Beginnings, or How did I get into this mess?

One autumn evening in 2002 as I sat in the conservatory, a small hedgehog wandered into the back garden. I went out and offered him some dog food. He ate ravenously before continuing on his way.

The next morning I found him again. He was still in the garden; curled up but not hidden. I knew that that was not usual and thought something was the matter. I picked him up and brought him under cover. After ringing local pet shops and vets, eventually I found a local hedgehog carer, Sue.

Sue told me that the hedgehog was an �Autumn Juvenile�. He was born too late in the year and needed feeding up and over-wintering. This means he had to be kept warm, in a cage, and with plenty of food. That way he would stay awake, and not hibernate before he had enough body-weight. I decided to give it a go.

I called "my" hedgehog Spike. He survived the winter and I released him back into the garden in the spring. I had a hedgehog house in the garden and put food out each night. For some time Spike kept returning to the garden at night.

Sue kept in touch with me when Spike was released, she asked me if I would like to try hand rearing some tiny, orphaned babies. They would need regular 2 hourly feeds of special milk from a syringe. Again I gave it a go; again the babies survived.

And the rest is history.....