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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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39
Noconsent · 10/09/2019 11:40

what time of year do they hybernate (in Lancashire)?
I guess they might be quite active in September - fattening themselves up.

Noconsent · 10/09/2019 11:41

or even hibernate...

RubbingHimSourly · 10/09/2019 11:42

Just letting you know I'm jealous as hell. Envy

Noconsent · 10/09/2019 11:46

🦔we should all try to get hedgehogs in our gardens 🦔

can they climb? someone round here has a "hedgehog highway" gap under their gate but spikey will still have to climb a stone step to get to it....

AudacityOfHope · 10/09/2019 11:48

We have one! He has very long legs, he looks quite funny prancing over the grass Grin

Noconsent · 10/09/2019 12:03

I'm on hedgehog watch tonight. It's settled.

hogshonour · 10/09/2019 12:08

🦔🦔🦔🦔
He has very long legs, he looks quite funny prancing over the grass

Yes, I was surprised at how fast they can run and the way they 'lift up'!

AlwaysOnAbloodyDiet · 10/09/2019 12:21

LOL, we should have a 'hedgehog watch' thread, and report sightings and post to keep each other awake.

I think I'll do Friday night though WineGrin

Original poster
SinkGirl · 10/09/2019 12:32

I see mine about 9pm ish generally, always in the same spot. I’m looking into houses now - we have an insanely overgrown border, now I can pretend it’s deliberate 😂

OP posts:
hogshonour · 10/09/2019 12:36

I shall be on watch now, so perhaps we do have ourselves a 🦔 watch thread!

I will be back with pics hopefully, or tears, sniff, if no sightings.

Dodger2 · 10/09/2019 12:47

I've been feeding hedgehogs in my garden for past four years,my cats just walk past them or run from them! 😃AND...last night I had SIX lemon sized babies wobbling about ❤

AlwaysOnAbloodyDiet · 10/09/2019 12:49

SIX baby hedgehogs Shock❤️❤️❤️

SwanneeKazoo · 10/09/2019 13:05

Loving all the hedgehog pics, can I just add that slugs typically make up a very small proportion of their diet, only around 5%, so even if you have lots of slugs in your garden they would probably still benefit from some extra food, particularly now as the females may have youngsters that need fattening up before hibernation.

Jenniferturkington · 10/09/2019 13:15

Wow, loving all the pictures. I have never seen a hedgehog!

SquirrelShit · 10/09/2019 13:53

Here's our little visitor. Can I just add, PLEASE don't use slug pellets! You can probably imagine what happens to a hedgehog that's eaten poisoned slugs. 😥

Giant hedgehog living in my garden
Weightoner · 10/09/2019 14:00

Hedgehogs can have late season babies upto October

hogshonour · 10/09/2019 14:04

PLEASE don't use slug pellets!

Thats a horror story to think about! I have in the past used slug pellets, horrified!

thenewaveragebear1983 · 10/09/2019 14:14

We definitely have one as I have found his/her rather sticky black poo on the lawn. But we've never caught him in the act!

Gloopygoggins · 10/09/2019 14:22

Very happy to see all the hedgehog love. I'd also add please be really careful using anything like a strimmer or lawnmower in the garden. My mum has a large hog population in her garden but just over the last few months has had to take three to the vet with awful leg injuries, and all had to be put down. The vet (a local hog expert) told her they were likely strimmer injuries and that they'd seen a lot of them this year. You can still use these things but check any areas of undergrowth or long grass and under hedges. Long live the hogs!

milliefiori · 10/09/2019 14:38

I have acute hedgehog envy but am very grateful for the photos people are posting.

MrsFezziwig · 10/09/2019 15:58

can they climb? someone round here has a "hedgehog highway" gap under their gate but spikey will still have to climb a stone step to get to it....

There’s your answer @Noconsent
He actually climbed up onto the step to try to get to a bag of hedgehog food. I didn’t see how he would get down so put the extra brick there to help - he ignored it and slithered off the end of the step.

Giant hedgehog living in my garden
Noconsent · 10/09/2019 16:12

that's awesome Fezziwig.

There's just something about hedgehogs isn't there?

burnttoastandjam · 10/09/2019 16:21

I am loving these pics and very jealous of 6 babies!

We had four babies this summer and the babies all got into the habit of coming into our apartment. We would often find them under the couch or running around the bedrooms. It became a before school game to hunt the hedgehog.

We miss them!

janj2301 · 10/09/2019 17:42

I made a hedgehog house out of upturned linen baskets not to stop cats but to stop foxes getting the food. Boy are foxes clever they kept getting at the food took me weeks to get the food protected.

Collateralbaggage · 10/09/2019 18:10

Our recent visitor Smile

Giant hedgehog living in my garden