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.

Enid Blyton fan here too ✋
Toffee shock anyone?

I’d forgotten about Toffee Shocks! Oh I’m so glad I started this thread, it’s been wonderful to read what people are doing to help hedgehogs survive and talking about Enid Blyton has brought back memories of such happy times reading her books in the sunny garden with drinks and snacks.

in fact, I’m now thinking of the books she wrote which featured a character called Tammylan? He was a nature lover and remember that he was teaching the children of the family about the natural world. Sure hedgehogs were mentioned.

I’ve not thought about that series for a long time.

How can I encourage/feed the hedgehogs without the foxes/local cats eating it?

I bought the cheapest possible hedgehog house (known here as the Hedgehog Restaurant, as opposed to the Hedgehog Palace where they sleep sometimes) and put the food in there - as long as it has a dog leg entry that means other animals can’t get in (except the wily blackbirds, but they don’t take much).

Since someone has been kind enough to provide me with actual evidence about hedgehog food vs kitten food, I’ll give the kitten food a try - hope my hedgehog is on board with it!

A heddgehog, a feline squatter and a feral appear every night 9pm when the back door is opened and bowls clinked, hedgehog eats first the the ginger squatter and then the young feral. Another hedgehog which is larger appears at 11pm.

Thanks for starting this thread @Pricklesinperil we've recently moved and I thought I'd checked the hedgehog map and there wasn't much happening here but I think I got muddled with another property we were thinking of buying as I've just checked again and there are several sightings nearby!

We were already planning on making a hedgehog highway hole just in case but I will prioritise it and put out some water. I'm really hoping for hedgehogs

👏

I love these hedgehog tales. You’re all so nice.

if you haven’t already, please log your hedgehog siting on the map Big Hedgehog Map @Rosings25

Thank you for prioritising putting out shallow dishes of fresh water @PlumpkinPete .

im excited for you, here’s hoping you attract a hedgehog!

Ahh it is a lovely thread. Thanks @Pricklesinperil

Anyone got any more pics of their nightly visitors?

I can’t seem to get any good photos of the two hedgehogs that visit my garden - I think I’m going to have to invest in a wildlife camera!

Bumping as weather is really warming up. Please leave out shallow dishes of fresh water each night for poor hot hedgehogs.

My DH was going to get me a wildlife camera a few years ago but I said not to bother. But I bet we'd all be surprised how many visitors we get to our gardens during the night.

I got fences with concrete posts to protect the hedgehogs.

We used to get a lot in our garden and my two terriers would hurt them.

Even if I went out first with a torch to check - I'd maybe not see one tucked right under a hedge or in the rocks by the pond.

I think you’re right! We’d all be surprised. I’m going to get one as I’d love to get footage of the hedgehogs that visit

@Chesneyhawkes1 thanks for posting. I keep my dog in after 9:30pm because the hedgehogs show up around 10pm. If she needs to go out, I put her on a lead and let her out the front. Guessing that isn’t an option for you which is why you had to resort to fences to prevent the hedgehogs being injured by your dogs?

@Pricklesinperil not really. Don't have a front garden. Sometimes I don't finish work til 3am and the dogs need a wee before bed!

So I thought better to be safe than sorry and find a way to stop them getting in

Would a GU pot be ok? I leave out water for the small birds in those but would it be an ok size for hedgehogs?

Completely understand, thank you for protecting hedgehogs.

@Clovacloud Thank you for caring about hedgehogs!

something a little shallower would be better - could you spare a saucer? If you haven’t already seen it, this short video on 10 tips to make your garden hedgehog friendly gives some images of hedgehogs drinking so you can see why shallower is preferred

@Pricklesinperil brilliant, thanks for the video!. I’ll have a hunt for a nice shallow saucer 😀

We started out with one hedgehog visiting last year and this year we regularly have two and on some nights we have three (I was very excited by this and downloaded the footage from hedgehog cam as proof), my last job of the day is to put out fresh food and water for them.

@Clovacloud you’re welcome! You are doing a wonderful thing, fresh water is a lifeline for hedgehogs. If you haven’t already, please log your hedgehog sighting on this map Hedgehog Street Hedgehog map

Your data will help Hedgehog Street in its campaign to make sure hedgehogs remain a common and familiar part of British life. 🦔

@bloodywhitecat wow! 3 hedgehogs! No wonder you’re excited! Your garden must have all the features that Hedgehog Street recommend. Thank you for caring about hedgehogs 🦔 and for sharing your story.

if you haven’t already, please log your hedgehog sighting here Hedgehog Street Big map. Your data will really help the Hedgehog Street campaign to ensure Hedgehogs remain a common and familiar part of British life.

Hedgehog Street would love your photos, footage and stories if you’d consider sharing them? You’ll be credited if they use any of them. Photo gallery . You can e-mail any footage to [email protected]

thank you @bloodywhitecat you’re wonderful

No you absolutely are not being unreasonable! Thank you for this post

I've fostered baby hogs and adults and work with rescues as a volunteer 😍this should be encouraged so much as it can help hogs and other wildlife so so much just a few bowls of water. I find those bigger sized plant trays are good to use

We have a night and day wildlife cam in our garden and we have seen squirrels, hogs, badgers foxes, birds all drinking and using the water bowls we put out

Thank you xxx