Madpenguin can the hogs get into your garden easily - are you putting food and water out to encourage them in?
Yes everything is hedgehog friendly. Just been out and replenished the food and water.
In 2014 I took part in a Hedgehog Hibernation Survey and was 4th highest recorder in the country!! The winter of 2013/14 was so mild that I had hedgehogs everyday right throughout the winter. It is just this year that I have had just one hog arrive mid January and he was about until late March,then he vanished turning up for a few days at the beginning of August and nothing since.
“Every day is ordinary, until it isn't.” - Bernard Cornwell-Death of Kings
I must admit that I would be upset if I didn't see at least one hog eating from the food bowl during the evening - I know we had a lapse of 2 - 3 months last winter but I can accept that they do have to hibernate - it is part of their life cycle - although I was overjoyed when one turned up in February - he came every night from then onward and others joined in over the Spring months. Sentimental or what! (Daft)
I would love one of those too Fairygirl - I gave it some deep thought last year - decided against - I don't know when I would sit down long enough to watch back - our neighbour has a wildlife camera - she watches the playback during the day.
I swear they know when you first get a camera. Ours were still turning up as could be seen by the evidence they left, if you know what l mean, but didn't touch the food. The camera was tucked away out of sight. I imagined them saying, "Henry, they've got one of those new fangled recrding things. I'm not going anywhere near it until l've had my spines done. I want to look my best" (l know, l should get out more !). @Fairygirl , any success?
Ha, ha - is it a sensory camera? I am sure they will be along tonight to give you a wonderful show AnniD.
Yes, any success Fairygirl with your new toy? I am quite jealous of you both.
Here we don't have any foxes, badgers or squirrels and very few owls and we appear to have lost our local bats too, so I think a camera would be underused. I seem to have trained our hogs to come before 11.30 p.m. for their food - the time I bring the food in - I don't want to encourage vermin to feed here whilst I am sleeping.
Pretty sad at the moment. I’ve been feeding my hedgie raisins, and watching him scuttle through the garden in the evenings. Sadly I recently found him squashed in the unmade drive that runs alongside our house. We share the drive with with several neighbours and there is a bank either side, so nowhere for him escape to should a car drive down there. I’m wondering if there is some way of deterring them from using a drive due to the high risk of death? Maybe the smell of a squashed one will deter others...
Pretty sad at the moment. I’ve been feeding my hedgie raisins, and watching him scuttle through the garden in the evenings. Sadly I recently found him squashed in the unmade drive that runs alongside our house. We share the drive with with several neighbours and there is a bank either side, so nowhere for him escape to should a car drive down there. I’m wondering if there is some way of deterring them from using a drive due to the high risk of death? Maybe the smell of a squashed one will deter others...
Both of 'ours' befell a similar fate Russell. Such a shame in many respects.
Oh that is so sad Russell & Dave - I don't think there is a positive answer to that problem. We have two or three squashed along our road each year - they curl up in a ball when the bright car lights shine on them whereas rats and mice and the like run out of the way.
Imagine a time before cars when hedgehogs could roam freely without the fear of being run over.
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Just been out and replenished the food and water.
In 2014 I took part in a Hedgehog Hibernation Survey and was 4th highest recorder in the country!!
The winter of 2013/14 was so mild that I had hedgehogs everyday right throughout the winter.
It is just this year that I have had just one hog arrive mid January and he was about until late March,then he vanished turning up for a few days at the beginning of August and nothing since.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I’m wondering if there is some way of deterring them from using a drive due to the high risk of death? Maybe the smell of a squashed one will deter others...