Hedgehogs are still about….

[AndyPK]

…..when they should be hibernating - or perhaps it isn’t cold enough yet…….?

 

[Gingernuts]

Hedgehogs need to be a certain weight to hibernate! Feed dog or cat food and water NEVER milk and bread. If not eating feed custard creams to regain appetite then dog or cat food. If out and about during daytime it means they’re hungry as they are normally nocturnal!

 

[GJH]

Keep putting out food (we use Spike's dry food) and water to try to help them.
A couple of years ago we had one come all year round (during the night so couldn't catch it to take it to a rescue centre) and it survived.

 

[Gromett]

My Mum's hogs are about as well. I think they keep feeding until there is a cold snap then they snuggle down.

 

[AndyPK]

And this morning, heading out for food/drink at 0618…….

…..and back ‘home’ about 30 mins. later……

 

[Phill D]

We have had a good sized one about a couple of evenings but not seen it for the last 2 days

 

[Pausim]

Many years ago we came home on a cold November evening and found a juvenile curled up on the doorstep. The children belonged to a nature club that had just been visited by a hedgehog specialist. We contacted the specialist, weighed the hedge hog and were told it was too small to survive the winter. We took it and kept it in a cool storage room in a rabbit hutch and gave it dog food and water all winter. It slept most of the time but woke up occasionally to feed from time to time. Come spring it became more active and we released it back into the wild.

 

[AndyPK]

Bought them a small shelter which they use to doze in and get out of the cold (-7C atm) during the night….but haven’t found a way to stop their water freezing! Not sure that licking ice is a good idea (!), but no ‘sticking tongues’ yet……

 

[Gingernuts]

Bought them a small shelter which they use to doze in and get out of the cold (-7C atm) during the night….but haven’t found a way to stop their water freezing! Not sure that licking ice is a good idea (!), but no ‘sticking tongues’ yet……

View attachment 697588

Hot water bottle, pet heat mat!?

 

[Gingernuts]

Keep putting out food (we use Spike's dry food) and water to try to help them.
A couple of years ago we had one come all year round (during the night so couldn't catch it to take it to a rescue centre) and it survived.

If feeding dry food, my vet said soak it in water and mash it up AND leave fresh water available! It’s an emergency measure, real dog or cat meat in a tin is the solution!

 

[GJH]

If feeding dry food, my vet said soak it in water and mash it up AND leave fresh water available! It’s an emergency measure, real dog or cat meat in a tin is the solution!

We always have fresh water available. The dry food is an adjunct to the natural food which they also take from the garden.

 

[SpeedyDux]

The long dry spell in the autumn might have prevented hedgehogs from digging enough earthworms and grubs, because the ground was too hard, (although there have been plenty of slugs about) so I worry that they haven't gained enough weight to survive the winter. Every day I put out a bowl of water for them, in case. I haven't put out food because the local cats will scoff it all. I haven't seen any sign that the hedgehogs visiting our road are still active during this freeze. On the other hand, I have seen a squirrel trying to dig up his caches in my lawn.

 

[Gingernuts]

Get 2 house bricks and lay them on their face sides, cover with a slab and put saucer of food underneath! Too small for cats/dogs but ok for hedgehogs!

 

[rod_vw]

We've been feeding hedgehogs for some years now, their feeding place is monitored with a CCTV camera. The last time we saw one recently was in the evening of Tuesday 13th.

 

[peter.green]

Never forget about 15 years ago we came home to find a hedgehog on our doorstep so gave it some macaroni cheese and wheatabix the cheeky bugger used to knock on the door, setting the dogs off at 9 pm on the dot every night for 2 weeks called it holly as it was December.

 

[AndyPK]

Not quite as cold last night, and these too are still active and eating….

The third one of similar size (same brood, perhaps…?), has been in our lobby since last Tuesday after a visit to the vet - he had a sore on his underbelly which the vet treated……and gave me some antibiotics to give him for 10 days. So, a trip to Pets at Home to buy a large hamster cage (I took out the wheel as he said he ’wasn’t into exercise’ ) and have been making sure he takes his medication daily. Back to the vets on Tuesday, then return to the wild on Friday - hopefully.

 

[AndyPK]

Update:- we still have the ‘hog indoors - the vet weighed him (it’s a boy!) last Tuesday and he’d put on 50g, but still only weighed 310g, so I’m keeping him in at the moment with a fresh course of antibiotics as the sore hadn’t healed completely, then back to the vet on 3rd Jan for a final check before he goes back to the wild……hopefully!

