Owl
- Two Rooks
- Herring Gull
- Mallard Duck
- Buzzard
- 5 fledgling House Martins