Obese hedgehog put on Atkins diet

George is a hog - his eating habits have made his waistline expand to the point where he can double up as a prickly football.

Discovered by one of Wildlife Aid's volunteers in the garden of friends, George, who weighs in at 2.2 kilos - four times the weight he should be, was taken to the animal sanctuary where originally it was thought he was suffering from a condition called ballooning - where air gets trapped under the skin. But later it was discovered George - who was brought in with another hedgehog called Mildred - was just vastly overweight.

Staff searched for a pair of scales to accommodate the enormous hog and were astounded at his weight - an average adult hedgehog will weigh between 600 and 700g.



Although George is fairly active his health is being affected by the excess weight he is carrying.

To tackle the problem George has been put on a strict animal equivalent of the Atkins diet. He has one meal a day of cat food which contains all the correct nutrients needed for a healthy hedgehog and is under the close observation of Wildlife Aid staff.

The other effect of the excess weight is that George has not yet shown any signs of going into hibernation. His insulating layer of fat is preventing him from feeling the cold, and so his body is not telling him to go to sleep.