Hedgehogs - Decline and Fall
Discussion
I have hedgehogs in my garden and we have little holes cut in our fences for them to come and go. A lot of hedgehogs would love to feast on your garden pests but they can only do that if they can get in!
It's particularly fun watching a not-very-bright local cat try to figure out why he can't fit through... I could watch that for, ooh, 3 minutes or so before getting bored.
It's particularly fun watching a not-very-bright local cat try to figure out why he can't fit through... I could watch that for, ooh, 3 minutes or so before getting bored.
over the last few years I have fed hedgehogs in my garden and provided home for hibernation
I now have up to seven a night who line up at my back door to be fed! - and if I'm late to feed them they let me with grunts/squeals
they eat a huge quantity of mealworms - each will eat at least a large mug of mealworms per night
they also need clean drinking water in a shallow bowl - I use a large shallow roasting tin
I weigh them every so often and particularly in the autumn as they need to be at least 1kg to safely hibernate - late autumn juveniles are sometimes a problem being underweight - I take them to a specialist sanctuary who feed them up and overwinter them and I bring them back 'home' in the spring - I pay the sanctuary for feed/med bills plus a donation
a couple of years ago the sanctuary gave me two 'orphans' which I released at my parents house (very large and backs onto forest) they have thrived and increased in number
unfortunately my father died in March and my mother is now in a care home - I inherited the house and will shortly sell it but I still feed the hedgehogs by using timed cat feeders which work a treat - open at 10.30pm at this time of year - open any earlier and the birds eat the mealworms
the next bit some may not like - tough
I ruthlessly kill all foxes (legally) that enter either property - I have seen foxes kill hedgehogs and they stalk the ones I have until they are dealt with
one important thing is not to let the hedgehogs get too used to people - if they loose their defensive nature and refuse to curl up then they are under greater threat - and they are not the smartest of animals!
because I'm out and about at early doors with my shooting and fishing I often stop to pick up hedgehogs sat in the middle of the road!
on my road I dropped a note through every door saying please do NOT feed them milk/bread and do not treat them with flea powder - one had to have emergency treatment after being sprayed with flea powder
also any hedgehog seen out and about in daylight has a problem - please take them to an appropriate care centre/sanctuary
hope this helps
any question feel free to email me
I now have up to seven a night who line up at my back door to be fed! - and if I'm late to feed them they let me with grunts/squeals
they eat a huge quantity of mealworms - each will eat at least a large mug of mealworms per night
they also need clean drinking water in a shallow bowl - I use a large shallow roasting tin
I weigh them every so often and particularly in the autumn as they need to be at least 1kg to safely hibernate - late autumn juveniles are sometimes a problem being underweight - I take them to a specialist sanctuary who feed them up and overwinter them and I bring them back 'home' in the spring - I pay the sanctuary for feed/med bills plus a donation
a couple of years ago the sanctuary gave me two 'orphans' which I released at my parents house (very large and backs onto forest) they have thrived and increased in number
unfortunately my father died in March and my mother is now in a care home - I inherited the house and will shortly sell it but I still feed the hedgehogs by using timed cat feeders which work a treat - open at 10.30pm at this time of year - open any earlier and the birds eat the mealworms
the next bit some may not like - tough
I ruthlessly kill all foxes (legally) that enter either property - I have seen foxes kill hedgehogs and they stalk the ones I have until they are dealt with
one important thing is not to let the hedgehogs get too used to people - if they loose their defensive nature and refuse to curl up then they are under greater threat - and they are not the smartest of animals!
because I'm out and about at early doors with my shooting and fishing I often stop to pick up hedgehogs sat in the middle of the road!
on my road I dropped a note through every door saying please do NOT feed them milk/bread and do not treat them with flea powder - one had to have emergency treatment after being sprayed with flea powder
also any hedgehog seen out and about in daylight has a problem - please take them to an appropriate care centre/sanctuary
hope this helps
any question feel free to email me
hedgehogs can be really funny to watch
the following behaviour I have photographed and shown to 'experts' who have no idea?
on my concrete drive one hedgehog rolls into a ball and then two others roll it between each other using their noses - often the two 'players' are six feet apart and roll the 'ball hedgehog' between each other
and hedgehog sex is very noisy - brings new meaning to the word 'prick', lol
one behaviour I have never seen is the 'salivating' when they cover themselves with saliva - but some have suggested this is as a result of them eating something 'nasty'?
the following behaviour I have photographed and shown to 'experts' who have no idea?
on my concrete drive one hedgehog rolls into a ball and then two others roll it between each other using their noses - often the two 'players' are six feet apart and roll the 'ball hedgehog' between each other
and hedgehog sex is very noisy - brings new meaning to the word 'prick', lol
one behaviour I have never seen is the 'salivating' when they cover themselves with saliva - but some have suggested this is as a result of them eating something 'nasty'?
irocfan said:
glad someone mentioned flea-powder... what is the score with these cute little critters and fleas?
They have buckets of em usually - but they're a specialised flea that only lives on hedgehogs (their little legs are adapted to spines instead of fur). They will not try and migrate to you or pets. If you bring a hedgehog in, some do come off but they die quickly and don't seem to be a bother Edited by irocfan on Sunday 14th June 15:25
Re:moving bowl. I think if they are expecting to find it there they will then go looking if it isn't....but I don't think they'll know where it is automatically! Maybe you should leave a note? (worry not, they have a great sense of smell - they'll find it!)
creationracing said:
My two pygmy hedgehogs do this all the time. I tried one with some sweet potato baby food last night. I now have an orange hedgehog.
