Found a hedgehog...any tips?

[Ziggyzazoo]

I just found a hedgehog nest, with hedgehog in it in the garden.
I'm afraid I'm a bit of a slattern and my garden is a bit wild and messy in places. Anyway I had left a garden chair propped up against a smallish cherry tree. The chair has been there a few weeks. I went to mow the lawn today, moved the chair and thought there was just a pile of grass under it ( probably from the last time I mowed the lawn).
I went to pick up the pile of grass and realised there was a hedgehog inside. Quickly put it back down and replaced the chair.
Its in the middle of the lawn and now I'm terrified the cat will get it.
Also is it even alive? It didn't move, but I don't want to scare it by prodding it...
I have put out a bowl of water and an apple.
Any advice on how to encourage it and not scare it would be greatly appreciated.

Rspca?

Google hedgehog rescue?🦔

How fantastic. A wild and messy garden sounds perfect for a hedgehog. I wouldn't worry about the cat - they will have already discovered it by now and realised it has prickles!
I believe they like eating cat food. Definitely not milk and bread. Cat biscuits I think as well.
You can also buy hedgehog houses, or cut a hole in the side of a wooden box/crate if you wanted.
How exciting!

Just leave it.

Can he easily get out of your garden? Are there spaces under the fence etc?

The cat won't get it, that is what the prickels are for!

Flat bowl of water is great. they eat cat food, but that probably won't work with your own cat!

The only time I would intervene is if he is veyr small. He won't survive hibernation of too small. Hadgehogs move round at dusk, so he wasprobably just asleep. Tonight, you could see if he is still there, and it not, move the pile of grass from the middle of the lawn to the edge somewhere.

Don't think you need rescue hedgehog if it was aeep during the day. That is what they are suposed to do. It will hopefully move around when it becomes dusk.

The cat wont be interested in a full grown hedgehog, they are too big, so if it's small enough for the cat to play with it might be a baby.

There is nothing a hedgehog likes more than a 'wild and messy' garden so well done for making a hedgehog happy. It may well have been having a happy snooze (they are nocturnal). I would pop on a pair of marigolds or other thick gloves to protect from the spines and the fleas, pick it up and pop it in one of the wild and messy spots. Leave it out some water (rainwater if you've got it) and some dry cat food. Give it an hour or so and see if it moves.

(and send us some photos please!)

to make a hedgehog house, get a box, show box size of a bit bigger. make a 'door' at ground level, about 5 " across. Put some grass/leaves in it, and tuck it in to a quiet corner.

Hedgehog Society www.britishhedgehogs.org uk
will have tips.

They say they don't constantly monitor online sites so if you find a hedgehog in need of help ring
01584 890801 for advice.

How can we advise you if you don’t provide a PICTURE?

"How do I know if a hedgehog is too small to hibernate? Hedgehogs should weigh around 600 grams by early December in order to have enough body fat to survive hibernation. From early November you might want to keep an eye on any visiting hedgehogs to see how much they weigh. It wouldn’t disturb them too much to weigh one on your kitchen scales. At the start of November they should weigh around 500 grams, or they may need to go to a wildlife hospital for overwintering."

My friend used to hedgehog sit small hedgehogs over winter.
She had them in boxes in the garage, usually babies that hadn't put on enough weight.
She had to leave them alone as much as possible so they didn't get too familiar with humans, but the were VERY cute.

I would have thought you leave it be, if it can move about. They shouldn't be in hibernating yet too warm and it was asleep during the day.

I found one last October time in the day time wandering on my road and it was a right palarva, hedgehog sanctuary wouldn't touch it. I put it in a plastic cot and escaped, went to the supermarket and got a deep cupboard box and when dp got up at 5 to go to work, it had eaten through the cardboard box so was having to go through the playroom and the boxes to find it! It had 💩 in several different places and the room skunk.

Rang a few vets the next morning, again they weren't interested and for me to look after it. But finally found a vet who would and they rang me later in the day to say it had an infection, hence it being out in the day.

Ooh! Please say you are my neighbour, I’d love to see a hedgehog!
Our Tesco extra sells hedgehog food! I often eye it up hoping one day I will have the need to purchase some.
Have you given it a name?

m.youtube.com/watch?v=x81b0qLXuNc

Just putting this here!

OMG! 🦔💚

tomorrow when it's asleep during the day, can you move hedgehog plus grassy nest (maybe plus chair) to a quiet part of the garden?

Hedgehogs often use several different nest sites until they hibernate. They are wanderers. The chances are now that it has been disturbed it might go to another spot.
Best thing you can do is to get a hedgehog house for your garden and fill it with nesting material and hopefully it might use it as a safe place to hibernate in.

What a relief you didn't run the mower over it! So many hogs suffer terrible mower and strimmer injuries.

Always, always check overgrown areas for hedgehogs!

To help it fatten up for the winter you could put out special hedgehog food or cat/dog food is fine. The adults will happily eat dried food.
No bread, milk or mealworms.

I've noticed there are a fair few hedgehog experts/enthusiasts on here!

Haven't seen one in years but then I'm fairly inner city.

I have several visit my garden every night. I leave our dishes of water and cat food protected in a hedgehog house. In fact when I went to put out today's food there was one already in there when I lifted it up and it ran into my foot :D