In June, Beckie Louise Ryan noticed a hedgehog living in her backyard. She named her new friend Henry and loved seeing him from time to time. She had no way of knowing he would soon become a huge part of her life.
One night in late August, Henry walked into Ryan’s home and was acting strangely. Worried he might be sick or injured, Ryan called up the British Hedgehog Preservation Society for advice on what to do.
“They advised I put Henry in a box with water, dog food and a towel, and gave me phone numbers to call in the morning if he got worse,” Ryan wrote on TikTok.
@beckielouiseryan So honoured & blessed 🦔 #hedgehogsoftiktok #hedgehog #hoglets #babyhedgehog #whatthehell
Henry gobbled down all of the food and playfully knocked his water bowl over a few times. Several hours later, he seemed to be back to normal. Ryan released him back into her backyard, and he scurried off, seemingly thankful for all of the care he received.
Two nights later, Henry came back — this time with five newborn hoglets in tow. Apparently, Henry is actually Henrietta.
“[I] grabbed the biggest box and we gently moved them all into it,” Ryan wrote. “We placed heat pads in a towel under the box and added food and water for Mum and two more towels inside the box. Then left them be.”
@beckielouiseryan Who needs TV when you’ve got this magic to watch ❤️ #hedgehog #hedgehogsoftiktok #hedgehogs #hedgehogrescue #henriettaandhoglets
It seems that Henrietta had been looking for a safe place to care for her babies, and after Ryan showed her so much kindness, she knew she’d found the place she was looking for. Ryan made sure to give Henrietta and her babies lots of space and privacy, checking on them sparingly to make sure everything was OK.
Ryan received some more advice from Tiggywinkles, who said to put the box on its side outside and let Henrietta guide the babies to one of her nests once she was ready.
@beckielouiseryan Thank you The Wildlife Community (www.thewildlifecommunity.co.uk). Absolutely chuffed with this 🫶🏼🦔! #hedgehog #hedgehogsoftiktok #hedgehoghouse #savethehedgehog #hedgehogs