Hedgehogs

[alexgirl73]

I've just seen a hedgehog in my garden. This is the first time I've seen one here and we have been here nearly a year. He's a very cute little fellow and I've put out some wet cat food for it, but I'm a little concerned. Shouldn't it be hibernating by now? Does anyone have any experience of hedgehogs and can let me know?

[Moli]

It is not usually until November, December or January that larger hedgehogs finally settle down to hibernation, when they must realise that the greatest threats they face are floods, the cold or predators which can destroy them while they are inactive. A great many will never survive until the spring so it's as a last resort, when they cannot stay out and about any longer, that they put the final touches to their hibernation nests. As long as their is still food to be had you will still see hedgehogs out and about. In Britain the really hard frosts do not usually descend until the end of January with February and the first part of March being the time when any adult hedgehog out in the open is in trouble, and so the old story that hedgehogs start hibernation in October has now proven to be inaccurate

[Mags]

Smudgley had one in her garden a couple of days ago as well Alex.......

[alexgirl73]

Thanks for that Moli. I was concerned for him, but now I'll just make sure I put down a little food each night for him and try to encourage him to stay. I've got loads of lovely juicy slugs he can eat!

[smudgley]

We have some in our garden, we don't see them that much, they live at the bottom of the garden & eat fruit that falls from the trees. Don't know much about them or how to care for them.

[alexgirl73]

They like a little cooked chicken (no bones), wet cat food is also a favourite and dry too. They also like banana and raisins and unsweetened crushed digestive biscuits (guess who's been on the hedgehog preservation society web site now!), lol.

[Moli]

Doubt if he will want to hibernate with the choice of food he will be getting from you...

[alexgirl73]

I like to look after nature, thank you very much, LOL! I love the idea of having wild creatures in my garden. I've got loads of bird feeders all along my hedge, and I put special food down for my pigeon friends. It was great this year, we had about 3 different nests all along the hedge and we got to see mummy and daddy blackbird bringing the fledglings down onto our grass to feed. It was wonderful to watch.

[Moli]

Person after my own heart Alex, I have a family of goldfinches, mum, dad and 5 babies...

[sandy]

I've got hedgehogs too. I make a big pile of leaves and cover it with plastic sheeting, leaving an opening at one end. They tend to use it in early spring, when they are coming in and out of hibernation and need a place to have a longish snooze.

The mating season is quite an experience: I once heard the most incredible grunting and squeaking and rampaging going on in my garden at night. I went down, expecting i don't know what, torch in one hand and pepper-spray in the other and burst out laughing when I saw it was mating hedgies!

For those who don't know this: never give them milk, it will probably kill them. Best not to feed them at all, they can look after themselves quite well.