New residents are very prickly

This weekend saw nine admissions to Prickly Ball Farm Hedgehog Hospital in Ogwell.

The farm, which has appeared on National TV and was taken over by Stephanie Hutton, 13 weeks ago, has had a recent influx of patients - some of whom require intensive care.

Stephanie said: "It's very difficult to get hold of second-hand incubators, or new ones, and we regret not having approached Newton Abbot hospital when it closed down. 

"Hedgehogs get cold very quickly and so we like to pair them up, if possible, in an incubator. If they can't be paired, then we put them on a heat pad.

"Baby hedgehogs need to be given goats milk through a syringe, a very narrow one, too - which are difficult to come across."

Richard Grace, 34, a graphic designer from Exeter, registered the weekend's final admission at 4pm on Sunday. He found Gracie, measuring approximately 10cm, down a drain. He said: "I was just clearing up some leaves from around the drain on our drive, and noticed something was down there. I didn't know if it was a rat or a hedgehog but I pulled it out and discovered it was a young hedgehog."

His wife, Amy, said: "She was shaking and obviously quite distressed. I had seen Prickly Ball Farm on TV about ten years ago and always remembered it, so we thought we should come down."

The farm is self-funded, a family-run businesses, and in order to keep visitors coming, a large proportion of income is spent on the star attractions, such as ponies, goats and pigs. The food, care, treatment and rehabilitation of wild hedgehogs costs over £20,000 a year.

Open from 1st April until 1st November, the farm offers children a chance to cuddle furry animals, stroke a gerbil, rabbit or chinchilla, as well as groom a pony or walk a goat or ferret. There are also children's play areas, picnic benches and a gift shop.

And if you go early enough in the morning, you might even be able to help feed the hedgehogs and visit Gracie to see how she's doing after her rescue from the drain. Visit Prickly Ball Farm for more information.