Rescuers come to the aid of bald hedgehog after it loses all its prickles

A bald hedgehog has been taken into care after losing all its prickles because of a nasty infection.

Ollie has been saved by charity ‘Prickles in a Pickle’ after he was found with no spikes and struggling to eat.

Vets discovered he had ringworm and a bacterial infection which caused most of the prickles to fall out.

Because of the warmer weather in the UK, ringworm and other infections and parasites haven’t been killed off by the winter frost.

Ollie was covered in crusts, making him bleed from the mouth and leaving very few prickles left.

The little guy has had a very slow recovery and is still not able to be released.

Judy Thomson, 66, co-founder of Prickles in a Pickle in Stoke Fleming, Devon, said: ‘The crust around his face was so severe that he couldn’t open his mouth to eat properly.

‘Every time he opened his mouth, he bled. So it was very painful for him. He’s looking a lot better now. His skin is better and not as crusty.

‘He’s eating independently, maintaining his weight. Obviously, it’s not ideal to have a wild animal in captivity for a long period of time. But as long as they’re improving, that’s okay.’

Ollie’s unusual appearance has captured the attention of over 13 million people online, with many comments comparing him to an avocado.

Judy said: ‘He’s been likened to all sorts of objects, looking like he does. Like a rolled-up sock or a very large potato.

‘I posted a video for our volunteers, our followers, and the public to see what a prickle-less hedgehog looked like. They look so different that somebody might not even know what it is.’

Similarly to human medicine, animals can grow resistant to veterinary treatments, meaning they have had to think ‘outside the box’ for Ollie.

Ollie has now become the ‘poster hog’ for the charity’s fundraising campaign, and the posts of him have helped raise nearly £5,000 for the charity.

The charity costs Judy and her partner and co-founder Alan Pook, 68. £65,000 to £70,000 per year from their home in Stoke Fleming.

Seven years ago Prickles in a Pickle looked after about 40 hedgehogs per year, now they take over 1000 per year, with up to 200 in residence at any one time.

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