Pickles and Popcorn
Hedgehogs of the hill I live on
Late last May, I found a wee hedgehog in the middle of the dirt farm road that runs by my house. It seemed to have fallen from the high rock wall that was created whenever this road was made. The little guy had a bum back leg and his whole body wobbled… a lot.
I scooped him up in garden gloves and set him in a large cardboard box with a cozy fort made of old washcloths, in the laundry room for maximum peace and quiet. I gave him fresh water and food and checked in on him every early morning and late evening for several days. He seemed to be gaining strength, so I took him to the veterinarian to assure myself he was okay to be released.
The vet on this island is a large animal vet. He does see cats and dogs after 5 p.m., but this little hedgehog, who I named Pickles, was his first. Dr. Luis examined Pickles, who was spunky and nonchalant about peeing on the exam table. All seemed “two thumbs up,” or “all quills go!”
I was going to release Pickles the next day. But that next day, he took his last breath in my gloved hand. I don’t know what I did wrong, IF I did something wrong, or if he was doomed from the start, but I felt genuinely terrible about losing him… about interfering and losing him.
I buried Pickles in my backyard, making a headstone out of an old, traditional Azorean roof tile. I painted a big “P” in glittery pink nail polish on the clay and stuck a tiny pink cowrie shell I’d found in Cabo Pulmo in the center.
On today’s walk, Jumie I stumbled across another wee hedgehog. It was hot yesterday and this morning, the sun is already blazing. I took Jumie home, got some water and watered-down cat kibble, and returned to see how this second little prickle-monster was getting along. He hadn’t wandered far, his defense mechanisms were strong (look at this perfect ball of “can’t touch this!”), and I named him Popcorn.
Popcorn was too close to the road and right in front of a cattle gate so I moved him—not far, in case his mama is nearby—to a safer and cooler location, in the shady ditch. No trucks or cattle being moved to another pasture stomp him there.
I’ll walk later this evening to check on him, but hopefully I won’t find him. Hopefully, this hedgehog baby enjoyed the fresh water (he seemed to, he waded right through it!) and will soon be on his merry way. From what I observed, he’s a real cruiser.