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Original poster

Giant hedgehog living in my garden

243 replies

SinkGirl · 09/09/2019 21:07

A few times I’ve heard rustling in the hops plant by my kitchen and now I’ve seen it - a whopping great hedgehog.

I’m worried for the little guy - there’s so many cats in this area, will he get attacked? How’s he getting enough to eat?

Can’t put cat food out, the cats will eat it. What should I do? He’s so cute.

OP posts:
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DeborahAnnabelToo · 09/09/2019 21:11

I bet he's fine. Can he get in and out of your garden ok (not completely fenced in or at least some gaps?). Are you only seeing/hearing him when it's dark? Healthy hedgehogs are not usually seen during the day.

DeborahAnnabelToo · 09/09/2019 21:12

P.s cats probably can't do A huge amount of damage to a large healthy hedgehog. They just curl up!

ClemDanFango · 09/09/2019 21:12

If he’s a big one seems his been doing fine on his own until now. I’d just leave him be, he knows what he’s doing and what he needs.

Cleebope2 · 09/09/2019 21:12

If he or she’s is fat he’s obviously doing ok getting fattened up for winter on all the garden slugs. Cats shouldn’t bother him.He will roll up and they will leave him be. You can leave out cat food or buy hedgehog food but leave it out somewhere where he passes by and slightly hidden and late at night when the cats are mainly inside. Take a photo please!

woodhill · 09/09/2019 21:14

I think you can put drinking water out in a very flat dish and make holes in your fences at bottom so he can move through gardens.

HappyHammy · 09/09/2019 21:14

Could it be having babies. Too cute. I love hedgehogs.

IncyWincyGrownUp · 09/09/2019 21:15

Love hedgepigs! They’re good to have about in autumn, they love the slugs we hate! Also, they snuffle and are cute.

TheBigBallOfOil · 09/09/2019 21:16

Hedge pigs have co existed happily in my garden with three cats for six years. Fear not for the hedgepig. He will be fine

Original poster
SinkGirl · 09/09/2019 21:30

Oh phew, that’s good news. DH saw one by the decking a few months ago, so I think he’s been with us for a while. I was terrified the rustling was rats but now I know it’s a hedgehog I’m very happy!

We have a very friendly garden - he can get from the flower bed where he is straight under the decking and there’s ways out if he wants to get away. There are many slugs and he’s / she’s welcome to them all.

Oh god, baby hedgehogs?! I would die.

I honestly thought he was a rabbit at first as in the dark I could only see the bum end and it looked furry. But I saw their lovely little face earlier. Would love to get a photo but I would need light for that and I worry I’d scare him. Only see them at night.

OP posts:
SweetPetrichor · 09/09/2019 21:59

He'll be fattening up for winter...too late for babies, sadly. If he's a big healthy hedgehog he's well set for winter. Just let him do his thing and enjoy him.

Cleebope2 · 09/09/2019 23:11

They don’t mind the camera flash! We have taken a few photos of ours and even petted it.

milliefiori · 09/09/2019 23:14

I am so jealous. It's one of my life long ambitions to have a hedgehog in the garden. We have such a hedgehog friendly garden but no sign. Would love to see a photo.

fergusthefrog · 09/09/2019 23:21

You're so lucky I love hedgehogs! Aren't they gorgeous. We've had them before. You can buy proper hedgehog huts and ours used them for a few years. Saucer of water at the very least especially if a hot day and meaty cat food (not fish!) goes down very well. There's also hedgehog food at pets a home but they loved the cat food so we never bothered. Until our cats got wind and joined them!!!

EmmiJay · 09/09/2019 23:24

Aww I want a hedgehog lodger Sad but I highly doubt thats whats living in our flat walls atm.

NextTrainGoesToBEROWRA · 09/09/2019 23:25

Aaaw I love hedgehogs 🦔! Please do try and get a pic to share with us.

CTRL · 09/09/2019 23:26

Lucky !
I’ve never seen a hedgehog in real life.

Do you mind me asking where abouts in the UK you are OP.

I’ve seen a lot of hedgehog posts on here recently and yet to see one anywhere near where I live.

Can you try and take a picture if you see it during the day Smile

FeelUselesss · 09/09/2019 23:29

This is our little garden guy, George! Smile

(We had to nurse him as he had cut his little foot hence why he's in a plastic container in this picture)

Giant hedgehog living in my garden
joyfullittlehippo · 09/09/2019 23:30

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

userxx · 09/09/2019 23:30

I have a hedgehog house for my hogs 😊

Bluetit1976 · 09/09/2019 23:39

These two are tonight's nightly visitors..I feel V. Lucky to have them in my garden, especially after reading CTRL's post.

Giant hedgehog living in my garden
Rachelover60 · 09/09/2019 23:45

You are lucky. We had a hedgehog (Les) for two years running, it didn't show its face this year. It was very interesting.

Cats won't bother a hedgehog, they have armour! My cats were very interested in Les, liked to watch her/him, it was quite sweet.

Apparently hedgehogs travel miles every night so yours will not be the only garden it visits. They sleep during the day. We bought a hedgehog house and Les did sleep there quite a lot. Liked meat based cat food, we also bought hedgehog food but the cat food was fine. Always leave out water, they drink a lot of it.

They are quite territorial and not particularly friendly to other hedgehogs. There was a bigger one who used to come along and they'd make noises at each other, Les would chase it away!

Until over three years ago I had not seen a hedgehog since I was a child. Many people have never seen one but a friend of my son who lives somewhere in Essex, Braintree I think, has a hedgehog visitor. I'm in SE London, Bromley border.

CherryCheezcake · 09/09/2019 23:48

You can get a hedgehog house and put food inside it, and the doorway is too small for cats (make sure you get one recommended by a hedgehog rescue as some of the commercial ones are too small).

If you want to feed a hedgehog, please put out meat-based dry cat or kitten food (not cereal based). Some of the commercial foods marketed for feeding to hedgehogs are very bad for them - anything that contains sunflower seeds or mealworms causes metabolic bone disease which kills hedgehogs slowly and painfully.

Please also put out a shallow dish of water, eg a pottery plant saucer.

And if you see a hedgehog during the day, please call a rescue, chances are, they are ill.

Mothership4two · 09/09/2019 23:51

I think they get bigger with age. Cats and hedgehogs can co-exist quite happily. They love peanuts.

CTRL · 09/09/2019 23:52

I’m loving the hedgehog pictures Grin

MrsFezziwig · 09/09/2019 23:54

Here’s “mine” having a drink!