Too weak... must... hibernate!!!
The Daily Mail (I swear they have a Cuteologist working over there) came up with yet another Cute report. This time, it's pooooor little abandoned hedges who are too weak to hibernate AND have broken bones!
Ahnnnnngh, Brenda H., and I mean Ahhhnnnggg.
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Cute or sad? Poor little hedgie.
I've broken many a bone and "Ehn!" is right! Heal fast, little dude!
oh noooo! poor little hedgie. He does look cute in the lime green wrapper though. I hope he will be ok!
Even the place where they are cared for is cute - Tiggywinkles!!!
Many tasty grubs for you, little one, so you can grow strong and can sleep all winter long!
"Tiggywinkles Wildlife Hospital"
Of course little hedgies would be found at a place called Tiggywinkles. I bet they keep unicorns in the back too. And little fairies with broken wings.
My heart! It's broken! The poor hedgekins! *sniff*
the daily mail is eveeels, don't trust it.
tiggywinkles is lovely though, even tho this hegglehog seems to have been given a leek as a leglet.
Hooray! Hooray!
I sent this one in too, so even though I do not get credit, I still say hooray.
Make sure you check out the full story, because there is another adorable pic there.
And many, many kudos to the staff at Tiggwinkles for taking care of these little guys!
THIS LITTLE HEDGIE IS THE CUTEST I'VE SEEN BUT YOU BRITS, YOU KNOW THE ADVERT STOP, LOOK, LISTEN-- CROSS OVER THE ROAD. MY CHILDHOOD IS WRECKED!
http://www.animaloverdose.com/
Toddle, Toddle, thump, Toddle, Toddle, thump.... poor hedge.
Ben! Stop yelling!
Awww... cute, but sad too :(
Poor little guy.
Ohh! Poor baby! But, how exactly do hedgies break their little legs? Sleeping too much? Exercising in their little ball too much? I just can't figure it out.
Oh, and let Ben yell as much as he wants to. Maybe the caps lock is permanetly stuck on his computer! You just never know...
Poor widdle hedgie! I immediately made a sad face when I saw him too. :( But only because he is so cute, and brings out every instinct to want to mother him.
They're wild hedgies, kitkat (see; great big galumphing feet).
And it's sad...Ben's right; it's so common to see them run over, the government road safety campaign for kids is fronted by cartoon hedgehogs! Kind of sick, now i think about it...
hurrah for st tiggywinkles!
EB... LOL that is just what I was thinking... That and Awwwwwwwwww. the poor little hedgie needs a snorgle.
you best get some kind of protection if you're gonna go snorgling hegglepigs
That is a tiny cast. I wonder if the other hedgehogs have tiny Sharpies with which to write on it?
That is a tiny cast. I wonder if the other hedgehogs have tiny Sharpies with which to write on it?
Janeyferr, I have my extra special hedgie prickle protector mask for just such an occasion. ; )
Yay! I sent this one in too, and I've been checking daily to see if it gets posted. I'm glad, I thought it was most deserving, albeit in a "cute or sad" kind of way.
The one with the double blue casts really breaks my heart. Dejection at its worst.
my whole body just broke into a million teensy pieces...not just my heart...my body. I want to cry cry cry....but yet what's to cry about?? There is someone who cares enough to wrap their little legs up and give them tons of mealies so they can hibernate until their little hedgie hearts are content...poor little hedgies...i love them...Pepper (my hog) needs some friends...they can come over and have a slumber party with him and he'll sign their casts with *sister's cat blob's* sharpies...
Actually, when I lived in England it was called St. Tiggywinkles. I wonder if they changed the name or if it is just a misprint? If I remember correctly it was opened because of all of the hedges that were injured crossing roads. I am quite sure that the entirety of the staff at St. Tiggywinkles is Cuteologist certified. They would have to be, I would think.
St. Tiggywinkle's does a marvelous job rehabbing hedgehogs. Indeed, they recently sent a hedgehog ambassador to the middle east to show people what a difference they could make. Our own roving cuteologist correspondent managed to take time away from the TTT (ICHC people will recognise the reference) to take a picture:
http://a3.vox.com/6a00c225256ce18fdb00c2252a1c83549d-pi
TJ, that really is an excellent photo.
PS It's a damning indictment of organised religion that the head of a certain religious movement who lives in a very small city state in Italy and who has a penchant for silly hats has consistently refused to beatify St. Tiggywinkle, despite repeated requests to do so, and in the face of a mountain of evidence supporting her miraculous deeds. Indeed, Mrs. Tiggywinkle's ability to get currant wine out of Jenny Wren's damask table cloth alone should qualify her for sainthood, let alone the wonder she works with Peter Rabbit's clue jacket.
