How do you catch a hedgehog?

[YesitsBess]

This prickly butthead is Jumanji, she/he visits every night to eat all the cat food and, if you're stupid enough to be sitting outside with your shoes off, attack your -worms- toes.

Usually we just greet each other of an evening, however the last couple of visits I've noticed she has something around her neck, it's like blue plastic. It isn't stopping her eating or behaving normally - yet. But ideally I'd like to get it off of her.

Unfortunately she is very fast (hedgehogs can run and it's hilarious) and I don't have a trap.

Any ideas? She's sat opposite me munching a slug at the moment so I don't think she's is imminent danger.

Cat carrier with food in then take them to a vet,/wildlife rescue?

(Or you could wiggle your toes jnsode and tbrn pull thrm sway at the last minute haha

I once had reason to catch a hedgehog many years ago to take to the rescue shelter and I used an old towel thrown over it. I am sure someone with more expertise than me will let you know for sure, but it worked for me.

They will usually freeze first, then scarper when the coast is clear, so arm yourself with gardening gloves or a small towel, and an assistant with nail scissors or a cardboard box if sniping is a step beyond what you want to do.

Can you put a bucket over him/her if she/he gets close enough?

It might need a quick once over when the blue plastic is removed to make sure it hasn't cut into the flesh, so a trip to a hedgehog rescue /vet may be needed

I'm on my own at present, I may grab a towel and see if I can get her that way. I've no gardening gloves at the moment so I've sequestered oven mitts.

She's currently doing her "don't mind me, I know you've spotted me so I'm just going to walk around the washing shed and see if you're still here when I return" game. I like to imagine she whistles innocently to herself whilst doing so.

Going to gather supplies, put more food out, and wait...

Could you get a neighbour to help with the catching?

My neighbours think I'm mad enough already!

I had to catch one once to take to a hedgehog hospital. They advised me to throw a towel over her - it worked fine!

A towel, a thick one or bath towel doubled. Drop it over her so she’s covered completely then lift her, wrapping it underneath her as you do. Wear gardening gloves or thick leather ones.
Pop her in a cardboard box with some air holes in, tape it shut as they’re great escape artists. Pop her to the vet, they’ll get it off easier than you & won’t charge for wildlife. Then if she’s ok you can take her home to your/her garden which is her territory.
I once rescued one that was blithely walking along a busy main road & nobody was stopping. Then I only had a shopping bag so used that. She lived with our geese for years.

@ReturntoSpamfritters

Can you put a bucket over him/her if she/he gets close enough?

I like this, works for spiders right? Not sure i have a piece of cardboard big enough for a hedgehog in a bucket though if you see what I mean?

Am filing that under 'things I never imagined ever writing'...

Geese and hedgehogs, now there's a children's book in the making!

@YesitsBess

Geese and hedgehogs, now there's a children's book in the making!

Hogzilla versus Goose Kong, filmed in slow motion in a cardboard model village.

Try to contact the amazing woman at @YesitsBess

Slugs are food of last resort as they carry lungworm. Also it should be hibernating now, or starting to. Does it look a good weight, or scrawny/flat?

Sorry, it's @ hedgehogcabin on twitter

I had one padding around the living room, regular visitor to the garden decided to stoll on through the cat flap, ignoring the dogs and make itself at home. Hissed and did not want to be evicted. I put on thick gloves and encouraged into a bucket. Most wiĺl get very close if coaxed with some wet cat food.

Hedgehogs usually freeze at first, so yours sounds special ;) just try to be faster and head it off, perhaps shining a torch on it will encourage it to freeze. Important to look after our hedgepigs!

@Ringsender2 hello! She generally munches on any slug that has gotten onto the cat food, as a side dish if you will.

I don't recall her hibernating last year either now you come to mention it, she was definitely about until it got super cold.

She looks quite rotund to me, I have tiny scales I can pop her on if I catch her? I'm assuming she won't be thrilled about any of this.

Bucket.
I have done it. They usually have fleas.

Part time hedgehog rescuer here.

Towel (or oven gloves) folded over a couple of times, one bit in each hand, corner it, gently but firmly pick it up either side - be prepared for it to roll

It won’t be hibernating yet (a lot stay awake till late Nov/Dec) but I would say from the photo it looks thin - it’s worth contacting a wildlife specialist for advice (vets can be hit and miss although they’ll be able to take the plastic off). If you can weigh it and provide a weight, all the better.

If you have to keep it in a box for any length of time, keep it warm and give water

Don’t worry about fleas, they’re host specific and won’t bite you, or transfer to cats/dogs - but they can be a sign of illness so worth reporting that to the rescue too.

Worth also looking for ticks and especially for tiny white ‘grains of rice’… this is fly strike (basically maggots) and can prove fatal pretty quickly without treatment.

Good luck, thanks for caring

I'm sitting in the porch like sodding Ford Prefect with my towel, awaiting an angry hedgehog.

I'll gear her before I see her. Are they supposed to be really loud?

Good that she looks rotund…

Hedgehogs don’t always hibernate, especially if there’s food around. They don’t need to hibernate through cold, they do it as their preferred food becomes scarce with the hardening ground.

They can be loud, especially competing males. Sounds like a funny huffing. Bit like my teenager when she’s asked to clean his room…

*he’s