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.

@H8H8H8

Hedgehogs are mini garbage disposal units. They are opportunistic feeders with tummies of steel (except milk) so don’t worry about whether food is too rich for them.

Rules to follow…
Highest protein content possible. Aim for 30%
Absolutely no milk. They are very lactose intolerant
Fish is ok… they’re generally not fans of it, but better than nothing.
Contrary to popular belief, if hedgehogs are eating slugs, they are starving. Slugs are a food of last resort for hedgehogs. They often contract lungworm from them which is often fatal.

I’ve been told via various hedgehog specialists no fish or duck, as recently as a few weeks back when I was helping with a study. I’ve always stuck by it Seems easy enough to avoid on the off chance it is the case.

@Reptar

I had no idea they could eat cat biscuits. We have one visit but I don't really want to leave canned food out as we have a big enough problem with cats as it is.

There’s lots of hedgehog feeding station you can make or buy that stop cats, if there’s enough of a wiggle the cat can’t manage, but the hedgehog can

To add to the hedgehog dining menu, please always make sure there is a shallow dish of fresh water available for them too as many hogs taken into rescues are severely dehydrated. If feeding cat biscuits this is especially important. Use a heavy dish if possible (they can tip them over) or a couple dotted about.

Its great to see the hog love on the thread, they need all the help they can get.

And if you have a pond, make sure that the sides slope gently so that the hedgehog can climb out

This thread has brightened my Tuesday. But also brought on the standard jealousy I feel when MNetters find a pregnant cat having kittens in their shed and then they get to adopt kittens Why do I never find any of these animals? I’d love a hedgehog in the bath.

I’d love a hedgehog in the bath.

We hand reared a baby hedgehog once. She was screaming on her own in a neighbours garden for 12 hours. We left her where she was, in the hope the mother would come back for her; but as she didn't, we took her in and reared her like we would a kitten, because in those days, there was no internet and we had no idea what else to do? We gave her kitten's milk, weaned her onto cat food and kept her in the house over winter, although we never managed to house train her. However, hedgehog droppings were a small price to pay. She was very tame, and loved to lie with her underneath against the hearth, for the warmth of the fire - she also liked to snuggle up to the cats, on the hearth rug, but they weren't so keen! If we sat on the floor, she used to crawl up our trouser legs, until she couldn't go any further - getting her out, was painful with the spines. She used to run about after us - she was amazingly fast!

The next summer, we took her out into the garden at dusk in the evenings, until eventually she didn't come back. She lived under our shed for years!

@Intercity225 That warmed my heart.

I'm a massive hog fan and have rescued a few over the years, the first one was a little girl who had been born too late in the year, winter hit early and I could see her foot prints in the snow :( The night I grabbed her was freezing, she was like a block of ice. During the drive over to the rescuers I could feel her little body warming up, I had her in a shoe box on my knee, whilst navigating roads covered in black ice! Bless her.

You're doing a brilliant job YesitsBess

I found a small hedgehog in our garden one December. The sanctuary was closed and I said I was fine to look after him over the festive season until they reopened. He slept in a bucket in front of the Aga, with plenty opportunity to roam around the house. His favourite food was roast chicken. All I had to do was walk into the kitchen and make the same noise as he did when he was eating, he'd uncurl and look round intently waiting for his next feed. I could hold him in my hand and put little bits of chicken on his tummy that he'd eat.
He had no fleas or anything else antisocial, so we were happy for him to stay. We took him to a vet that has an arrangement with a Sanctuary, and gave them a donation for his keep, but they said we couldn't have him back because keen gardeners use slug pellets and other chemicals and they only release the hogs they've cared for into several acres of their own land where there's no chemical treatments ongoing.

Hog in the bath
Hog in his bucket in front of the Aga
Hog meeting the family

Christmas Hog in the hand.

Hog having family time.

Different hog in the garden, both he and the guinea-pig were staring in disbelief at each other thinking 'What is that!?' Hog was wondering what piggle had done to be imprisoned like that

The bath is a great place to pop a piggle when you're cleaning them out. Until you have unexpected visitors and one dashes to the bathroom before you've had chance to warn them, opens the bathroom door to be greeted by the loudest longest 'WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!!!
but can't see piggle immediately and almost has a heart attack with fright.

Maybe my 'just a normal day in this house' is different to other peoples

OP, I hope all's going smoothly at the vet and that you're both home soon.

Best thread ever.

@YesitsBess I'm not saying this is your fault, but I'm now stuck singing an earworm of "how do you solve a problem like Jumanji" to the tune of "how do you solve a problem like Maria".

Hello hedgehog friends! I'm just catching up on all of your posts AND PICTURES

Jumanji news: the vets rang this afternoon to say she had to be sedated because the ring was dug into her neck (very glad I didn't try to remove it now, some of my words seem to be randomly underlining for some reason but I'm going to press on...) so turns out H8 you were right and she could have had that thing on since she was a....I want to say Pikelet but I think that's a snack made of potato and not a baby hedgehog. Hoglet? Piglet?

She's staying overnight because I couldn't transport her today as I was at work, she's had antibiotics and her wound cleaned and she does have a few fleas (which means she has friends and relations I have learned from this thread). She's very happy in her nest box eating and drinking and tomorrow afternoon she and I are off to the wildlife centre where she's going to spend the winter.

After reading all your information on slug pellets and whatnot, and my partner reminding me that the new place has a busier road than here, I've decided that as much as I want a pet hedgehog, she's used to hanging out with other hedgehogs and we can visit her on open days I think, I'm definitely not leaving her here.

So tomorrow Jumanji is off on an adventure!

Do we have a baby yet? Off to catch up.

