Spikes in the data: Biological validation and applications of an assay for detecting faecal glucocorticoid metabolites in Western European hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus)

Faecal glucocorticoid metabolites (FGMs) are used to measure stress in wildlife non-invasively. We assessed three enzyme immunoassays (EIAs) and biologically validated the 11β-hydroxyaetiocholanolone (69a) EIA for Western European hedgehogs. The assay detected variations in FGMs associated with parasites and rehabilitation survival. We recommend 69a for future hedgehog conservation welfare studies. This dataset contains the R code and data files.