First hedgehog already!
- Thread starter Sandyn
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mindthatwhatouch
Established Member
Still hoping ours from last year will reappear.
Don't take it in, let them roam. just make sure they have food, water and somewhere safe to sleep.
Fascinating little creatures.
Don't take it in, let them roam. just make sure they have food, water and somewhere safe to sleep.
Fascinating little creatures.
If it looks in trouble, I'll take it in, but normally they do fine. The first sign of difficulty is being about in daylight, but it may have just wakened today. We have a few hedgehog shelters in the garden. I think it's been sleeping in one of those.
It's great to see them in the garden. We didn't have so many last year. I think we had three different visitors. The biggest danger where I live is the road outside the house. A few have been killed crossing it.
Ollie78
Established Member
I need some round here to eat the slugs, I reckon we could feed a herd of them.
Years ago one invaded my brother bedroom (ground floor) he could hear a snuffling and couldn`t figure it out for ages then we found an enormous hedgehog under the bed. We turfed it out and it moved in under the shed.
Years ago one invaded my brother bedroom (ground floor) he could hear a snuffling and couldn`t figure it out for ages then we found an enormous hedgehog under the bed. We turfed it out and it moved in under the shed.
Robbo3
Established Member
We have three, well we did last autumn. One large & two small. As far as we know the large one only visits our neighbour. At least one of the small ones visits & eats the meal worms we put out under a low shelter. It's difficult to say if both little ones are active or just one.
I started replenishing the food mid morning, then topping up later if needed, after we found one of the little ones wandering about several afternoons.
I started replenishing the food mid morning, then topping up later if needed, after we found one of the little ones wandering about several afternoons.
We had one appeared here in Cardiff about 4 weeks ago but obviously went back to bed for a while. He(/She) was back out on this past Monday night and has been back every night since. We normally have 5 or 6 visiting throughout the summer and generally see at least 2 newborns every year. Last year they were around till mid December before they hibernated - a sign of our milder winters no doubt. We put food & water out for them, and have a trail camera to monitor their visits. I had wiped the camera this morning before I saw this post so I'll upload some pics tomorrow.
When we lived in Newbury we regularly had 10 to 12 every night on the back lawn, and we had a camera that fed to the telly so we could have 'Hedgievision' during the ad breaks.
Regards
Doug
When we lived in Newbury we regularly had 10 to 12 every night on the back lawn, and we had a camera that fed to the telly so we could have 'Hedgievision' during the ad breaks.
Regards
Doug
BTW - mealworms are not good for hedgehogs, although they do absolutely love them. We buy Calci worms instead which are OK for hedgies and the birds love them too. We buy them by the sackful!
Cheers
Doug
Cheers
Doug
Attached is a short video of a night time visitor. Comes back and forth several time during the night - assuming it's the same one.
We finally have visitors again! So far, I have seen three different hedgehogs.
Here are two having a friendly meeting at the watering hole last night. I use a shallow plastic tray that holds ten liters of fresh water for any of the animals that visit our back garden. In addition to suspended bird feeders, we scatter seed for the birds and put out three piles of hedgehog food along the edge of the bricks. Any of the hedgehog food that is not eaten is cleared away for fresh food the next night.
I used to put out cat food in feeding stations, but the cats, foxes, and marders (weasels) always found a way to get to the food. They won't touch the Claus hedgehog food.
Here are two having a friendly meeting at the watering hole last night. I use a shallow plastic tray that holds ten liters of fresh water for any of the animals that visit our back garden. In addition to suspended bird feeders, we scatter seed for the birds and put out three piles of hedgehog food along the edge of the bricks. Any of the hedgehog food that is not eaten is cleared away for fresh food the next night.
I used to put out cat food in feeding stations, but the cats, foxes, and marders (weasels) always found a way to get to the food. They won't touch the Claus hedgehog food.
I don't have a very good record with hedgehogs. When we moved into this house I cleared up an old bramble and there was a pile of leaves. I stuck my fork in and there was a hedgehog on the end of the fork. I took it to the local hedgehog hospital but didn't hear how it turned out.
The next year there was a mound of leaves in my garden border under a tree next to a panel fence. I didn't think it would be a hedgehog out in the open. I put my fork under the mound and threw it down the boarder to spread the leaves out. It was another hedgehog and it went rolling down the border.
Strangely we haven't seen any more in the garden since then.
The next year there was a mound of leaves in my garden border under a tree next to a panel fence. I didn't think it would be a hedgehog out in the open. I put my fork under the mound and threw it down the boarder to spread the leaves out. It was another hedgehog and it went rolling down the border.
Strangely we haven't seen any more in the garden since then.
Probably quite tender after 20 minutes on the spit roast. Poor wee hedgehog, they do sometimes hibernate in really open places. I almost did the same to one hibernating in my compost heap. Time for you to build a hedgehog house perhaps? they will use it.
Stevekane
Established Member
We had several for a few years then the hedgehogs disappeared and the rats turned up,,not sure if the two were connected? We were feeding ours on cat biscuits which I read were recommended for them. The rats are now gone and our dog was out barking at 03.00hrs so maybe the hedgehogs are back? Sadly our first sigting of one was this morning, squashed on the road,,time for the local volunteers to get some signs up again.
Steve
Steve
Did it taste good?
Orraloon
Established Member
I kind of miss the British wildlife although we are blessed with plenty critters here they are all quite different. Always had a soft spot for hedgehogs. Used to find them on the walk home from school and carried a few home home (wrapped up in a coat or jacket as they are kind of hard to handle) in the hope they would sort out the slugs. Anyhow out here we have these to keep the garden pests at bay.
Called a blue tongue lizard. About a foot or so long and sometimes even kept as pets but thats thankfully discouraged these days. That one lived in a burrow under that rock. Must be the next generation now as the one we see around is a bit smaller.
Regards
John
Called a blue tongue lizard. About a foot or so long and sometimes even kept as pets but thats thankfully discouraged these days. That one lived in a burrow under that rock. Must be the next generation now as the one we see around is a bit smaller.
Regards
John
Delicious!!!!
