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.

I nearly bagged him just on instinct so they can go to the sanctuary together!

He looks in better shape doesn't he H8

Yes the slugs "hurrying away" also made me laugh!

@Chronicallymothering he is cute! I'm learning lots on this thread about how to look out for spiky hate potatoes.

AND I can name the new one Slartibartfast. SCORE!

@Chronicallymothering

I was just that weird neighbour wandering about in the front garden with a torch on the night before bin day, looking for hedgehogs. Here’s a little guy my mum and I relocated back to the hedges and off the village field in broad daylight 6 weeks ago, to avoid it being played with by dogs. Cute isn’t he? My son looks for him every evening after school.

If you see another one out in daylight, please get it to a rescue - they’re almost always in need of urgent help.

Only exception to that is mothers building/rebuilding nests around breeding season (may/June to Aug).

You’ll be able to tell the difference… often the latter are carrying nesting materials … but they will always be walking rapidly and purposefully in straight lines as opposed to meandering a bit.

Hogs out in the day time is a bad sign.

Jumanji always walks in a purposeful way, mostly because she was heading for my ties!

Yay the hedghogging continues 🦔💕

I’m loving this thread and all the hog stories and pictures!

I was already to catch mine to weigh tonight but the little bugger hasn’t turned up! It must sense my plans even with a big plate of food awaiting!

This just popped up
On Facebook- might be of use to people.

Do you have your towel handy?

Might as well chuck another photo or two into the mix. This is Pinelope Pinelope, geddit?

We found her at 190g in late October a few years back and (as always under the guidance of a very experienced local rescue) took her in.

She was very poorly for 3 months needing lots of TLC and meds. The syringe contains a specialist meal replacement (not milk).

Eventually she got her appetite back and started eating normally but you can see by the second photo she was only up to 344g in the January. We managed to release her at 750g that April.

She hung around the garden for a few days then popped off only to return a week later with ticks… we removed 77 of them! Poor little thing.

After a spell with us again to make sure she was ok, she toddled off and we haven’t seen her again… hopefully she’s still out there somewhere.

Hello hedgehog happenings!
Rescued hedgehog, and another one! How fabulous. Love the hog by the Aga, perfect aga useage.

Has the baby arrived yet I wonder?

And the swan? Cmon OP swan swan swan we need the swan story

Have just read the whole thread! Hedgehogs, swans in the bath and you sent someone into labour - what a thread So glad it is working out for Jumanji and her possible friend. Still laughing over THERE's A HEDGEHOG IN THE BATH, WILL EXPLAIN TOMORROW

We are big hedgehogs fans here, have had many visiting over the years. No drama except being woken up by the snorting and what we called 'plate clanking'. We used to leave cat food out for strays and realised the hogs were eating it. They worked out that if they walked onto the plate it would turn over and make a noise, which would bring the hoomans rushing to bring more food. DH built them a hedgehog house and buried it in the woodpile - until he realised that if they didn't come he had to get the old smelly food out. For ages we thought there was only one and then they came together and we realised there were two. One got fat and then there was a baby as well at one point. We always thought they were a family but maybe not... (couldn't find a photo of baby but here are the others, including demonstration of how they clank the plates





Oh no, no photos... trying again

Also Boycat once managed to get into one of those plant pot attachments for trailing plants - he was very indignant

@ParrotsAteThemAll

I love this thread as I have a hedgehog that’s moved into my garden this year.

I do hope Jumamji is sorted out soon, she sounds a right little character! Mine runs (fast) the other way when I try and get too close!

I have a question for the experts though, I’m concerned mine is too small, I’ve been feeding him every night with hedgehog food and fruit which he loves. I’ve stopped putting cat food out as my greedy cat goes out and eats it!! But how can I fatten him up?

I’ll try and attach a pic so you can see. I did originally think he was a young hog but reading this thread has made think he’s not! 🦔💙

Hi @ParrotsAteThemAll, what kind of hedgehog food do you have?

Apparently mealworms, which a lot of mixes marketed as hedgehog food contain, are Really Bad News for hogs. Maked their bones brittle, although it's like hoggy crack.

Sorry, Parrots, I saw a few posts on that you already don't give mealworms

@H8H8H8 can I just say I'm in awe of your hog wrangling superpowers

I have a lot that visit my garden. I've had to take a few to rescues over the years. Inc an approx 2 week old one a few weeks ago. It fitted in the palm of one hand

And yes don't feed mealworms/ any sort of birdseed it's very bad for them. Chicken based cat food/biscuits is best

Oh and hedgehogs with a lot of ticks will be in need of help. If they have more than 10 take them to a rescue

Info on ticks...

Morning! I will definitely tell the Swan story later on, have to go to work and then pick Jumanji up for her journey to her new pad.

Will she be grateful? Not in the slightest!

Am hoping baby news radio silence means stubborn baby has decided to make his debut...

The one mild disappointment of this thread is that the first response wasn't simply:

carefully.

Hahahahaaa! Indeed.

@MountainDweller

Also Boycat once managed to get into one of those plant pot attachments for trailing plants - he was very indignant

@Ringsender2

Sorry, Parrots, I saw a few posts on that you already don't give mealworms

I was horrified when I read how bad they are for hogs, I immediately switched to the proper hedgehog/cat food!