Our neighbour to the left told me around 6 weeks ago that he has got a camera in his garden and there were probably 10 hedgehogs over night. He said they come from a garden next this his one. Yesterday early morning, I opened the windows and saw a huge hedgehog walking to that neighbour's garden door. It was the first time, I saw a hedgehog in my life. I thought they are hands-size. We have a hedge in front of our house, which should be cared for by the council, but they never did. My neighbour downstairs did this, but left the bits there which developed to a long stretched pile. Yesterday, the council workers came, took care of the entire hedge and took the pile with them. When they had left, my neighbour downstairs said that that they didn't take the tire and bricks (I didn't know that they were there), because there are hedgehogs inside, little ones. If I had known this, I would have asked the council chaps to cover this one again. I mentioned last year that I had found hedgehog poo. My neighbour downstairs told me that he can hear the hedgehogs also in my garden. How they come in, now idea. It must be that gap in the corner. I raked everything what was left together, cut a bit here and there, to cover the "house" better so that the hedgehogs don't feel frightened and still get the smell. This morning, while making a coffee, a bigger hedgehog was walking quickly under neighbour's car in the the front garden, and in front of our house, one of the smaller hedgehogs going under the cat house (I bought that house for a street cat) and went into the tire/brick construction. The reason why he walked under the cat house is that it is standing on pallets and there are always pieces of cat food which also attracts slugs. I will definitely later on fill the water bowl and drop some food tonight.
Sounds as though you have an active area for hogs @Simone_in_Wiltshire if your neighbour has a camera and is seeing activity all night it could be a few returning to food/water not individuals coming once. My two come often over the course of the night. A roving male can cover over a mile as his territory, so seeing a very large hog very early morning could be him coming home.😁
Ten all at once, that's alot! It could have been mum and litter, but if there was a big male she would have attacked it. Just check he didn't mean ten times the camera was triggered, mine can do that easily in one night @Simone_in_Wiltshire .
I don’t have such close contact with him 😊. But in front of our house are two kids and a mum. My neighbour downstairs said that they had always many hedgehogs.
4:30 AM: I just saw the hedgehog mum in my garden
My cat wanted to go out and as usual, I go first into the garden, check if everything is okay, and she then follows me. She has never been brave. Curious yes, but not brave.
Suddenly, I heard a noise coming from the fence to the right. Yesterday, I saw that somebody had dug a little passage just hedgehog height near the water bowls, and assumed that this might have done a hedgehog. The noise came closer and so my cat. The hedgehog stopped moving, my cat stood still not knowing if it's dangerous, both just a meter apart. I grabbed my cat and brought her in. Now you know why I have to clean all 5 water bowls twice a day. I have so many different animals using and drinking from them.
I have water dishes all round the garden at the moment @Simone_in_Wiltshire, it's fascinating watching the wildlife use them.
I can imagine the reaction of your cat ! My local rescue has had several hedgehogs brought in that have been victims of attacks by dogs. Sadly the majority had to be put to sleep as their injuries were so severe.
I have a regular visitor at the moment around 9.15pm each evening. There was also a new much smaller visitor hurtling around the garden at 11pm last night, exploring everywhere
@AnniD They must be in the flowerbed because there was another cat at 4 looking to see what is in my jungle. If hedgehogs eat slugs, then they can find them in there.
I can’t speak for other cats, but our one is in human years 90 years old and comes hardly the stairs up. She is very slow but still enjoys her time in the garden.
I was saddened today to find a dead hedgehog in straw bales we had under a trailer. It looked dried out and possibly there sometime- not squashed from the trailer wheels. We have low water containers through the garden and have seen them on night cameras before. Did many die whilst hibernating this winter? Or in the heat of the summer? I'm at a loss to know why it died there, and would do anything to help them more in future
The warm/hot summer last year meant a lot of late babies that were underweight before hibernation, so they struggled to get through the winter. Contrary to popular belief, if the winter has mild periods hedgehogs will wake up and have a snuffle around. As you say It's always an idea to have saucers of water dotted around even if you don't want to put food out for whatever reason @myclayjungle .
There are any number of reasons why the hedgehog died, but at least it means that now you know they could well be in the vicinity . Have a look at the BHPS website, there's loads of information 🦔🦔🦔
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Yesterday early morning, I opened the windows and saw a huge hedgehog walking to that neighbour's garden door. It was the first time, I saw a hedgehog in my life. I thought they are hands-size.
We have a hedge in front of our house, which should be cared for by the council, but they never did. My neighbour downstairs did this, but left the bits there which developed to a long stretched pile.
Yesterday, the council workers came, took care of the entire hedge and took the pile with them. When they had left, my neighbour downstairs said that that they didn't take the tire and bricks (I didn't know that they were there), because there are hedgehogs inside, little ones. If I had known this, I would have asked the council chaps to cover this one again.
I mentioned last year that I had found hedgehog poo. My neighbour downstairs told me that he can hear the hedgehogs also in my garden. How they come in, now idea. It must be that gap in the corner.
I raked everything what was left together, cut a bit here and there, to cover the "house" better so that the hedgehogs don't feel frightened and still get the smell.
This morning, while making a coffee, a bigger hedgehog was walking quickly under neighbour's car in the the front garden, and in front of our house, one of the smaller hedgehogs going under the cat house (I bought that house for a street cat) and went into the tire/brick construction. The reason why he walked under the cat house is that it is standing on pallets and there are always pieces of cat food which also attracts slugs. I will definitely later on fill the water bowl and drop some food tonight.
I ♥ my garden.
I ♥ my garden.
I ♥ my garden.
My cat wanted to go out and as usual, I go first into the garden, check if everything is okay, and she then follows me. She has never been brave. Curious yes, but not brave.
Suddenly, I heard a noise coming from the fence to the right. Yesterday, I saw that somebody had dug a little passage just hedgehog height near the water bowls, and assumed that this might have done a hedgehog. The noise came closer and so my cat. The hedgehog stopped moving, my cat stood still not knowing if it's dangerous, both just a meter apart. I grabbed my cat and brought her in.
Now you know why I have to clean all 5 water bowls twice a day. I have so many different animals using and drinking from them.
I ♥ my garden.
I can imagine the reaction of your cat !
My local rescue has had several hedgehogs brought in that have been victims of attacks by dogs. Sadly the majority had to be put to sleep as their injuries were so severe.
I have a regular visitor at the moment around 9.15pm each evening. There was also a new much smaller visitor hurtling around the garden at 11pm last night, exploring everywhere
My regular visitor.
I ♥ my garden.
As you say It's always an idea to have saucers of water dotted around even if you don't want to put food out for whatever reason @myclayjungle .
There are any number of reasons why the hedgehog died, but at least it means that now you know they could well be in the vicinity .
Have a look at the BHPS website, there's loads of information 🦔🦔🦔
https://www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk/