@Big Blue Sky, glad he was okay. They don't always roll into a ball unless they feel really threatened. They will just "freeze" in a sort of "If l don't move l can't be seen" reaction. As it's been a comparatively mild winter in most of the UK, hedgehogs have been moving around for a lot of it. They're not keen on getting wet, you may see him have a good old shake of the spines. You could put the food into a feeding station so it and the Hedgehog are under cover. I'm assuming you also put a dish of water out. Keep up the good work! 🦔
At least one of ‘our’ hedgehogs has been visiting the feeding station quite often throughout the winter ... now there are two or three most nights ... the terrace is littered with hedgehog poo 😊 🦔
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I have food out now just in case, but it's still below 3° here at night so no sign yet. Now is the time that their fat reserves are failing so the need to eat will bring them out regardless. Welcome to a happy band of hog watchers @Big Blue Sky 😁
We have had hogs coming for food for the past fortnight or so, but I know that we are comparatively warmer here, so I would worry about their absence just yet @Logan4. Perhaps in the next couple of weeks they will be waking up and looking for food.
The odd thing is we had been feeding them a dried hedgehog food for years and it was well received. However this year they just turned their little snouts up at it and walked away, so I have had to resort to adding dog food (meat) to their bowl which they gobble down leaving their branded dried food. Am I spoiling them or do they need the extra nourishment that may be in the dog meat?
Or maybe they're just fussy @Guernsey Donkey2 ! I don't know if hedgehogs would know if there is more nourishment in dog food to be honest (if indeed there is), but they do seem to go off food that they've been happily scoffing for weeks. Maybe the dried food recipe had changed for some reason. I wouldn't expect to see them out and about around here until mid April. Our local rescue reports that there have been signs of them mating , so there could be babies starting to appear around that time 🦔
Thank you very much for your advice and encouragement @AnniD and @purplerallim I shall keep my eyes peeled for more hogs and make sure they have some cat food out every night. Our cat Tommy was generous enough to share one of his bowls and a bag of his delicious chicken kibbles, so we are all set 😊👍
What do I know 😁? Put the camera out last night, more in hope than expectation, and captured this at 4am. Time to supplement the water bowl with the feeding station I think !
Well it must be the weather as we had a visitor last night as well! @AnniD 😁 must admit it looked very small ( sit inside the saucer size) so will be keeping an eye out for it.
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As it's been a comparatively mild winter in most of the UK, hedgehogs have been moving around for a lot of it.
They're not keen on getting wet, you may see him have a good old shake of the spines.
You could put the food into a feeding station so it and the Hedgehog are under cover. I'm assuming you also put a dish of water out.
Keep up the good work!
🦔
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I don't know if hedgehogs would know if there is more nourishment in dog food to be honest (if indeed there is), but they do seem to go off food that they've been happily scoffing for weeks. Maybe the dried food recipe had changed for some reason.
I wouldn't expect to see them out and about around here until mid April.
Our local rescue reports that there have been signs of them mating , so there could be babies starting to appear around that time 🦔
I shall keep my eyes peeled for more hogs and make sure they have some cat food out every night. Our cat Tommy was generous enough to share one of his bowls and a bag of his delicious chicken kibbles, so we are all set 😊👍