Chesterfield: Orphaned baby hedgehogs being nursed back to health

The hedgehogs are only about two to three weeks old

Six orphaned baby hedgehogs are being nursed back to health by an animal sanctuary after their mother died.

The hedgehogs were handed in to Spire Vets in Chesterfield, after they were found by a member of the public.

They are now being hand-fed milk at Charlie's Place Animal Sanctuary in Pilsley, because they are still too small to eat solid food.

Once the hedgehogs are big enough they will be released back into the wild.

Endangered species

Claire Robinson, who runs Charlie's Place with her husband Will, said hedgehogs were under threat and needed the public's help.

"They are an iconic species and they are much-loved by everybody, but there's so much happening that works against them now," she said.

"They are on the Red List, they are an endangered species, and unless we do something about them they are not going to be around for much longer.

"Depending on what study you look at, the average comes out at about 20 years."

The babies are too small to eat solid food

Spire Vets said it did not know how the mother of these particular hedgehogs had died, and the BBC has been unable to speak to the person who handed them in.

Ms Robinson said a lot of hedgehogs were killed or injured by strimmers.

"You don't want to know some of the injuries we see," she said.

"People need to check their long grass before they start strimming it."

She said gardens with fences that go all the way to the ground are a problem for hedgehogs, as they are not able to go from garden to garden.

'Complicated creatures'

People should avoid using pesticides and slug pellets, avoid having plastic grass, and leave an area of their garden wild for wildlife, she advised.

She also urged other people to get help for hedgehogs if they are in trouble.

"If a hedgehog is seen out in the day it is almost always in need of help," she said.

"It's important that you take an animal to a vet rather than trying to look after a hedgehog yourself because they are complicated creatures and it's very easy to cause more problems than you are solving."

Veterinary surgeon Beth checked the hedgehogs over