LOL!
I need a clue jacket. I'd require folks to put it on whenever they entered my office. Before they would be allowed to open their mouths.
TEH-O! Ya doofus - not that one, the OTHER one! When did Peter Rabbit wear a clue jacket? Are you not acquainted with the classics? Flippin' heathen... (LOL!)
Just looked it up. Clue jacket, with crass buttons. Yups.
Tony, hedges do have a unique appreciation for classical architecture, don't they? And they are uniquely helpful tourguides as your photograph demonstrates.
how do they break their little legs? that's so sad!!
Michelle - snowboarding.
[sends Squirrel Nutkin, Benjamin Bunny, and Tom 'The Enforcer' Kitten round to Teho's house to 'encourage' him to Do What's Right.]
SO CUTE! I want to cuddle with him. Even in spite of the prickliness!
Aw poor wittle hedgie with the oversized shocking green cast. =(
But I gotta know... where's its paw????
Who in their right mind would abandon a hedge? I guess there are all sorts of ninnies out there -- I have fought the urge to get a hedge of my own because they're illegal in PA, and I don't want to subject a poor critter to the possibility of not having a Vet who knows how to treat them. Otherwise, I would have smuggled one in a long time ago! The are not ferocious or mean, they don't carry disease, and they wouldn't be able to survive even the Autumn here in Pennsylvania, so what is the deal? Poor baby! My heart is breaking.
OK. I guess I should have read the Daily News before I poured my heart out -- I understand now -- England has wild hedgehogs that have nothing to do with being pets in Pennsylvania. And I understand their dilemma with the hibernation. It's my own fault for being impetuous!
Why are this hedgie's legs so big? I thought they were always tiiiiiiiiiinyyyyyyyyyyyy. Maybe he's one of those wild ones?
oh mah gosh, i actually squealed. out loud.
Purplepeepz -- The hedges in England are a different variety from the ones that we usually see in photos on CO. Those are actually from Africa. The English ones have larger feet -- but one doesn't want to call attention to it as they are quite sensitive about it. Their heads are a little different -- and both are quite quick to point out that they are the handsomer variety. Brit hedges are all over the place. It is quite a treat to have them in your garden. Kind of like getting free pets when you buy a house.
Man... he totally defies the dainty paws rule. Those are like, total HEDGECLIPPERS! Heeheehee
If I was a pirate, Id have this perched on my shoulder. Yarrrr, avast before ye taste the fury of the quill! Arrr!
Ann-Eve, thanks for the explanation. British hedgehogs are definitely the handsomest.... at least, I'm not gonna argue with them!
Either way, I would love to have hedgies in my garden! I knew I should've moved to England when I had the chance. More hedgehogs and pubs that you can count!
St Tiggywinkles is one of the bes things in Britain. They do so much for orphaned and injured wildlife. If you live in the UK, please consider them for your charity donations:
http://www.sttiggywinkles.org.uk/
I give them as much as I can, because it's a crew of dedicated people who genuinely care about the animals they help.
Hedgies had a tough time with the mild autumn and the sudden change to cold weather (was anyone else sort of shocked when winter came quite suddenly in the second week of November?). But there's another good part to this story...the BBC's Autumn Watch, a TV show about nature which ran nightly for two weeks, illustrated the problems hedgehogs face after the summer, including the dangers posed to them by bonfires for Guy Fawkes day (they love to hibernate in warm, close places covered in leaves, so they often end up sleeping in the base of a bonfire before it's lighted). So people who saw the show have been extra vigilant in bringing these babies in.
You can attract hedgehogs to your garden by doing the following:
1) DON'T use slug killer. A hedgehog will eat all the slugs in your garden over a period of a few days.
2) Put out Hedgehog kibble (you can get it from most pet stores or garden centres). If you're worried about attracting rats, put another plate over the top of the bowl. Hedgies will find a way to push it off.
3) Put out a bowl of clean water, and change it every day. Clean water is as important to wildlife as food, and it's not as easy to find as you might think.
4) If you're not squeamish, put out a plate of mealworms at dusk. You can buy them live or dried from most pet shops, or on line through the RSPB. If you buy them dried, pour a bit of warm water over them after you've put them out.
Please take care of these wonderful creatured. And remember St Tiggywinkles!
http://www.sttiggywinkles.org.uk/
Ah har there Jim lad, they call me Peg Leg Pete.
can i sign his cast?
"to hedgie. get well soon. love, jen"
I saw this a couple days ago and thought of sending it in.. but it was so sad, since that lil guy doesnt have a broken leg.. he has a missing foot :S
Ahhh, poor little hedgie...
i'm sticking with the original CO, animaloverdose is a cheap copycat