THE doorstep discovery of an otter cub and the delivery of a box containing a boa constrictor are some of the more unusual arrivals to have ended up at Wiltshire Wildlife Hospital in recent weeks.

However, while the centre in Newton Tony takes care of all kinds of wildlife, from wrens to buzzards, fox cubs to deer and squirrels to swans, the largest number of patients are far more prickly.

Two hundred, mostly autumn juvenile, hedgehogs of various weights and sizes are fed and cleaned out on a daily basis.

Marilyn Korkis runs the centre along with her husband Mike who founded the charity in 1993.

She said: “Hedgehogs come to us at this time of year because they are found out in the day looking for food and are too small to hibernate.

“Their weight varies from 100g up to 350g. Ideally, they should weigh over 600g to survive the cold weather of winter. Some of them come in very weak and need close monitoring for any signs of sickness.

“If they start to develop an infection, which will present itself in the form of green mucous stools, every care is taken to isolate the patient and anything in its living quarters is thrown away and its box is cleaned thoroughly.

“Then the patient has a five-day course of antibiotics prescribed by our vet. All the 200 plus hedgehogs will stay with us until the spring.

“We feed them on dog sausage meat, as it tends to be less sweet than cat food, as well as a portion of meat-based cat biscuits, a multi vitamin powder and a sprinkle of grit, to stop any tartar forming on their teeth. Hedgehogs do suffer with dental problems 

“For fussy eaters we crush bird nuts and feed dried mealworms.”

The couple rely heavily on an army of volunteers who come in and help in various ways whether it’s cleaning out the animals, creating new homes or fundraising.

Roy Judd first volunteered with the centre after he found a poorly hedgehog out in the daytime two years ago.

Dropping it off he met Marilyn and found out more about the centre’s work prompting him to volunteer a couple of days every week.

He said: “Sometimes the hedgehogs are ill or just orphaned babies. They might have had bits cut off from strimmers or they might have been burnt with people not checking behind a pile of leaves before having a bonfire.

“Other times they’re just hungry. It’s non-stop here but it’s rewarding as it makes a difference.”

At home Roy is just as busy looking after his pets which include 10 cats, a tortoise, 16 snakes, a pygmy albino hedgehog, a bearded dragon and two dogs.

“We have about a 100 volunteers the length and breadth of the county,” says Marilyn.

“If someone can’t bring an injured or sick animal to the hospital, we do a collect and pass on like a relay team down the county with our volunteers, except of course with larger species like a deer or a badger.

“Here at the centre we also have students helping out from Sparsholt and Wiltshire College and those on the Duke of Edinburgh scheme – we’ve had five girls gone on to vets’ school and qualify.”

On the day I visit, there is a swan with a bruised neck who flew into the ‘v’ of a tree, a number of deer in pens almost ready to be released having survived car crashes and a buzzard.

With annual costs of £35k a year going on food, vet bills and antibiotics, the centre is dependant on donations.

And with increasing numbers arriving at the centre, costs are escalating.

This December, volunteer Lizz Fitt created a 2017 calendar with the hospital’s hedgehog patients taking centre stage.

“We couldn’t do it without the volunteers,” Marilyn says. “Their support is invaluable.

"Our dedicated team of volunteers provide a service that rescues, treats, cares for and rehabilitates each mammal or bird in preparation for its release back to the wild.”

For more information visit wildthingsres-q.org.uk or call 01980 629470. For rescues call 07850 778752.