As for the hedgehog tennis... that IS a new one on me! MPEG please!
I would LOVE to see a before and after orange hedgehog photo! As for the hedgehog tennis... that IS a new one on me! MPEG please!
and obviously i would give my right arm to see hedgehog tennis too. as would most of the internet i reckon!
I had one running around on my driveway. The little fella/girl pretty much ran into my foot before realising that I wasn't part of the scenery. I feel sad for scaring him/her but it was lovely to see one up close.
They don't make anywhere near as much mess as the badgers I used to have when I live in the South West! (They were nice to see too but I wouldn't like one of those up close and personal!)
They don't make anywhere near as much mess as the badgers I used to have when I live in the South West!
(They were nice to see too but I wouldn't like one of those up close and personal!)creationracing said:
Another thing that rescues are finding now is that their hogs are being released at a good weight and healthy, only to be found out in daylight a matter of weeks later underweight and with a heavy lungworm burden.
It's hypothesised that this is due to a lack of natural food (other then slugs and snails which harbour lungworm) made worse by wetter summers.
yes, lungworm is a major problemIt's hypothesised that this is due to a lack of natural food (other then slugs and snails which harbour lungworm) made worse by wetter summers.
late autumn juveniles being most at risk - it can be treated thankfully by a vet
Hooli said:
I want hedgehogs. Think I'll have to look for a local charrrridy place & ask for some.
have a look at the various local hedgehog rescue centres - they do an assessment of your property just the same as say the RSPCA do when you want a rescue dogbut please remember hedgehogs are not a 'pet' - they are wild animals and human contact should be strictly limited for their safety
I am not going to release the video of 'hedgehog' football until I have professional advice
seeing how animal videos go viral on You Tube etc is not what I want
I will release the video when I have in place a 'contract' such that all who view the video pay towards a hedgehog 'trust' - I do not want any money but anything raised to help hedgehogs is my intention
seeing how animal videos go viral on You Tube etc is not what I want
I will release the video when I have in place a 'contract' such that all who view the video pay towards a hedgehog 'trust' - I do not want any money but anything raised to help hedgehogs is my intention
I live in the Lake District and I see s
tloads of dead ones all over the roads.
I would suggest that it's one of the biggest causes of death round here? Probably that and foxes.
The roadkill round here is incredible at times, especially in the summer months. I was on my way somewhere the other night and there was either a dead hedgehog, rabbit, hare or bird every 10-20 metres. Even saw the odd badger and fox. It was just everywhere.
I was once on my way up towards Alston one night and I've never killed so many animals in my life. There were rabbits everywhere. It was literally: Thump.... Thump.... Thump Thump..... Thump as I was driving along killing a rabbit every 30 seconds or so. It was actually really disturbing!
tloads of dead ones all over the roads.I would suggest that it's one of the biggest causes of death round here? Probably that and foxes.
The roadkill round here is incredible at times, especially in the summer months. I was on my way somewhere the other night and there was either a dead hedgehog, rabbit, hare or bird every 10-20 metres. Even saw the odd badger and fox. It was just everywhere.
I was once on my way up towards Alston one night and I've never killed so many animals in my life. There were rabbits everywhere. It was literally: Thump.... Thump.... Thump Thump..... Thump as I was driving along killing a rabbit every 30 seconds or so. It was actually really disturbing!
Well it's over a year since my OP and I've not seen any hedgehogs - dead or alive.
Some more info here (published today);
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/sep...
- in which the columnist is keen to discount any link between badgers and hedgehogs, but does also allow for predation...and, he states that rural decline is more marked than urban (which sort of nullifies the open garden argument).
Some more info here (published today);
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/sep...
- in which the columnist is keen to discount any link between badgers and hedgehogs, but does also allow for predation...and, he states that rural decline is more marked than urban (which sort of nullifies the open garden argument).
BoRED S2upid said:
What are you feeding them? I saw one 2 nights ago in our garden big bugger he was too I'd like to keep him there and fatten him up for the winter.
I was feeding them on mealworms. Not seen them this year they must pass me by as my neighbours have 2 go each evening and they are feeding mealworms too. Possibly the same ones.A year or two ago there was a weird noise in the driveway one evening. I opened the back door and right in front of me were two hedgehogs stood nose to nose effectively shouting at each other and oblivious to me standing right there. Some sort of territorial battle perhaps. Haven't seen them since, though there is a little hole under the fence at the end of the garden.
My parents currently have three hedgehogs in their garden, which they feed every night. It started off the other year with the orginally named Spike, but this year has been joined by Mrs Prickles and another smaller one, who hasn't been named yet.
Their local pet shop sells hedgehog food (it could just be labelled cat/dog feed) so they get that.
It's my dad's birthday next week and I've got him a trial cam so hopefully will have some footage to show soon.
Their local pet shop sells hedgehog food (it could just be labelled cat/dog feed) so they get that.
It's my dad's birthday next week and I've got him a trial cam so hopefully will have some footage to show soon.
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