Hedgehogs

[telboy]

Hi All,
I had a hedgehog hibernating in a pile of fallen Wisteria leaves near the base of the main stem last winter. ( I found it by following the snoring - honest)
The leaf pile was still there today but it was time to sort the 'whips' out, many had grown from the base of the main stem. I removed a large handful of leaves to cut the 'whips' and there were 3 hedghogs snoozing away in the leaf pile.
Is this a sign for an early winter? or do they do this during the day?

[telboy]

[thifasmom]

i don't know the answer to this, but aren't you lucky to have such sweeties :-* in your garden.

[Carol]

Hedgehogs snooze all day and come out at dusk and forage all night.

Hope you leave their sleeping area alone.  They have obviously adopted you. 

;)

Forgot to say, they won't be hybernating just yet.  Once the weather turns much colder into October or November they willhybernate.  If you have any spare Cat meat or dog meat and water?? they will be grateful.  That is just in case they are not getting enough slugs, snails, worms or whatever on your lottie or garden.

[telboy]

Thank you both,
I have returned the 'nest' as it was. Love 'em to bits. Loads of slugs about so they'll do well me'thinks.
:) :)

[grannyjanny]

My HHs disappeared & I was quite worried. The food wasn't being touched. I chopped up some peanuts & put them in their bowl & they were back. Must have fancied a change of taste.
Leave bowls of fresh water about for them. They are very thirsty creatures.
Janet.

[telboy]

Thanks all,
Gonna fix a bowl of fresh water in the ground adjacent to the 'nest'.
With the rain we've had? Hey ho! the nest IS under the foliage.

[telboy]

A friend last year.
;D

[Hosta]

We have a hedgehog drama going on here just now!

We have been given a small hedgehog which was found out during the day - not a good sign if they are about during the day !

Have weighed it and its only 300g, this isnt anywhere near heavy enough to survive hibernation, they need to be 600g + to be able to survive.  It must be an autumn juvenile.

I was going to take it to my work where we have a wildlife garden and have a hedgehog box hidden in the bushes. But its too young to survive outside.

After taking advice from hedgehog rescue centre, we are going to keep it indoors. We are giving it cat food, our cat isnt best pleased I can tell you !! LOL

Tomorrow OH will have to take it over to the centre and they will keep it under the correct conditions until the spring and then release it.  They said they have over 500 at the moment YIKES !

[Carol]

Well done Hosta, you are doing the right thing by the Hedgie.  They are in short supply this year I think and each and every one of them is precious. 

;) ;)

[kt.]

Hedgehogs are good for the plot apparently.   ;)

[Lauren S]

Hedgehogs are good for the plot apparently.   ;)

Oh dear, time for bed me thinks.....I read this as.....Good for the POT  :o

Hotchi-witchi....No, don't eat them  :'(

[Hosta]

Quick Update on Hedgehog :-

He, who turns out to be a she, is away to her new home for the winter.  A local woman takes a few in for the winter.

She says we can have her back in the spring YAY. 

Will take her into the wildlife garden at the nursery where I work in the spring, where we have a hedgehog house waiting LOL.  All the kids will be pleased  :)

[telboy]

Well done Hosta!
It is interesting to know that the diet of hedgehogs is only 10% slugs. Slugs carry nasties that give Hedgehogs lung worm which can inflict a slow/painful death. I now realise that the 'snoring' in my earlier post could have been a symptom of this problem!! - d**n my ignorance!
Please feed waking hedgies with cat food & plenty of water.

[timnsal]

I found a hedgehog hibernating in the garden yesterday - unfortunately,  I found it because I'm in the middle of clearing the undergrowth in that section before some trees are taken down in a few weeks. Don't want to disturb it, but don't want the tree people to tread on it either.

Will it be ok if I move it to the other end of the garden where it won't be disturbed?

Sally

[thifasmom]

i would relocate, this might help in the relocation effort:

http://www.fgvw.co.uk/html/florafauna/hedgehoghomes.htm

good luck :).

[timnsal]

Thanks. Hedgehog relocation imminent, I think.

Sally

[star]

Love that link  ;D

[rosebud]

Can i ask what hedgehog poo is like because we keep having a night visitor that leaves black poo about  its not cats poo, so i just wondered.

[lavenderlux]

Hedgehog poo is black - so it sounds very much like hedgies are your night time visitors.
Last year, we had hedgehogs visiting our garden in the evenings through mild spells during the winter.  We feed our cats outside and anything left in the dishes is left for the hedgehogs - our garden seems to be on one of their nightly routes

[thifasmom]

hedgehog poo pictures:

http://www.wildchicken.com/nature/garden/hedgehog_poo.jpg

http://parish-wildlife.org.uk/images/Pictures/Visits/Bealsmill/fox%20poo.jpg

http://www.wildchicken.com/nature/garden/hedgehog_droppings.jpg

hope thats enough poo for you ;) ;D