1. Derek – the baby rescued hedgehog who lost its spikes because of his traumatic childhood.
Earlier this year Derek was diagnosed with stress-related alopecia after losing almost all of his spikes. Doctors at the A120 Veterinary Surgery in Hertfordshire told BuzzFeed News the hoglet had lost all its spines because of his “rough start in life”.
Derek was only two to three weeks old and weighed 87g when he was found wandering in someone's back garden.
But after a successful appeal on Facebook the Vet found little Derek a warm and loving new home.
2. Frank – a little hedgehog who was rescued after he had his spines chopped off at a university campus.
Frank – or Frankie, as he is also called – was rescued by a sanctuary after he was found with his spines cut off in the kitchen of a University of Sheffield hall of residence.
He was discovered by the university caretaker who saw the little hedgehog running towards him.
Frankie was a “in a right state” when he first arrived at the Cawthorne Hedgehog Sanctuary in South Yorkshire. Anita Broadhead, who looks after Frankie with her husband Allen told BuzzFeed News that they burst into tears when they first saw him. "To think that someone could do that to a poor little animal," she said.
Anita said she couldn’t be sure of what was used to chop Frank’s spines: “All we know is that the sharp ends of his spines had been cut off and he was dehydrated.”
Thanks to the sanctuary, little Frankie appears to be getting better. There's even a Facebook page to follow his progress.
3. Huff, the tiny Rescue hedgehog with fangs who became an Instagram model this year.
His full name is Sir Hodge Huffington the Cricket Slayer, but people call him Huff for short.
Huff is a 3-year-old rescue African Pygmy hedgehog who became a famous Instagram model because of his adorable protruding two front teeth.
His owner, Carolyn Parker, told BuzzFeed News that Huff is considered a rescue hedgehog because of the terrible environment at his previous residence.
Parker started taking photographs of Huff to help her deal with seasonal depression, and people on Instagram fell in love!
4. Pink Floyd – the adorable albino hedgehog who was rescued after being dyed bright pink for fun.
Pink Floyd, or just Floyd for short, was rescued by Jacqueline Law, from Toronto, Canada. She told BuzzFeed News that he came into her life “very suddenly” after spotting a listing of a “rare pink albino hedgehog” for sale on classified ad website Kijiji.
Concerned about Floyd's wellbeing, Law and her boyfriend contacted the hedgehog's then owner and went to collect him. As they expected, he was in a bad situation.
“We felt terrible about the rough life he had,” Law told BuzzFeed News. “The pink has never faded and will likely be with him forever".
Floyd appears to be very happy in his new home!
5. Nelson – the baby hedgehog who is completely bald and so gets a massage everyday to prevent dry skin.
He became an internet sensation earlier this year, not only for his adorably unique look but also because he reminds people of something quite rude...
This hedgehog has alopecia due to anxiety and I need to be it's friend SO much
6. And last but not least, a video of these adorable eight tiny hedgehogs simultaneously sharing a meal after being separated from their mother stole people's hearts.
Jerzy Gara, from Kłodzko, Poland, told BuzzFeed News that he found the eight baby hoglets in nearby village, Nowa Ruda, after their mother was killed on the road.
Gara now looks after the family of eight. And the tiny creatures appear to be very happy in their new home.
