TLC spikes hope for bald hedgehog

A bald hedgehog abandoned by his mother is being treated by experts so his spikes will grow, a wildlife centre has said.

Baldrick was taken to Foxy Lodge Wildlife Rescue centre in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, by a concerned homeowner.

Wildlife specialists Tonia and John Garner are now caring for him in the hope he can be eventually released into the wild.

"The person that brought him in saw him in their back garden, being pushed around by his mother's nose," said Mr Garner.

"Eventually he was abandoned by her so he was brought to us."

He said Baldrick came to the centre on August 13 weighing only 8.5oz (240g). The little brown hedgehog now weighs 1lb 13oz (820g).

Mr Garner, who set up the rescue centre with his wife using their wedding money, said Baldrick gets a daily massage with baby oil.

He is also being treated with antiseptic scrubs and receiving treatment for mange - the disease caught by mites.

"He would not survive out in the wild," said Mr Garner.

"Hedgehogs rely on their spikes for protection. An adult hedgehog has between 5,000 and 7,000 spikes so they provide a degree of warmth. He's not going anywhere until he has got some spikes back."