Prickly Visitor
By tanny
5 comments
I had a morning visitor with a prickly disposition last week, he had to be handled with ‘Kid Gloves’. As the little fellow looked a bit lost in the bright sunlight, I decided to shelter him till the evening. As I held him in my hand I discovered some of those pesky Ticks attached to his back, I didn’t realize they would infest a Hedgehog.I got a pair of pointed tweezers and carefully squeezed the tick close to the head that was penetrating the skin among the prickles. With gentle twists, I managed to extract the rotters without breaking the head. After years in the Australian Bush I had become quite an expert at extracting ticks. Although I was unable to sex the creature, I am certain he was a male, and an old one at that because he stank to high heaven, just like an old boar pig. Thankfully he had no fleas on him, which was surprising because Hedgehogs have quite a reputation for carrying fleas.
I dug up five juicy worms from my vegetable patch and in a flash he consumed them and then settled down to sleep in the large box among dry newspapers. In the evening I sat him down on the lawn where I had found him and he soon unwrapped himself and waddled off through the privet hedge into the lane. I think he knew where he was by then.
The Tick in the last picture knew I couldn’t get at it.
15 Jul, 2010
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Comments
That was so thoughtful of you. Imagine if more people had that type of compassion on just one life form a week. Wild beasts wouldn't be enemies anymore.
15 Jul, 2010
Well done Tanny.....seems you did right by him. Those ticks are horrible...your years in the bush served you well there. Pity about the one that got away...
15 Jul, 2010
Do you know, I never knew that ticks existed in this country until I saw a Robin with one on its neck and a Woodpigeon with one also on its neck. I think the poor Robin actualy died because of the tick when I found its body a couple of weeks later. In Australia the terrible creatures infest the bush and they are called, Kangaroo Ticks and have been known to be the cause of deaths to some humans. Whenever I returned from my sojurns in the bush I would get into a shower and inspect every inch of my body and although I had used insect sprey I would always find one or two in some crevice on my body. Any I missed would start a terrible itch a couple of days later. I will be going back to Australia in September for a wildlife photographic holiday and will enevitably get those monsters crawling over me as I search through the wilderness of the outback.
15 Jul, 2010
Well done you for helpng Mr hedgehog to unload his ticks. He must surely be grateful to you. Bon Voyage in September, have fun but look out for those nasties Urg!
16 Jul, 2010
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10 Aug, 2010
Horrible things those ticks :o((
It's nice to see wildlife in your garden.
15 Jul, 2010