To ask you to please help hedgehogs and other wildlife prepare for winter

[Pricklesinperil]

It is literally a lifeline for them as the weather gets warmer.

if you’d like to know about other ways to help, please go to Help hedgehogs

thank you

Note from MNHQ - please do read the Op's latest update (October 2022) before responding.

Bumping- the birds are really enjoying the fresh water in their bird bath

Evening bump, natural water sources are running dry so please help by leaving water out for thirsty creatures.

Lovely wording @Lonelycrab

I’m just watching the weather forecast and I’m so worried about the impact on wildlife. I’ve reported the thread to mnhq and asked them to change the title to reflect the importance of leaving out water for all wildlife

Early morning bump - please leave out water for wildlife, it’s a life saver

@Pricklesinperil Thanks for your compliment.

Unfortunately @mnhq (by the looks of it) have decided to not let this thread appear in active threads, so bumping it doesn’t have nearly as much effect as it should. I know that I look at active threads as the main way to look between threads.

I’ve emailed them about it, as I think this is a fairly important thread with good intentions, but they haven’t replied.

Ok well they’ve got back to me about it not appearing in active threads, and they don’t know why that’s happening- it should be there. So they asked me to bump again right now to see if it appears at the top of active like it should….

@Lonelycrab thank you so much for noticing and contacting mnhq - I’m very touched, you are so kind. It hadn’t even occurred to me that it wouldn’t be appearing in active!

Just seen this on BBC news - baby hedgehog segment starts at 1 min 59 secondsBaby hedgehogs affected by heat

Thank you again for the reminder - poor little creatures in this heat

My early summer hedgehogs haven’t been back before midnight for about three weeks I think. I still put out cat food and replenish the water every night, and it’s being eaten but I think it’s possibly just the neighbours’ cats that are enjoying it. Unless hogs’ typical foraging habits change across the summer once hoglets are in the picture? I really hope they’ve not left permanently or died with so many of their other natural food and water sources presumably drying up in the heat.

Thanks for continuing to leave out fresh water for wildlife @Babymamaroon and @DowningStreetParty

just received this from the RSPB

if anyone would like to sign up to receive monthly wildlife gardening tips with the RSPB Nature on Your Doorstep email - here’s the link RSPB

@DowningStreetParty with your hog it may just be a change in routine and they’re not visiting your garden until later in the night. Fwiw the previous two summers I had visitors all the way through from spring to autumn, this year I saw nothing until just a few weeks back, I was looking regularly from mid spring and no sign of any hogs for months. So they may be there but just not coinciding with when you’re looking.

Early bump

Tonight’s Countryfile (7pm, BBC1) features hedgehogs!

Ellie Harrison is at Oxfordshire Wildlife Rescue to help care for injured creatures great and small, from orphaned fledglings to deer and hedgehogs. Ellie finds out why rescue centres across the UK become increasingly busy during the summer months and why this Oxfordshire centre is under so much pressure that it has had to temporarily close its doors. In just six months, it has taken in the number of wild animals it would normally help in a year.

Rescued hoglets

Photos didn’t load! Trying again

More pics

Oh, look at them! ❤

I’ve got a running battle going on with the dog. I have been filling dishes with water, all around the garden, for a few weeks now. The bloody dog keeps drinking the water!

More pics

Keep battling @OhTheLeetleHandsAndFeetle ! The hedgehogs need you ……

Final pics

Aren’t they cute!

So sad to think of the impact this heatwave is having on our wild animals and their struggle for food and water.

We have been camping out in the garden. I’m happy to report we seem to have lots of hedgehogs so I’ve doubled the food and water locations. One particularly nosy, noisy hog was sniffing around the tent. It was so noisy, my DC insisted I get up and check it didn’t have breathing issues!! It was fine…

We’ve also seen lots of bats. And a frog sitting in the tiny water dish I put out for the insects.

I also noticed my neighbour was sweeping out the hedgehog highway hole between our gardens yesterday. I think they feed them too.

Aww, the baby hogs are adorable.

We discovered we have a hog a couple of weeks ago. We’re over the moon as we didn’t think we had any, many of the neighbours have gone down the paving stones/artificial grass/ concrete fence route. We made our garden as hog friendly as possible, and here he is, Sir Henry of Hoggerton. He comes really close to us, not a bit afraid, the second photo has DH leg in it at the bottom. Right now he’s having a good long drink, before he eats his cat food.

@Thismonkeysgonetodevon Bloody love your user name! Pixies fan?

Little pic of my one from last night…patio needs a sweep I know😂