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POND MISTAKE TO SHARE WITH YOU

gary.huckinsgary.huckins Posts: 9
in Wildlife gardening
Some time ago I made a small pond on my allotment, about a foot deep shallowing to an inch deep at the other end. The frogs found it and spawned the first spring! Brilliant. BUT. A hedgehog fell in and drowned. I talked with a professional ecologist who told me that they just swim and try to climb out until they drown, and haven't got the "sense" to turn around and go to the shallow end and walk out! You have to have logs or similar in several places for them to climb out. If anyone is making or has a wildllife pond, lease learn from my mistake.

Posts

  • PurpleRosePurpleRose Posts: 538
    Thanks for sharing that. I would never have known that this would happen. 
  • gary.huckinsgary.huckins Posts: 9
    Even though you rarely see them, they may still be around.
  • AnniDAnniD Posts: 12,585
    Welcome to the forum Gary :)
    Sadly this is a common occurrence. There's lots more info here about encouraging hedgehogs into your garden, and some information about pond escape ramps at around 2mins 30s .
    https://youtu.be/R9LzXCebvwM
    Also more hoggy advice/info on this thread
    https://forum.gardenersworld.com/discussion/993170/help-save-the-hedgehogs-part-ii#latest
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    It's good to know that hedgehogs won't necessarily go to a shallow end of a pond or a beach or find a ramp.
  • josusa47josusa47 Posts: 3,530
    So maybe a pond should be funnel-shaped, with shallow areas all round?
  • fiona floxfiona flox Posts: 38
    We have frogspawn for the first time in three years and they fast turning into tadpoles.  However should I leave the pond with all its algae until they turn into froglets or try to clear some of it away.  Also I have left the "waterfall" turned off, would it be okay to turn it on, so enabling some cleaning? After such a long time without I don't want to make a mistake.
  • gary.huckinsgary.huckins Posts: 9
    Be cautious, the taddys could get sucked into the pump.
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