My first hedgehog.

[Urchinella]

My state of the art hedgehog house arrived today, tonight it already has a resident, fast asleep.

This is my face >>>>

Are your hedgehogs still around? I was convinced mine had, finally, hibernated. It had got very cold here and the food was untouched for a week. I went away at the weekend and left it (including the meat I'd put down, which I probably shouldn't have but, as I say, it was cold and I didn't think it could really go off) but was going to throw it when I got back and just leave some biscuits down.

Came back on Monday to find the bowl not only empty, but pushed out from under the restaurant wall! I assume he just got very enthusiastic trying to find food in it, but it looked like a very PA protest for a refill! So I put some biscuits down (not really believing he'd be back this year) but I checked last night when I put the rabbits away and there he was, tucking in! So I got him some meat and put that down. He was slightly perturbed when the restaurant roof was lifted for the second time, and was slightly tense when I put the meat down, but tucked in quite happily in front of me so I don't think it was too traumatic for him!

It has got a bit milder recently, where I am anyway.

Please record sightings via www.hedgehogstreet.org or local wildlife trust, record centres etc, particularly this time of year.

Tiggywinkles say a hedgehog needs to be at least 600g to safely hibernate...

Thanks for the link, Ihaventgottimeforthis. I meant to register with them earlier and forgot.

I've thought about weighing Mr H before. Really should have done it the last time I picked him up. Just checked Tiggywinkle's site and it says it shouldn't be too traumatic to pick them up to weigh them, so I'll do it when I next see him, probably this evening. If he's too small he can go into the guinea pig shed (which is currently minus the guineas, they're in the house). But hopefully he is large enough to survive hibernation outside.

Jim & Liz

Please put a pic of the baby if you can get one! DD and I believe there is nothing cuter than a baby hedgehog!

I love this thread! and I wish we had hedgehogs in our garden, we have to make do with the excitement of DD getting a tiny hedgehog in her advent calendar yesterday!

We have a hedgehog - there's a gap behind our shed so we've gradually piled up logs there when we've cut trees and collect sticks on walks, one leaves there - he's called Boris, poor thing. Well done Op