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hedghogs
is it to early for hedgehogs to be out and about at the moment as i have a what looks like a big baby one at the moment.we saw it take a big drink from our bird bowl and i put out a bit of dog food witch it ate with gusto.what should i do now.
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Lucky you! Leave out dog or cat food or mince or chopped boiled eggs and water in a shallow bowl, never milk or bread. It will eat your slugs when it's bigger.
They're out and about now - there's nothing you need to do - as long as your garden has safe fresh water and some undergrowth - dog food is good - they also like sunflower hearts, chopped peanuts, banana and raisins. Plenty of undegrowth in the garden is good, and a way for hedgehogs to travel from garden to garden so a 'hedgehog hole' in your fence is needed if there's not one already.
Lots of info here http://www.hedgehogstreet.org/
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
thanks all for the advice, I want to make him as welcome as i can. we have a hedgehog house that my grandchildren made two years ago but they havent used it yet maybe this year we will be lucky and get tenants.
My Mum's been caring for 2 baby hedgehogs over winter, under vet's guidance, and they were ready to return to the garden in April. Meat based dog food is suitable but not cat food as suggested above as it contains fish. They also love dried meal worms as a snack.
Meat based cat foods are fine - chicken is good, and mine especially like turkey. Chunks in jelly are better. Cat food in gravy can be too rich and give hedgehogs diarrhoea. Make sure you pick up any left overs in the morning, otherwise your garden (and then house) will swarm with flies and flies breed very quickly in warm weather.