 

[Wildbill]

Not quite as cold last night, and these too are still active and eating….

View attachment 697810

The third one of similar size (same brood, perhaps…?), has been in our lobby since last Tuesday after a visit to the vet - he had a sore on his underbelly which the vet treated……and gave me some antibiotics to give him for 10 days. So, a trip to Pets at Home to buy a large hamster cage (I took out the wheel as he said he ’wasn’t into exercise’ ) and have been making sure he takes his medication daily. Back to the vets on Tuesday, then return to the wild on Friday - hopefully.

Might be worth putting more insulation over it and a long deep tray with a fish tank heater will do the job to stop water freezing
Bill

 

[AndyPK]

Cheers, Wildbill - if we get prolonged below-zero temps., I‘ll give it a try. At the moment, it’s well above freezing, and I’ve put water under the ‘van too which seems to be less susceptible to icing-over.

 

[AndyPK]

Blackbirds like the left-over calci worms too…!

 

[poppycamper]

Get 2 house bricks and lay them on their face sides, cover with a slab and put saucer of food underneath! Too small for cats/dogs but ok for hedgehogs!

Cats and dogs maybe.. but not RATS!..
We used to put food out for hedgehogs but discovered the food was attracting rats...
As much as we love seeing hedgehogs in garden we are now do not feed them as there is no way we are encouraging rats to come in as well..... Sorry Mr/Mrs Hehgehog..

 

[AndyPK]

Another update:
Hog back at vet’s yesterday for final check-up - injury nicely healed, weight now 450g (he’s been eating a lot!! ), so ok to release back into ‘the wild’. Didn’t do it last night as it was raining - still! - but much drier today, so I’ll put him outside this evening and see what happens……
I’m going to put a weatherproof hog house nearby to see if he will make use of it, but I expect he’ll toddle off back to his own place…….

 

[Spriddler]

I'm still getting mine on my wildlife camera coming from under my workshop every night to scoff the dog food that I've been putting out for the past year. I started feeding them an leaving water during that very dry hot spell when slugs and snails must have been few and far between. A fox and a cat come occasionally but I've never seen any rats on the film.

 

[AndyPK]

Ok, final update…..
I put Henry’s (Jac insisted on calling him that!) hamster house in the garden just after 5 this evening

and waited…….
He put his head out a few times, but thought it was too early to leave, so went back to his bed!

At about 9, he finally decided to get up and eat some Lily’s Kitchen beef cat food (with added calci worms)…

He then wandered around the garden for a while before scuttling off back through the hedge to his own place…….hopefully!

I’ll keep watching for when he comes back - the white patch on his right underside where he injured himself is how I can recognise him.

edit: He totally ignored the hog-house I bought….but, you never know…….?

 

[AndyPK]

Just one Hedgehog active at the moment - unfortunately another got squished on the road a couple of days ago…. - but this one was out in -6 this morning….

 

[Jimbohorlicks]

You should have kept his door shut

 

[AndyPK]

First use of the Hog house today!
Went in and out a couple of times during the night, and then back in at about 6am……did not reappear, so probably taking a nap….

 

[ManTheVan]

Haven’t seen any hogs here for years, although we used to have them. We live out in the sticks well away from roads and there’s plenty of hedgerow and woodland as well as meadow for them to play in. Rich in earthworms and plenty of slugs.

I contacted the local hedgehog hospital and offered them the option of rehoming some with us, to re-establish a population, but they refused, saying that if we didn’t have hedgehogs already, then doubtless our location was unsuitable! Go figure.

 

[EuroTrotters]

…..when they should be hibernating - or perhaps it isn’t cold enough yet…….?
View attachment 695639

I was waiting for a fight or something then

 

[EuroTrotters]

Haven’t seen any hogs here for years, although we used to have them. We live out in the sticks well away from roads and there’s plenty of hedgerow and woodland as well as meadow for them to play in. Rich in earthworms and plenty of slugs.

I contacted the local hedgehog hospital and offered them the option of rehoming some with us, to re-establish a population, but they refused, saying that if we didn’t have hedgehogs already, then doubtless our location was unsuitable! Go figure.

We have them in south Manchester they live and hibernate under our decking and log cabin.

But I’ve seen magpies attack and kill them