Hedgehog predated by badger

[RayPW]

Hello,
I am new to Hedgehog Street as a registered user and I’m not sure if this is the correct place to ask a question but here goes.
Our garden adjoins a scrub field and farm land. We have no fence along the boundary and have recently attracted a hedgehog or (hogs) by creating a feeding station ‘tunnel’ close to the boundary using plastic netting over a wooden ground frame. This was done to stop neighbours cats from eating the food and to allow filming though the net with a trail camera.
After a couple of nights we hit success and have had visiting hogs for about a week. Food has been commercial hedgehog pellets, mealworms and peanuts.
Yesterday evening at around 11.20 after at least one hog visit 1-2 hours earlier, a badger attacked the tunnel whist a hog was feeding, dragged the whole structure complete with hog into the undergrowth (out of sight of the camera) and (we assume) carried off the hedgehog.
My question is: should we continue with our feeding programme or will we simply be luring hedgehogs to be badger dinner!
Many thanks for any advice.
Regards,
Ray

[simbo65]

Oh no! What a shame. My feeling would be not to encourage hedgehogs where there are known badgers.
Sorry.

[Nic]

Hi RayPW

Welcome to the Forum, but sorry for the circumstances.

I would be inclined to agree with simbo65 if there are badgers around, not to feed the hogs. Although, having said that, often if badgers are resident in an area, hogs aren’t, so it’s just possible it was a badger just passing through for some reason i.e possible sett distubance. Can you find out if badgers are normally in the area?

I definitely wouldn’t feed where you have been or with that set-up. (Not sure exactly what you mean re. the plastic netting, but normally plastic netting and hogs don’t go too well together – they can get trapped in it.) But the badger will know where to come and if it found something interesting once, might stay around, even if if it was just passing. So unless you find out that badgers aren’t in the area and you are certain that the badger has moved on I wouldn’t feed. I don’t think hedgehogs are badgers favourite food, but I have heard that some foxes become specialist hog killers, and it may be that (similarly) you have found a badger with a taste for hedgehogs.

It seems unlikely, but it’s just possible it was after the nuts – less effort to get to than eating a hedgehog. Not a very nice topic but you may be able to see the remains if it ate the hedgehog. Although I wouldn’t trust a resident badger not to eat a hedgehog even if it did only eat the nuts one time.

Sorry, not a lot of help – but on balance probably best not to feed the hogs.

P.S. It may not be relevant in your circumstances (others might also read this) but hog food is fine – mealworms and peanuts not so much. Mealworms should only ever be fed very occasionally in very small amounts, if at all. Both nuts and mealworms best avoided in favour of hedgehog/cat/dog food.

[RayPW]

Many thanks for all your replies.

First of all, have no fears about our plastic net tunnel of itself repesenting a risk to the hogs . The net is semi-rigid plastic of the type used for plant supports – about 40 mm mesh size – bent into an inverted ‘U’ shaoe and securely stapled to a stout rectangular wooden frame placed on the ground. The hedgehogs have used it multiple times without any problems.

Not sure about the normal presence of badgers in the local area – we do have them in north Essex, but have not been aware of any in the garden previously. I’ll try and find out more.

Have looked for any hog remains but found none.

We have decided to try the feeding station again tonight to see what happens, but will only put out the hedgehog pellets.

I’ll report back!

Cheers.

[Nic]

Hi RayPW

You will be better placed to know the circumstances, but if it was me, I would not put out food again the next night. I would leave the camera out preferably trained on a wider area, and see if there was any sign of the badger again, before I would risk leaving the hog feeding set-up out there again. Bearing in mind that a hog might go in there whether there was food in there or not.

Good luck.

[simbo65]

Hi-
I would agree with Nic re feeding tonight.
IF the hedgehog has been lucky and escaped he may just come back tonight. He may also come back if he is injured looking for food.
If the badger is still around an injured hog would have no chance.
I would get the camera out and see who visits tonight.
Please keep us posted

[Author]

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