HUNGRY hedgehogs are in need of food donations at the Fishcross-based National Wildlife Rescue Centre.

The Scottish SPCA which runs the site has appealed for support from the public in anticipation of an annual surge in hedgehog admissions.

Last year, the specialist hospital cared for 2,245 hedgehogs; 1,000 of those arrived between September and November.

Anna Keen, operations manager, said: “Hedgehogs generally come in to our care at this time of year because they are underweight. They need to be a certain weight to be able to hibernate.

“Many don’t increase their body mass enough to survive hibernating in the wild so they come in to our care and we feed them wet dog or cat food to get them to a healthy weight.

“Due to the high volume of hedgehogs, we are currently going through over 40 cans of food a day. Last year at the same time we were going through 100.

“We have started to see an increase in admissions, currently we are caring for 128, so we expect some busy months ahead.

“It is a race against time to get the wee hogs to a healthy weight and fit for hibernation before the worst of winter hits.

“We would appreciate any donations people can spare. These can be dropped in the donation bin outside the centre or gifted through our Amazon wishlist.”