Hedgehog hunting

[Annie29]

We have a not very good quality video of a hedgehog killing and eating a mouse. This happened in August 2017. The hedgehog was walking about and the mouse seemed to run out of the undergrowth towards it and was snapped up. We were very surprised to see this. Have tried to upload the video but could not do so for some reason.

[Nic]

Hi Annie

Yes, hedgehogs are predators, in a small way. They sometimes also kill young birds – possibly ones which are already sick or injured. I don’t think they actually hunt them out, as such, but are more opportunists, so that they will take something if it comes their way.

You can put a link onto here of video which is already somewhere else on the internet. Alternatively there is some information here about how to put video onto Hedgehog Street YouTube: https://www.hedgehogstreet.org/photographing-hedgehogs/

Good luck.

[Heraldic.Artist]

I grew up in the 1970s, and as a young child I was hopelessly obsessed with hedgehogs (I still am!) My grandfather would take me (or rather I would pester my grandfather!) To go on a hedgehog hunt! NOT to kill them! Just to see them. I had a small poodle dog called skippy & I’d stuff him in to every nook & cranny I could find, in the hope that the world find a hedgehog! No luck! I never found a hedgehog on our hedgehog hunt.

But in the mid 90s I found myself the manager of & living in a castle, with 40 acres of gardens (National Trust)

I had a golden retriever, and going for walks at night, I regularly would loose Taliesin (my dog) but when I would call, along he’d trip holding (ever so gently) in his mouth a balled up hedgehog! He did this on a regular basis! I don’t know if the spirit of my childhood poodle was reincarnated in my golden retriever?

Anyway, he’d gently put the hedgehog down by my feet, and in no time the little creatures would un furl and wander off, not a bit the worse for wear, just little confused about their unplanned journey.

I now have two hedgehogs living in my garden, 1 large female, & a smaller male. And what a noise! The female makes, when she’s not in the mood to be bothered by the small male.

I’ve also nursed a few hoglets & adult hedgehogs to health, when village friends find sick or injured ones. So you could say that I’m STILL obsessed with the beautiful little prickly creatures!

[Lindysue]

A few weeks ago we were woken up at 2am by a terrible cry from an animal in distress. I went down to investigate, and to my complete surprise I saw a magpie pinned down by a hedgehog. It was still screeching, but soon went silent. In the morning all that was left of the unfortunate magpie was the carcass.

[Nic]

Hi Lindysue

We have had reports before on the Forum of a hog killing a wood pigeon. It seems likely that with larger birds like magpies and pigeons that they had something wrong with them for a hog to be able to catch them. So despite the terrible noise, the hogs may have been saving them from a long slow death. Magpies are usually quite feisty birds. Not a nice thing to witness, though. I heard and saw a hog killing a small/young bird once and the noise really was terrible. I thought something was attacking the hog and rushed out, only to see the ‘sweet innocent’ seeming hog killing the young bird. But even that bird probably had something wrong with it – it wouldn’t normally be on the ground for the hog to come across.

Thanks for telling us about it. It’s always interesting to hear what the hogs are getting up to. I’m guessing you meant that the magpie was eaten?

[Nic]

Hi Heraldic Artist

Thanks for telling us your hedgehog story – really intereting. How lucky living in a Castle with a National Trust Garden! Lovely that there were hedgehogs there as well.

A retriever is possibly an exception, especially one with a soft mouth, but normally if a dog picks up a hedgehog, it’s a good idea to check for puncture marks, which are not always easy to see, but could easily become infected.

Good to hear you have visiting hogs where you are now, too. Yes, the famales certainly can be noisy during their courtship circling! Keep up the good work looking after them all.

[Lindysue]

Hi Nic, yes the magpie was eaten, and your right in saying that this particular magpie had a problem. It was the same magpie that was around the ground feeder all summer, unfortunately it only had one leg.

[Author]

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