This time of year it is not unusual to find hedgehogs in your garden that are looking for a nice place for hibernation. To prepare for this time, hedgehogs need to eat a lot and gain weight. Sometimes it happens that hedgehogs, which were born a bit later in the year, struggle to accumulate the necessary fat storage. In all that stress and trouble their immune system fails to cope with things like ectoparasites, which are usually not a big deal. Mites are one example of ectoparasites. The little hedgehog, of which I took the skin sample, was found by very observant wildlife enthusiasts. The little guy hasn’t reached its needed weight yet and got some skin lesions (Dermatitis). The sample shows Caparinia mites that live on the skin of the hedgehog. At the moment it is still unclear if the hedgehog has an additional fungal infection of the skin, as mites can be carriers of those.
