We had a very special delivery on the Jubilee bank holiday last month, when Holly the long-eared hedgehog gave birth to a tiny but spiny little hoglet.
Hedgehogs are born blind with a protective membrane covering their quills. This membrane dries and shrinks over the first few hours, after birth. The infants are born with quills beneath the skin, which look a lot like pimples. The spines begin to pass the skin after the mother has cleaned the babies and as they continue to grow and get older hoglets eventually shed their baby spines (called “quilling”) and they are replaced with adult spines.
Holly welcomed twins last winter and is an absolutely fantastic mum! For the first few days I left Holly to bond with her little arrival and they spent all their time together in the nest but now that she is beginning to adventure out more she is certainly 'hogging' the spotlight (and I was able to get some photos to share with you all)!
𝗪𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗹𝘆 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗹. 𝗪𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗳𝗲𝘄 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗼𝘄 (𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘀)!
Summer Jubilee Queenie Juno Jolly
Our long-eared hedgehogs are much-loved members of our wee family and are also ambassador animals. They take part in our interactive animal education sessions and help us to convey the message about their native cousins, who are in increasing trouble on our own doorstep!
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