hedgehog

[ugly gourd]

Ill say good morning LJ first as I see were the only ones logged on !!
I had to get up in the middle of the night to remove a hedgehog from my garden that the dog was barking at and its nearly november people are going to have to keep an eye on there bonfires before they light them

[Lesley Jay]

Good morning Ugly Gourd! Yes I have been here since 6.30 am!! I must be mad!!

The last hedgehog we found was underneath a pile of rubbish on the allotment which we were burning! Thankfully we shovelled the pile of rubbish onto the fire a bit at a time. So the hedgehog was found and not burnt.

[Waffler]

Can I remind people to take a look at the hedgehog traffic warning device (see post titled 'hedgehog plea').
Thank you!

[Nicos]

You know if you find a hedgehog, and are happy handling wild animals,(beware- the odd one will give a very nasty nip) you would assist in their survival if you check them for ticks - and remove them carefully (making sure you get the head/mouthparts too).
Do try and leave some plant debris in your gardens too for them and other wildlife - the designer gardens which are weed free and tidy are not the best environment for these little critters.
An interesting point...they can squeeze under a gate with a gap of more than 1/3 of their total height, so a 3" gap is just enough for most hogs.
Did you know a baby hedgehog is called a hoglet?? Cute eh?

[dexterdoglancashire]

Ive seen commercial "hedgehog houses" for sale - at a �! does anyone have a (much) cheaper idea? we have a little chap or chapess who visits our garden, usually around 2am to eat the stuff Ive put out for the birds and would like to build him/her a little house. Not sure they would use it, but its a thought. DDL

[Sue]

Is there any way of knowing if a hedgehog is around and about? Being on the allotment I can't stay up there till 2am to find out!
I've got a log pile and left a 4ft space between the hedge and my run of compost bins as a wildlife space and I've got a nice pile of rubbish for them, short of putting up a notice saying hedgehogs welcome, don't know what else to do. I see foxes from time to time and there are some mice living in my 4ft space as I've seen them eating from the bird table.
I'd love some hedgehog tenants.
Sue

[rustylady]

I work very strange hours - totally legit job, but shift system. The first I knew of my resident hedgehog was one evening - I'd got in from work around 10. 20 pm, sat in the conservatory (OK back porch but its enclosed) with a glass of wine to unwind.

Lo and behold a little furry creature at the foot of the apple tree!! Panic!!! (I'm looking after my daughter's 3 guinea pigs who are living in a converted rabbit hutch and run on my lawn and doing a good job of keeping the grass down) I thoughy it was one of the guinea pigs outside the run instead of inside - it was fairly dark.

Crept slowly out, prepared to grab creature and return it to inside the run. Got within around 2 feet of it, crouched down, prepared to grab and realised it had prickles instead of fur. I hope no-one was listening, cos I said some very strange things.

Saw said hedgehog again the next night, no sightings since, but I have seen droppings so it's still about.

My garden is enclosed by a 6 ft high wooden fence erected by the landlord, and a brick wall between me and my next door neighbour, but is an old cottage with mature though smallish back garden. I just wonder how hedgy got in?

[silver8]

I have got a real soft spot for hedgehogs.When I was a kid used to see loads of them out and about but the only ones ive seen for years are dead ones. Cant believe though that people would pay almost �40 for a hedgehog box which has to be very hit and miss. They are really just a wooden box with a hole in, and ive made three for the lottie but not expecting much.Some of the advise about encouraging them i really dont find that useful. Like putting out cat food. Fine if you live in an area with no cats as they will get to it first.
The reality of the situation is that modern day farming methods have wiped them out in rural areas. And there is very little to encourage them in urban areas-the disappearence of front gardens,the use of slug pellets,more and more car use.
Take for example my allotment site. About 20 plots being worked and to the best of my knowledge im the only one using organic methods of slug control.I would say the same could be said of any row of houses.So even if a hedgehog were to use my hedgehog houses, and didnot eat anything on my plot to harm them, they wouldnot have to wander that far to face danger. And then they have to negotiate the more and more busy main road.
Cant say that im feeling that optimistic about their future.Simply the decline of the hedgehog and their extinction will be just another cost of the choices we make on a daily basis and the action of governments.

[Nicos]

The best way to encourage them into your garden is to provide a 5* B&B

As each hog has it's own territory( I think they do tolerate some sharing) ,a choice of good dry nesting places (leaves, twigs, torn up newspaper); a fresh water supply ( shallow/ safe enough for them to climb out again!!) and a decent supply of slugs/snails/beetles and grubs and access in and out of your garden (need to wander several miles per night in search of food)should entice them.
All you can do is provide better facilities than your neighbours and they are more likely to lodge with you!
Hedgehog poo is black/green and sloppyish ( think of digested slugs - sorry if you are about to eat!!) and if you leave cat food out they will poo around and in the bowl as they are eating. They do prefer live meal worms if you can find a fishing shop (but they are expensive) and will eat a mug full in one sitting.
In summer they can often be heard grunting and huffing whist wooing their potential mate.

I am certainly no expert on hedgehogs, and I'm sure you can find out much more info on the net.
Happy tracking!

[Waffler]

Ooh! I'm optomistic on the poo front! (?!) We've had some poo at the front of the house on occasion, which I haven't been able to identify, but it sounds similar to what you described. I shall definitely keep a look out. No good me putting cat food out with 3 cats and several neighbouring cats!

[bootie]

Ive seen commercial "hedgehog houses" for sale - at a �! does anyone have a (much) cheaper idea? we have a little chap or chapess who visits our garden, usually around 2am to eat the stuff Ive put out for the birds and would like to build him/her a little house. Not sure they would use it, but its a thought. DDL

Go to http://www.powen.freeserve.co.uk/Pro...box/hogbox.htm

[Shortie]

Good morning Ugly Gourd! Yes I have been here since 6.30 am!!

Blimey.... I'm usually just about surfacing by then (surfacing ready for the mass rush to get ready for work that it )

I'd love to have a hedgehog in my garden by at the mo our fences aren'thigh enough off the ground to allow one in. I keep meaning to looking to look into the hight they need etc so I can maybe shave the right amount off my back gate (but not big enough to let the local scrotes [sp] in )

I'm intending to make my lottie plot as 'hog friendly as possible too

[Waffler]

I've just ordered my wildlife whistles (mentioned earlier and on 'hedgehog plea'). For those of you interested, if you order 10 or more (!) they do them for �7 each instead of �7.50.

[dexterdoglancashire]

Thanks everyone for the excellent advice! will let you know how my "hedgehog poo patrols" get on! - I know, I know, you've all got visions of me tramping around my front lawn at 2am in my PJs with a torch looking out for hedgehog poo! DDL PS mustn't forget the stillettos!

[Earthbabe]

The best way to encourage them into your garden is to provide a 5* B&B ....... They do prefer live meal worms if you can find a fishing shop (but they are expensive) and will eat a mug full in one sitting......

Live meal worms are also available from places like Wiggly Wigglers and pet shops that deal in reptiles.

They are also good for robins and the like, although the robins will settle for the dried variety which are easier to get hold of in quantity.