Baby hedgehog that got it’s head stuck in a conker and needed emergency care is now recovering in a recuse centre
Vet Simon Lapish found it near death and covered in maggots in his garden
HIS baby hedgehog has been a plonker and stuck its head in a conker.
Vet Simon Lapish found it near death and covered in maggots in his garden.
It is recovering at the Happy Hedgehog Rescue in Yateley, Hants.
Jayne Morgan, from the hedgehog centre in Yateley, Hants, said the hoglet was sniffed out of the undergrowth by Simon’s dog Bert, and had somehow got a conker from a horse chestnut tree stuck on his head and was trapped round the neck by it.
“He was covered in maggots and fly eggs but was so lucky in choosing Simon’s garden as he is a vet and was quickly able to help.
“He’s in an incubator and comfy so we’ll see how he goes.”
Jayne admitted she was shocked when she first saw poor Conker.
“Any animal with a constriction injury should be seen by a rescue or a vet as once the constriction is removed problems can present within a week such as pressure necrosis or even breaks once the swelling has gone down.
“Always talk to a rescue or vet before removing the constriction and leave the netting or conker or whatever in place for someone experienced to remove it.”
Jayne said that as night time temperature drop in the autumn, food in the wild decreases.
“Sadly, late-born hoglets suffer from a high mortality rate due to too many internal parasites which they get from eating slugs, snails and earthworms which are the intermediate hosts for microscopic parasites such as lungworm.”
