CHEMICAL IMMOBILIZATION OF FREE-RANGING EUROPEAN HEDGEHOGS (ERINACEUS-EUROPAEUS)

Twenty-five free-ranging European hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) were immobilized on 33 occasions with various sedative and anesthetic agen ts. Eleven animals injected with a combination of medetomidine hydroch loride (0.2 mg/kg), ketamine (2.0 mg/kg), and fentanyl(0.1 mg/kg) s.c. were completely immobilized after 8.2 +/- 2.5 (mean +/- SD) min. The immobilizations were characterized by good muscle relaxation, abolitio n of the rolling-up, pedal withdrawal, and corneal reflexes, and minim al reaction to eartagging. Twenty to 25 min after administration of th e immobilizing agents, six animals received a combination of atipamezo le hydrochloride (1.0 mg/kg) and naloxone hydrochloride (0.16 mg/kg) i .m., and five animals were given saline (0.6 ml/kg) i.m. The mean time s from administration of reversal agents (group 1) or saline (group 2) to when the animals regained the rolling-up reflex and were able to w alk, were 6.6 +/- 2.0 and 7.4 +/- 2.1 min in group 1 and 66 +/- 19 and 135 +/- 15 min in group 2, respectively. No side effects were seen in animals given reversal agents; animals given saline remained immobili zed for up to 2.5 hr. The other drug doses or combinations that were t ested, medetomidine hydrochloride (0.32-2.1 mg/kg), medetomidine hydro chloride (0.2 mg/kg) + ketamine (5.0 mg/kg), tiletamine-zolazepam (10. 0-35.2 mg/kg), and etorphine (0.062-0.170 mg/kg) + methotrimeprazine ( 16.4-45.0 mg/kg), were either not effective or had certain disadvantag es at the dosages used in this study. In conclusion, a combination of medetomidine-ketamine-fentanyl can be recommended for reversible immob ilization of free-ranging European hedgehogs.