Here at Fairfield we receive many calls regarding local wildlife, including hedgehogs, rabbits, and even sometimes the odd bird of prey! We can treat sick or injured wildlife here at Fairfield, which we do to ensure animal welfare standards extend to wildlife as well as domestic pets.

Last Saturday we had a whole family of baby hedgehogs plus their mother brought into us by a member of the public. They were brought in for being out during the day (which is most unusual for hedgehogs) and the mother was seen to be dragging one of its legs out behind her.

We gave mum and babies a thorough once over, upon finding no obvious injuries they were then transferred to our local rescue centre for rehabilitation. The family have been reported to be doing well, the babies are approximately 2 weeks old now and can be viewed in the pictures. They certainly are a sweet bunch we are sure you will agree!

Once they are less dependent on mum they will be sent to a specialist care unit at the Leicestershire Wildlife Hospital to make sure they get everything they need. Take a look at their website for all the other fantastic work they do there

For more information on what to do if you find sick or injured wildlife please follow this RSPCA link and if in doubt always call the RSPCA first and do not put yourself in danger.

As for baby birds such as fledglings they can often appear to be alone but in fact are acting just as nature intended, so please be mindful of this when approaching young birds. For full information on this please visit the RSPB website for further guidance.

Nicola Grimsdell
(Veterinary Nursing Team)