Gerald the echidna's second chance at life after flood ordeal

Life at the moment for Gerald the echidna is how he likes it; buried face-first in leaf litter outside Taronga Zoo's Wildlife Hospital, shovelling more over his head, and shoulders layered in a quiver of spikey quills.

It's a far more comfortable vista for Gerald than it was a week ago; stuck on a mattress, floating through floodwater in Sydney's west.

But lucky for Gerald, Pitt Town Bottoms local James Pullen, who was shuttling between flooded homes helping neighbours in his small aluminium tinny, spotted the small native local wedged in plastic wrapping around a mattress, looking cold and cowering in a protective ball.

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"Echidnas can swim, but generally short distances," says Liz Arthur, supervisor for Taronga's Wildlife Hospital.

"It seems Gerald may have spent a fair bit of time trying to stay afloat.

"He was becoming quite exhausted I think."

But after James scooped him from the mattress, using an old pair of duds to avoid the spike of his quills, and with the assistance of animal rescue group Wires, Gerald would soon be taken for examination at the Wildlife Hospital.

"He was very waterlogged, so he obviously had been swimming in the water," says Liz.

"Once I placed him into the enclosure, it was sort of like a big sigh of relief."

Phone vision shot of Gerald's arrival sees him almost slumping with exhaustion once his clawry paw feels the warm and dry bedding.

After rest and an echidna physical, Gerald's injuries would be deemed as minor; a few scratches on the snout, and paws like prunes.

"He's a big unit," I note.

"He is," says Liz, "he's a very good size. Around four kilos; some echidnas can grow to five, so he's in very good body condition."

And big boy is recovering beautifully, so much so that Gerald's now allowed the occasional dig in the hospital garden, with the prognosis looking good for a return home to the bush.

"Hopefully we'll get him back out there within the next week," says Liz.