That little ball was tiny at first but keeps growing bigger, the one at the side of its head — what on earth is it?
Expert Answer
The big bump on the hedgehog’s head looks more like a tick or an abscess. The owner can check the connection between the bump and the skin; if you find a tick mouthpart in the middle, you can first drip alcohol around it, and after the tick is paralyzed pull it out quickly, then disinfect the bite with povidone-iodine.
If the bump is connected to the skin, it means it is an abscess. You can sterilize a needle, pierce the skin, and squeeze out the pus inside, then rinse and disinfect with hydrogen peroxide, and afterward apply some antibiotic ointment for treatment.
My hedgehog's head bump was a tick the vet removed, and they said an abscess would need draining instead, so the "is it attached" check matters. I'd get it looked at rather than yank blindly, the alcohol-paralyze-pull works for ticks but not abscesses. Mine was fine after removal, but I'd treat any growing head lump as a vet visit, the location near the eye and brain makes self-removal risky.