Hedgehog food on the drive way

[Zombiemum1946]

This sounds really weird and I feel like I've slightly lost my marbles. I went out to the driveway last week and pulled out an enormous thistle. I went out today, and where the Thistle was is a bag of hedgehog food. It was right beside the set of 6ft high double gates across the drive. We've had intruders and thefts fro the shed before and that's why the double gates are there as well as to keep our kids from running off when they were young. To compound it all I could have sworn I heard noises at the back of the house last night. I checked the back door and patio doors and they were locked and the gates shut. Am I being unreasonable to be creeped out and worried? My husband says not to think about it but who the hell creeps up a driveway with a bag of hedgehog food? We have good neighbours who would knock the door or at least leave a note.

I think I’d be installing a video doorbell if I were in your situation. Is this a possibility for you?

Probably someone who has seen hedgehogs on your driveway.

Someone's probably got the wrong house. I'd post it on the local FB group with a 'was anyone expecting this to be dropped off?'

That's what I'm thinking. I've been contemplating a small security camera since the last couple of intruders. It's just so damn weird.

The issue with that is the drive is not that easy to see at night and most if not all of those with a view of the drive have curtains and blinds shut early. The only time it's easier to see is during the day. We're rarely out so the care obscures most of the drive as well as the somewhat out of control tree in the front garden.

Very odd! I second getting a camera, i have the wireless Blink camera which was very easy to install and i think the cheapest monthly subscription.

What is hedgehog food? How do you know it’s for them?

Easily seen by someone walking past in the evening/at night.

I wouldn't worry about it.

Or maybe they put it on their own driveway and a fox moved it.

I would assume it’s been left for you by mistake and they meant it for one of your neighbours…

Would you not just leave it at the door ? Whilst we were out in the afternoon we are usually in most of the time or at least I am so I would expect them to knock the door or ring the bell.

Can you get a ring doorbell?

It say's it on the bag.

I think we'll have to go with some sort of security camera/doorbell. A retired colleague on the estate has done that as she's on her own. I'm going to be on my own a lot during the day on early retirement. I tend to be up late a lot and that's when I found a guy in the back garden drunk,missing a shoe and his zipper down, it was a few years ago but I still get a bit spooked.

My guess would be that someone else had a bag of hedgehog food in their garden / on their doorstep, and a fox has dragged it on to your drive.

There are loads of foxes where I live and this sort of thing happens a lot. So far this summer they've left the following things on our side path, all things they've found in other people's gardens or drives and carried away:

A child's nappy (really could have done without that one, frankly)
A large sprouting potato
Someone's gardening shoe
My next-door neighbour's dog's collar
An Amazon parcel that had been left on the doorstep of a house four or five doors down
A plastic trowel

Tapo cameras allow you to operate with £0 subscription (local memory card).

If you're just looking for wildlife rather than out and out security thats what id choose.

You can enable cloud recording for £fee (and 30 day free trial).

Not an agent for them - i just have numerous cameras across houses (security for mine, observing aged mother etc) and liked them mostly

I’d guess it’s been left by a fox

Ooo i might look into that for my back garden to look for wildlife, thank you.

So the only real possibilities are that someone's got the wrong house, someone has seen hedgehogs in your garden and wanted to feed them but got cold feet or a fox has picked it up and dropped it there. The latter being more likely. Otherwise it could be kids or teenagers pranking you. I would definitely get a camera of some sort. It isn't difficult to do.

Not if the person whose house they thought it was asked them to put it by the gate.