A pikelet is a sort of pancake -delicious!

So glad to read the update. Jumanji is very lucky to have had your garden to frequent and to have you looking out for her, she must be thrilled to be rid of the collar. Do update with pictures when you visit her on the open days. Lovely thread.

Baby hedgehogs definitely look like they should be called Pikelets though.

And here is Jumanji trying to escape from my baking scales from yesterday. The git.

Aww thank god you've got such a good vet! I'm sure Jumanji will have a whole crowd of followers in no time at her wildlife centre.

No baby is well and truly dragging it out. Stubborn just like his big brother unfortunately

@noodlezoodle

Best thread ever.

@YesitsBess I'm not saying this is your fault, but I'm now stuck singing an earworm of "how do you solve a problem like Jumanji" to the tune of "how do you solve a problem like Maria".

Hahahahaaaa! Now I do too!

@WatchOutLurkerAbout

Aww thank god you've got such a good vet! I'm sure Jumanji will have a whole crowd of followers in no time at her wildlife centre.

No baby is well and truly dragging it out. Stubborn just like his big brother unfortunately

Well if it goes on until tomorrow afternoon you might have the excitement of the spiky hate potato going on a road trip!

I for one am making sure she's chained up in that box like a velociraptor.

@YesitsBess

Hello hedgehog friends! I'm just catching up on all of your posts AND PICTURES

Jumanji news: the vets rang this afternoon to say she had to be sedated because the ring was dug into her neck (very glad I didn't try to remove it now, some of my words seem to be randomly underlining for some reason but I'm going to press on...) so turns out H8 you were right and she could have had that thing on since she was a....I want to say Pikelet but I think that's a snack made of potato and not a baby hedgehog. Hoglet? Piglet?

She's staying overnight because I couldn't transport her today as I was at work, she's had antibiotics and her wound cleaned and she does have a few fleas (which means she has friends and relations I have learned from this thread). She's very happy in her nest box eating and drinking and tomorrow afternoon she and I are off to the wildlife centre where she's going to spend the winter.

After reading all your information on slug pellets and whatnot, and my partner reminding me that the new place has a busier road than here, I've decided that as much as I want a pet hedgehog, she's used to hanging out with other hedgehogs and we can visit her on open days I think, I'm definitely not leaving her here.

So tomorrow Jumanji is off on an adventure!

Do we have a baby yet? Off to catch up.

Oh lorks, the poor love. I did wonder. The relief she must have felt when you cut it must have been incredible.

Sounds like a plan, overwintering her. After recovery, she’d be pushed to put on enough weight to survive hibernation. Better safe than sorry and they cope remarkably well with being overwintered then released come spring.

We’ll gone @YesitsBess, she’s so lucky she found you and you noticed. That would have been one ex-hog otherwise and they really do need all the help they can get. ..

If they continue declining at present rates, some projections have them as becoming extinct in the UK by 2025 😥

I want to find a hedgehog!!

Another reason we need to cut down on plastic, poor little hog. I'm forever picking up rubber bands that postmen drop as these are dangerous too.

Can't wait fir the road trip tomorrow!

@SuperbOwls

I want to find a hedgehog!!

You are going to need some fish biscuits and a towel...

[quote YesitsBess]@NeverDropYourMooncup

I have never been on a thread that your presence hasn't made better!

42[/quote]
Awww!

Carrying on the HHGTTG theme, shortly after we began dating, on a Wednesday evening, DP very kindly offered to take the utterly twatty spoiled and disabled cat to the vet for me the following day as he'd been beaten up by a mouse overnight and had a bite on the face.

DP hadn't ever taken an animal to the vet before, so asked if there would be a problem with our surnames not matching; we agreed that it would be OK to register twatty cat under his surname for the purposes of treatment & consent.

When I checked my mobile the following afternoon, I had a message.

'Cat's fine. I hate you'.

I'd registered twatty cat with his full name AND DP's rather posh sounding full surname. This meant that as he sat there with twatty cat in a basket, surrounded by assorted furry casualties and their owners in a full waiting room, he noticed that animals were called by their name + their owner's surname.

(names slightly changed for anonymity)

'Fluffy Jones? Achilles Bronson?' All well and good, DP's thinking this will be weird but OK. Then the Vet that would be seeing my precious furry wee shite emerged from the consulting room...

'Twattycat Slartibartfast Templeton-Peck?'

Silence.

'Twattycat SLARTIBARTFAST Templeton-Peck?'

'TWATTYCAT SLARTIBART- Ah. Come with me, you don't want to be late'

@YesitsBess thank you for sharing this thread, I've had a miserable couple of days and it's cheered me up no end!

@NeverDropYourMooncup I am honk laughing and trying to work out how to do this with my parter (who also has a posh name) you are an evil genius!

@TaraR2020 I'm so glad it's cheered you up, well I'm glad it's cheered everyone.

I'm planning my 'leaving home' speech to Jumanji for the car. Currently includes:

• stop stealing milk, it's bad for you and then you end up with stupid things on your head.

• you need to get busy at the sanctuary. We're running out of hedgehogs.

• So long and thanks for all the Fish (biscuits).

It needs filling out a bit.

glad for everyone* it has cheered up.

For someone who can say Slartibartfast I really am wangling my turds this evening.

I love this thread. I’m so pleased she’s on the mend.

We’ve got at least one hedgehog. I bought a hedgehog house a couple of years ago much to DH’s amusement. It wasn’t very long until we had a hedgehog sleeping in it —and DH was eating humble pie—. Now he has a wildlife camera in the garden to watch their comings and goings.

I’m so pleased to see so many people who’ve got hedgehogs, especially as they’re in decline.