little orphan hedgehogs

Orphaned hedgehogs adopt cleaning brush as their mother | the Daily Mail:
The four inch long creatures are being hand-reared by staff at the New Forest Otter, Owl and Wildlife Park in Ashurst, Hants. Manager John Crooks, 41, said: "Three of the hedgehogs came to us because their mum died. They are only a couple of weeks old. The fourth one is a little bit older and was found wandering around a back garden in the middle of the day. The home owner left it alone for a while to see if it would find its mum but after a few hours it was still by itself so she brought it into to us." The hedgehogs will be fed until they are full-sized and then they will be released back into the wild.

"They are a bit like human babies - they need activities to keep them busy. Because they have very poor eyesight you have to appeal to their sense of smell and touch by giving them different scents and textures. They like natural scents and have enjoyed playing with our cleaning brushes, soil, leaves, flower pots and the like. They particularly seem to enjoy rubbing against the brush." The smells on the brush, which is used to sweep a yard, remind the hedgehogs of their natural habitat while the texture reminds them of their mother. "It may sound odd but I imagine the bristles feel a bit like their mum."

He added: "They are quite a handful and each has their own character. One is quite snappy and another fairly sleepy."