Hedgehogs

[Dan Wound]

Whilst up late last night sat at the patio doors I heard a snuffling sound and was visited by a big Hedgehog, watched him for half an hour or so, very nice. As they eat slugs and snails i figure they're worth encouraging as they could be like patrolling watchmen over the veg garden.

So does anyone know how to encourage them ?? Without impacting on them or their surroundings. How wide would their 'patch' be ?? Is there any downside to our prickly pals ??

Many thanks.

 

[shaggystu]

my dog likes to pick up the hedgehogs that he finds in the garden and bring them in the house to show us how clever he is, bless him.

as for encouraging them, i'd guess that they'd be looking for something like a hedge bottom to rest up in during the day. my garden has a pretty thick mixed hedgerow along one side, mainly hazel and holy with half a dozen species mixed in, and with lots of ivy growing up through it. it's not been particularly well looked after for decades by the look of it and the hedgehogs seem to love it. you can encourage pretty much anything by putting food down for it, whther or not it's a good idea is another question. i'm pretty sure that cat food is recommended for hedgehogs but don't quote me on that, bread and milk is not suitable for feeding hedgehogs.

i've got no idea how far their range is/ how big their territory is, i'm going to go and find out shortly

as for the downsides to hedgehogs, they're absolutely covered in fleas, millions of the things

happy urchin spotting!

stuart

 

[joe.ford]

I feed ours with some hedgehog food, from pets at home.

They also like the berry flavour suet bird food.

I would like to know if they mate for life with 1 partner? Just wondering as we have the same pair visit each night.

A big one with a white stripe down his back, and a smaller one

 

[Harvestman]

Hedgehog ranges are surprisingly big, and can cover more than a mile in some instances. Depends on the habitat, but several gardens at a minimum. They are declining rapidly, so need all the encouragement they can get. Pet food is a good option, if you do it regularly. Also doing things like making sure there is a way for them to escape from ponds if they fall in. They swim well, but need a gentle slope to get out before they tire and drown. A plank into the water is good.

Oh, and the fleas on hedgehogs are hedgehog fleas. Yhey are specific to hedgehogs, and won't bite anything else. Don't worry about them.

Contact your local hedgehog rescue or the Hedgehog Helpline for more info. Local wildlife trusts usually can help on how to encourage them too.

 

[prescottr]

I have a couple of hedgehogs. One is male and the other is a female. I originally though of breeding them to get more, though I had no intention of selling them for money. But I noticed that the female was an aggressor and usually injures the male hedgehog leaving him with wounds and scratches. I though that letting them stay together would change things but 6 months in it, nothing much has changed. Any recommendations about it?

 

[ged]

I have a couple of hedgehogs. ...

http://www.thehedgehog.co.uk/captive.htm

 

[JonathanD]

I have a couple of hedgehogs. One is male and the other is a female. I originally though of breeding them to get more, though I had no intention of selling them for money. But I noticed that the female was an aggressor and usually injures the male hedgehog leaving him with wounds and scratches. I though that letting them stay together would change things but 6 months in it, nothing much has changed. Any recommendations about it?

Yeah, let them go. Two hedghogs are not supposed to live together and will be territorial and fight (as you have seen). The smaller one will be having a miserable life and will eventually die. On top of that, how can you hibernate them successfully when they have no access to their usual hibernation sites.