I had a very bad problem with slugs in my garden I put several slug traps but it didn't seem to help. I saw a couple that were about 6 inches long but a couple of weeks ago it was raining I went out to bring in some seedlings and noticed hardly any slugs were around which was unusual. Then 2 nights ago I went out and could hear a strange noise so turned the torch on on my phone only to see a hedgehog standing in front of me eating a slug. Took me a few minutes to realize it had come in through the hole we had cut in the fence for my elderly cat to get in and out of the garden. Don't know how long it has been visiting but it most have had a banquet on the first visit.
My o/h has seen on line that we shouldn’t give Hogs , mealie worms , very technical reasons from a vet which quiet frankly could not understand , therefore , do real people known the answer ?
Please note it would not be possible to put Cat food out
Hi GWRS, simply it gives them a type of bone disease. This affects the bone density & leaves them unable to stand up with ease and vunerable to predators.
will give to more info - the trouble is, like me with crisps, they love mealworms & will eat as many as they can even though they're no good for them !
Your other half is right, mealworms are the equivalent of junk food to hogs and can rot their teeth as well as causing calcium deficiency in their bones.
Thanks for the info. Will look at other sites quoted
Cat food - we have a stream at the side of the garden then farm fields and at times we do get rats and we would not want to encourage them , next door has more problems than us as they like to nest under his sheds
We don't have many cats around here so I have not needed to construct one (yet) although we've only been feeding a couple of weeks or so since we discovered we had a visitor. Huge slugs have been enjoying his food though!
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I had a very bad problem with slugs in my garden I put several slug traps but it didn't seem to help. I saw a couple that were about 6 inches long but a couple of weeks ago it was raining I went out to bring in some seedlings and noticed hardly any slugs were around which was unusual. Then 2 nights ago I went out and could hear a strange noise so turned the torch on on my phone only to see a hedgehog standing in front of me eating a slug. Took me a few minutes to realize it had come in through the hole we had cut in the fence for my elderly cat to get in and out of the garden. Don't know how long it has been visiting but it most have had a banquet on the first visit.
Have you thought about providing extra food using a hedgehog feeding station to keep him/her around Helen?
Did anyone see the A Year in the British Garden: Life and Death on the Lawn? Very insightful & good advice featured.
Funnily enough I've just finished watching it. Very interesting-but not enough hedgehogs
Advice please
My o/h has seen on line that we shouldn’t give Hogs , mealie worms , very technical reasons from a vet which quiet frankly could not understand , therefore , do real people known the answer ?
Please note it would not be possible to put Cat food out
Hi GWRS, simply it gives them a type of bone disease. This affects the bone density & leaves them unable to stand up with ease and vunerable to predators.
www.hedgehogstreet.org/forums/topic/what-to-feed-hedgehogs-the-danger-of-too-many-mealworms
will give to more info - the trouble is, like me with crisps, they love mealworms & will eat as many as they can even though they're no good for them !
Last edited: 04 October 2017 15:49:12
Hi GWRS,
Your other half is right, mealworms are the equivalent of junk food to hogs and can rot their teeth as well as causing calcium deficiency in their bones.
https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=hedgehog%20bottom%20calcium
Why wouldn't putting out cat food in a hedgehog feeding station be possible?
More info & discussion on Part II here
http://www.gardenersworld.com/forum/wildlife-gardening/help-save-the-hedgehogs-part-ii/993170.html
Last edited: 04 October 2017 15:53:43
Snap Anni
Thanks for the info. Will look at other sites quoted
Cat food - we have a stream at the side of the garden then farm fields and at times we do get rats and we would not want to encourage them , next door has more problems than us as they like to nest under his sheds
Wouldn‘t visiting cats eat the food ?
You can make a cat-proof feeding station very easily and cheaply although it would be no deterrent for rats unfortunately.
https://thehedgehog.co.uk/feeding-hedgehogs/how-to-stop-cats-dogs-and-foxes-stealing-the-hedgehogs-food/
We don't have many cats around here so I have not needed to construct one (yet) although we've only been feeding a couple of weeks or so since we discovered we had a visitor. Huge slugs have been enjoying his food though!