Hedgehog out in the day

[jaingorenard]

Just found this little chap wandering through the flowers. We have a family of hedgehogs that live in our garden that we see most nights on a motion detector camera, but never seen one during the day before. Slightly worried about it, and worried our food, subsidizing what they would normally eat, is disrupting their normal behaviour. Going to call the hedgehog people!

 

[jaingorenard]

Another theory is it might be a mother who hasn't had time to eat, or one late out of hibernation (as we've had such a wet spring) that's very hungry.

 

[Non-Mentholated Black Man]

Why and with what are you subsidizing their food?

I am asking out of curiosity; not any specialized knowledge or specific concern.

 

[dingdong]

I prefer Hedgehog to a Hedgefund cute animal..probably nocturnal?

 

[jaingorenard]

I prefer Hedgehog to a Hedgefund cute animal..probably nocturnal?

Definitely should be nocturnal!

 

[jaingorenard]

Why and with what are you subsidizing their food?

I am asking out of curiosity; not any specialized knowledge or specific concern.

Hedgehog food (I think it's pretty much dog biscuit marketed for hedgehogs so they can sell it for more). Hedgehogs are getting really rare in the UK because we have uprooted so many hedgerows in favour of industrialised farming (post-WWII). In urban areas they struggle because so many gardens are paved over or astroturfed, and they need a good run of three or four gardens for a suitable habitat. Fortunately the gardens on either side of us (one on one side, three or four on the other) are suitable.

They would normally feed on worms and slugs, but it's thought that the reason their population hasn't completely collapsed is because of people feeding them in urban areas.

 

[verporchting]

Cute little fellas, wish we had them here.

 

[Green Hill piper]

Cool animals indeed, watch out though they will wreak havoc on your veggie garden

 

[jaingorenard]

Cool animals indeed, watch out though they will wreak havoc on your veggie garden

We have vegetables planted, have done for years, never had a problem! In fact, as they eat slugs they might be a good thing.

 

[kcghost]

There's a guy in Turkey that posts videos of his numerous cats. When he tapes them at night there usually a hedgehog around scarfing up the left-over cat food. Cats don't seem to mind but the has this beautiful retriever that goes absolutely ballistic when he sees them. Fortunately for them, he keeps the hound in a separate area from the cats and the hedgehogs.

 

[Non-Mentholated Black Man]

Hedgehog food (I think it's pretty much dog biscuit marketed for hedgehogs so they can sell it for more).

That is what I expected, though hearing about some fancy blend of worms and acai berries costing £60 would not have been much of a surprise.

 

[mawnansmiff]

A hedgehog in the garden is any gardener's delight.

They're cute to look at and eat mostly the nasty things gardener's don't want.

They're very partial to tinned cat/dog food but I read somewhere (RSPCA?) that so doing is not doing them a favour due to certain chemicals/additives.

Jay.

 

[simong]

Beautiful little creatures.
A favourite staple of badgers & Romany gypsies, apparently. The gypo’s don’t eat them during the summer though, as the meat is too runny. No such qualms from the badgers though, which, along with the outlawing of badger culls, doesn’t bode well for the poor little hedgehogs!

 

[Hillcrest]

Nice. Never saw one here. We do have a groundhog or woodchuck that bounds about periodically but that's a different species, and some possums at night. Glad to see you are helping them out as needed.
We have some major development going on nearby (unneeded McMansions) and they are clearing woodlands and displacing the animals. Just this spring and summer I have seen bobcats, mountain lion, coyote, fox, raccoon, skunks. We keep and maintain woodlands around our property for their habitat while everyone else clearcuts. I don't understand it completely ... you can't truly improve upon nature at best you can only trim it back a bit. I find manicured lawns and copycat landscaping a bit phony.

 

[woodsroad]

 

[jaingorenard]

Beautiful little creatures.
A favourite staple of badgers & Romany gypsies, apparently. The gypo’s don’t eat them during the summer though, as the meat is too runny. No such qualms from the badgers though, which, along with the outlawing of badger culls, doesn’t bode well for the poor little hedgehogs!

That's very true! The Romani word for hedgehog is 'niglo'.

Sadly this one ended up having to be euthanized, as she had quite a bad injury.

Last autumn we had three wandering around the garden so hopefully there are still some around.

 

[simong]

That's very true! The Romani word for hedgehog is 'niglo'.

Paninni Di Niglo?
Sounds more appetising than 'Hedgehog in a Roll'. Round my way I'm pretty sure they call them 'Hotchi' or something similar.

Sorry to hear the little fella didn't make it.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Cool animals indeed, watch out though they will wreak havoc on your veggie garden

Where do you do your gardening?

Please put your location in your Profile!
Why: It will save time for others when you mention local stores, weather, tobacco prices, availability, regulations, location of photos, wildfires, air quality, etc.
How: Under your avatar, (top right, left most of three symbols) you choose "Account Details", which brings up "My Account". "My Location" is halfway down.

 

[BingBong]

Sorry to read that it ended badly.

"Hedgehogs! Why can't they just share a hedge?"

 

[jaingorenard]

Paninni Di Niglo?
Sounds more appetising than 'Hedgehog in a Roll'. Round my way I'm pretty sure they call them 'Hotchi' or something similar.

Sorry to hear the little fella didn't make it.

You're probably right; I'm going off what the Sinti in France and the Netherlands call them so it may well be different in the UK.

We have found some more hedgehog poo in the garden, so there are more around!