Is it not possible that you might end up with some hedgehogs in your garden naturally? Or will they know to avoid that area because of the badgers?
Unfortunately not @Hexagon, The badgers would have the lot for breakfast, as they are an ever expanding population here. I have been told before the badger population exploded years ago here there where hedgehogs, but alas not anymore.
I have more issues with badgers getting into the garden and chicken runs etc than I do Mr Fox.
Badgers have enough strength to be able to prise open a tightly curled hedgehog, the spines don't seem to bother them. As far as l know, they're the only predator that can do this.
Photo used by my local rescue to request more newspapers. Look at that little face ! Guess where I will be going this weekend with loads of newspaper, how could I refuse ?
"One of Britain’s largest builders has pledged to accommodate the need for hedgehogs to roam at night when it constructs new homes.
Bovis Homes has promised to incorporate “hedgehog highways” — holes in fences that allow the creatures to trudge in and out of gardens — in its existing housing developments and all future sites, wherever possible.
It will also build “hedgehog homes” in open green spaces."
A post from my local rescue, giving some idea of just part of the work involved every time a hedgehog is brought in.
"When an admission comes in it can sometimes mean hours dealing with the one hog and not many people see what happens once the finders have left.
When a hog arrives we have 2 forms that need completing, one by the finder that gives the address details some basic hog information and that the hog is being signed over to us for treatment and care, this form is then filed in the admissions file for the year, then I have to complete the hog hospital record, this form has all the hog info, reasons for admission, a checklist and then the charts used to log all the medications and treatments, due to data protection the only information on that form from the finder is the postcode, the hog record then hangs on the front of their cage for the duration of their stay, once they are released it is then filed with the form completed by the finder.
So when the finders have left my work begins, the hog is examined to understand what I’m dealing with so I check, eyes, ears, mouth, nose, body, legs, check it’s curling correctly, walking correctly, I also look for any injuries, check for external parasites such as fleas, tick and mites. The hog is weighed,
Any injuries are dealt with as appropriate which could mean flushing, cleaning and applying antiseptic, ticks are removed, or in the summer months hours can be spent removing fly strike. This can be made harder if the areas needing attention are on the underside as there is the constant battle of uncurling the hog and trying to keep it uncurled when every time you touch it it will curl back up again!
The hog is then placed in a freshly made up cage with food and water available, in most cases the cage has some kind of heat, so either an incubator or a cage with a heat mat, depending on the hogs needs.
Once warm we can then give the hedgehog fluids, the amount of fluids is based on their weight, fluids are given to every hog for the first 48 hours as the stress of captivity alone can cause dehydration, but most who are sick or injured are already dehydrated.
Once the hog is hydrated we can start to give medication so if an injury we can start pain relief and antibiotics.
As soon as we can we will check a poo sample under the microscope and depending on the outcome start the relevant treatment.
If a hog needs to visit our vet we have a vet form that is filled out on the morning the hog is going to them, it contains info on why the hog has come in, any medication it has received in the previous 24 hours, my findings and thoughts along with a request for what I would like the vets to do, I then take the hog or sometimes hogs to the vet on my way to work, the hogs are then collected on my way home from work if they haven’t needed to be put to sleep. Some admissions can need urgent vet treatment which can mean within half an hour of arriving they are at my vets.
Everything that happens on an admission is dependent on the hog and it’s needs but the above it a basic indication of what it entails, I’m sure I have forgotten something 🤣🤣🦔🦔🦔"
Posts
I have more issues with badgers getting into the garden and chicken runs etc than I do Mr Fox.
https://www.hedgehogstreet.org/predators/
https://ptes.org/campaigns/hedgehogs/hedgehogsandbadgers/
With regard to the comment by @George2019 's rescue that badgers "love a bit of hedgehog for their tea", l don't think that is strictly true. They do have quite a varied diet and do eat small mammals, but l don't know whether hedgehog would be top of the menu. I can understand the rescue's reluctance to release hedgehogs there though.
https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2019/08/badgers-what-do-they-eat-and-other-facts/
Guess where I will be going this weekend with loads of newspaper, how could I refuse ?
Still on the subject of hedgehogs
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-lancashire-50845171/hedgehogs-put-football-s-bottom-club-morecambe-top-of-league
🦔
"One of Britain’s largest builders has pledged to accommodate the need for hedgehogs to roam at night when it constructs new homes.
Bovis Homes has promised to incorporate “hedgehog highways” — holes in fences that allow the creatures to trudge in and out of gardens — in its existing housing developments and all future sites, wherever possible.
It will also build “hedgehog homes” in open green spaces."
"When an admission comes in it can sometimes mean hours dealing with the one hog and not many people see what happens once the finders have left.
When a hog arrives we have 2 forms that need completing, one by the finder that gives the address details some basic hog information and that the hog is being signed over to us for treatment and care, this form is then filed in the admissions file for the year, then I have to complete the hog hospital record, this form has all the hog info, reasons for admission, a checklist and then the charts used to log all the medications and treatments, due to data protection the only information on that form from the finder is the postcode, the hog record then hangs on the front of their cage for the duration of their stay, once they are released it is then filed with the form completed by the finder.
So when the finders have left my work begins, the hog is examined to understand what I’m dealing with so I check, eyes, ears, mouth, nose, body, legs, check it’s curling correctly, walking correctly, I also look for any injuries, check for external parasites such as fleas, tick and mites. The hog is weighed,
Any injuries are dealt with as appropriate which could mean flushing, cleaning and applying antiseptic, ticks are removed, or in the summer months hours can be spent removing fly strike. This can be made harder if the areas needing attention are on the underside as there is the constant battle of uncurling the hog and trying to keep it uncurled when every time you touch it it will curl back up again!
The hog is then placed in a freshly made up cage with food and water available, in most cases the cage has some kind of heat, so either an incubator or a cage with a heat mat, depending on the hogs needs.
Once warm we can then give the hedgehog fluids, the amount of fluids is based on their weight, fluids are given to every hog for the first 48 hours as the stress of captivity alone can cause dehydration, but most who are sick or injured are already dehydrated.
Once the hog is hydrated we can start to give medication so if an injury we can start pain relief and antibiotics.
As soon as we can we will check a poo sample under the microscope and depending on the outcome start the relevant treatment.
If a hog needs to visit our vet we have a vet form that is filled out on the morning the hog is going to them, it contains info on why the hog has come in, any medication it has received in the previous 24 hours, my findings and thoughts along with a request for what I would like the vets to do, I then take the hog or sometimes hogs to the vet on my way to work, the hogs are then collected on my way home from work if they haven’t needed to be put to sleep. Some admissions can need urgent vet treatment which can mean within half an hour of arriving they are at my vets.
Everything that happens on an admission is dependent on the hog and it’s needs but the above it a basic indication of what it entails, I’m sure I have forgotten something 🤣🤣🦔🦔🦔"