What we do: We mark some of the hedgehog’s spines with numbered heat shrink (based on Reeve et al 2019) so that we can identify individuals. To track hedgehog hibernation activity and movement we also use light-weight radio-transmitters that are glued to their spines. The transmitter allows us to locate them (with the help of an antenna and receiver), learn about their activity and to study their hibernation pattern.
Does this hurt them? Hedgehog spines are made from a similar material as our fingernails and they do not have feeling in their spines. Heat shrink and tags fall off as the spines are naturally shed. Spines that may have been clipped when we mount the tag, regrow.
Care & Licence: We also inspect hedgehogs for injuries and parasites, weigh them and take notes about their body condition. If we find hedgehogs that appear to be in bad health we admit them to a hedgehog rescue/veterinarian. Marking and tagging hedgehogs is done under a licence.