Aren't Hedgehogs Wonderful Creatures. Agreed?

[ladybirder]

I put a dish of food out as usual a few minutes ago and before I could sit down one was already feeding. In the base of the dish is semi-moist ready-made HH food. On top, cut up pieces of cooked chicken breast on one side and sliced banana pieces on the other. He/she had approached the dish from the banana side, had a sniff around and decided chicken was to be eaten first. But, instead of walking around the dish to get to the chicken, it is sitting in the middle of the dish, on top of all the food, so as to reach the chicken.
No manners at all!

[Theland]

Innocently beautiful.
Am jealous.
Not had any in years.

[tiggerblue10]

Lovely :o)

I wish I lived somewhere where I could see more wildlife. I only see foxes.

[Tuvok]

Mine sit in their dishes as well (and sometimes leave me a present in the dish!)

Have discovered mine like the dried worms that are suposed to be for the birds!

Their nightly (and into dawn) diet is hedgehog seed mix and pellets from Ark Wildlife, dog food (not ing gravy, they leave the jelly, so its pate) and melon.

I usually have 2, sometimes 3 and once 4 at the same time, so I have multiple dishes. They will pick a dish, eat from it and then move to the next dish!

[ladybirder]

Tigger and Theland I think you both might be surprised. I didn't know I had any until I found a sick one lying on the patio in the sunshine one day earlier this year. First time in the 7 years I've been in this flat I had seen one. So I put a little bit of food out just after dark and started looking out, very quietly, for them. And lo and behold there they were. And I live in Hove which is quite a built-up area. So you never can be sure until you look.
Tuvok how lovely and how lucky you are. A banquet they get at your place then.The most I've had together is 3 and that was during the mating season. Now it seems I have only the one, and no hoglets so this might be a male. I hope you don't mind me saying but be careful with the mealworms. If you must feed them to the hogs they should not be given any more than a few, once a week at most. Mealworms can actually cause a painful bone disease in hedgehogs and, in worst case scenarios, result in them losing their ability to walk. The high phosphate levels in the worms are sapping hedgehogs of calcium and reducing the strength of their bones. It's like feeding kids McDonald's every night but with even worse results. I used to put a few out but not after I read the above. Sorry to have to tell you that when you are doing your best to help them.

[pastafreak]

I go out late every night with Sammi, looking for the hedgies. We've almost stepped on them a few times.
I read an article earlier about a hedgie getting into a families house...and biting a little girls toe in the early hours. Is this possible?

[ladybirder]

No idea. How did they get in? Through a cat flap?
In the early hours they are out looking for food so I'd be surprised.

[tiggerblue10]

What do they normally feed on in the wild? Worms?

[ladybirder]

Earthworms, slugs, beetles, caterpillars and other creepy crawlies.

[barry1010]

Did you see the report in the papers very recently about the hedgehog that bit a child's toe while she was in bed upstairs? I love hedgehogs but have too many badgers in the area for them to survive.

[barry1010]

Sorry, didn't realise it had already been mentioned

[barry1010]

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/girl-3-left-screaming-agony-22269308

[roslyn251254]

Those toenails are very dirty.....someone didn't have a bath before bed!

[pastafreak]

Yeah...those are mucky toes. But we don't know when the photo had been taken...that may not be immediately after the incident.

[Smowball]

Awwww I love hedgehogs!

[GenuineclAss]

Please try and avoid feeding hedgehogs mealworms at all. If a few are put out, there may be other people in the area putting them out also. The hedgehogs will scoff the lot and as ladybirder has correctly said, they end up with bone disease.
Before I knew about this, I used to put out an awful lot of mealworms, as I had 6 or 7 visiting hedgehogs per night, sometimes all at once! The barging and snorting of one gained it the nickname of Bully. In the following 2 years, the number declined suddenly and I'm hoping it wasn't because of the mealworms. Also, if you put mealworms out for birds, especially at this time of year, please soak them in warm water for at least half an hour before putting them out in the garden. If the parent birds take the dried mealworms to their young, they rehydrate in the babies' stomachs thus dehydrating them. If the mealworms have been soaked, the babies are naturally receiving water at the same time, so they remain hydrated. I've only read about this recently myself, on the RSPB website and it makes sense once you know.

[emmie]

that's lovely LB.
i too only see foxes in London..

[ladybirder]

Thank you for reinforcing my point about mealworms Gc, it's so important. I never buy dried mealworms anyway, only live as they are the best, for as you say, being moist.
I can't get over the state of that child's feet. Hope the hog's OK after biting them!