Hedgehog Cabin

I’d seen excepts of the dire misinformation this book contains, and of course heard how terrible and harmful it is from other rescues (I run a hedgehog hospital and have many years experience caring for all aspects of these wonderful little animals), but felt unqualified to make a public statement about it until I’d read the thing myself. So I paid the extortionate and, quite frankly, exploitative price of £25 and began to read. I’m only half-way through but felt such an urgent need to warn potential buyers from wasting their money and buying this book and - more importantly - maybe following the suggestions it contains, and by doing so unknowingly causing pain, suffering and death to these dear gentle creatures, that I had to stop and write this review. What comes across very clearly is that self-proclaimed ‘expert’ Pat Morris knows very little about hedgehogs, has absolutely zero understanding of their behaviour, is ignorant of their dietary needs and, quite shockingly, doesn’t really like them, or any other animal, very much. Anyone, anywhere, who actually feeds the hedgehogs and delights in the privilege of having them visit their garden is SO much more of an expert than this author (who doesn’t feed, or have any experience of them himself). He advocates feeding bread and milk, which most people nowadays are aware is very harmful, sometimes fatally so. His ‘evidence’ on what hedgehogs eat and how, is about as far from fact as it’s possible to be. I’d struggle to call it even anecdotal, as it’s more like gossip: his ‘source’ is what his friend, who does feed hogs (milk and bread!) tells him, and letters from 2 women who write to him with stories of their hedgehog visitors. I kid you not. The fact he dismisses the devastating and cripplingly painful, and ultimately fatal Metabolic Bone Disease (a condition caused from being fed mealworms) as “a scare story that has been created without anyone questioning its validity” makes me want to tie him to a chair with his eyes taped open and watch the crippled and broken victims of this ‘scare story’ scream their last breath. As, I’m sure, would all the other rescues all over the country who are left to deal with the heartbreaking casualties of this human-induced condition. I’m furious this harmful, dangerous rubbish was ever published - a perfect example of 'it's not what you know, but who you know'. If you were thinking of buying this book, please donate the money to your local hedgehog rescue instead, who will be happy to answer any of your questions - and with a great deal more authority than this charlatan.