"Caring for a baby hedgehog is not to be undertaken lightly. First make sure your orphan is warm enough and attend to any urgent medical problems. Before giving the youngster some food determine how old it is (see pp. 37-8 and pp. 54-5). Remember to keep all feeding utensils for the hedgehog sterile, as you would for a human infant. Proprietary baby bottle sterilising solutions seem to be safe enough, but sterilising by steam or boiling is the most natural method.

"Very small hedgehogs need to be fed with a pipette or syringe. As a temporary measure, you could use a paintbrush or spoon. All food and drink should be warmed to body temperature. A baby bottle warmer allows you to warm liquids to precisely the right temperature. The hedgehog must not become dehydrated, so give a suitable liquid regularly: at first, an electrolyte replacement such as Lectade or Dioralyte is best (see p. 41). If these are unavailable, give a small amount of warm water with a pinch of glucose in it. Start the youngster on this fluid replacement before giving any milk. If the milk causes the hedgehog to develop digestive troubles, put it back on a fluids-only diet for 24 hours.

"The best substitute for hedgehog's milk is Esbilac, a tinned liquid milk replacement containing vitamins, minerals, and egg yolk in a skimmed milk base (see p. 104). Second choice as substitute is sheep's milk. If neither of these are available, try goat's milk and mix in some goat's or sheep's colostrum (one part colostrum to two parts goat's milk). If the hedgehog stools are not firm, increase the proportion of colostrum. The colostrum contains antibodies which will help your orphan, which has not received its full quota over the 41-day suckling period, to acquire immunity to various diseases. Finally, add a vitamin and mineral supplement to the milk each day."