Resident hedgehog and friend back – problems problems problems!

[Suzynic]

I finally got to collect my resident hedgehog from the local rescue centre yesterday, he was in there for nearly 3 weeks being treated for lungworm, ringworm and a tick. I realise these places are incredibly busy but when I rang trying to find out if he was ok (they did originally say they would ring me and update me), it seemed impossible to get any information and as my carrier appeared to be lost I assumed the hedgehog was too, as I was told they were going to make sure he was kept separately so that he would definitely be returned to me and my garden which is where he was living.

Carrier was eventually found and also hedgehog although I am a bit unsure if it is the hedgehog I left….. I was told it definitely was but who knows? I was also asked if I could release a female at the same time so yesterday I put a third hedgehog box in my garden (Christmas present!) so that all three had a home if they wished.

So last night with hedgehog boxes in place, bowls of food and water ready and with the new resident hedgehog already out and about I released the male. He was very spritely and ready to go although I couldn’t help but notice several ticks. Which made me wonder if it was actually my hedgehog as when he went in I’m sure they said he just had the one…..will have to check previous phone footage I think…..

The female was less enthusiastic! So much so I was convinced she was dead and was laying there with her eyes open and not moving. It was only when I moved my hand closer that I could see her nose moving. I messaged the girl from the rescue and an ex hedgehog carer for advice. I wasn’t happy even attempting release as she didn’t seem at all well. However I popped some food in and when I went back out an hour or so later half had gone and she had curled up and appeared to be sleeping. I planned to take her back this morning for a further check up but this morning she was still curled back asleep and all her food had been eaten. I am hoping she’s just a nervous shy little thing. Fingers crossed.

I’ve decided to now book myself on the hedgehog course at Vale wildlife centre 🙂

[Penny]

Hi Suzynic,

I hope your rescue hogs are doing ok, at least you got a B.O.G.O.F. We could do with a few extra females around here, the one we have is being hounded relentlessly by the males.

I think the problem with the rescue centres is that they are all overwhelmed, especially with the amount of autumn juveniles which get taken in. Thankfully, all of ours survived the harsh winter and are all doing well.

Our local rescue centre closed last year, so our nearest one is now over 20 miles away. I have also been meaning to do the Vale Wildlife course so I might just see you there! 🙂

[Jan-Marie]

Hi Suzynic,

I’m curious to hear how your ‘shy’ female is doing? are you considering she might now be ready for release?
we always try and put hogs out initially in a prepared hoghouse which they can chose to use or use temporarily until they find their feet. they also swap hoghouses quite often and a few weeks ago we gave a hog house to a neighbour along with some hog support notes and a feeding station (as our garden is quite full now and they tend not to stick around if too many in close residence – the females especially like a peaceful spot away from pestering males we concluded). anyway – he had a peek in the house earlier this week as he’d given up hope that they may be around and was going to give us the house back – but he had a sleeping hog in there – so he is now delighted and completely enthralled in the hog cause as well.

[Suzynic]

The female appeared to be eating fine when I wasn’t there, and when I did check on her she was curled up sleeping so I released her the next evening. I put her on the grass still curled up and she made no attempt to move whatsoever. I was advised by the rescue centre that all hedgehogs were different and just to leave her, but if she was still there in the early hours to bring her back in. I left some food in front of her and after about an hour or so she’d gone. My trail cam batteries have died on me so I don’t have any hedgie footage for the last few nights  Hopefully both are doing ok.

Penny, the next course is on Monday 6th August, I booked yesterday. Hope you can make it!

Jan-Marie, I placed her near one of the empty hog houses, hopefully she used it. I think the second one that came in and used the other house has gone but not sure due to trail cam failure. Well user failure as I should have checked batteries were ok first! Oh that’s good for your neighbour, spreading the hog love!

I had one email back from a neighbour as the result of my recent leaflet drop during hedgehog awareness week. She told me there was access but she’d never seen a hedgehog and asked if it was worth getting a hedgehog box. I didn’t think it was worth it unless she had obvious signs of hedgehogs visiting, and asked about the surrounding area as my next door neighbour has never had hedgehogs in despite a hole from mine to hers, they seem to pass through my back gate instead. She has gardens either side and at the back and it doesn’t sound like the hole is under her back gate so guessing the other neighbours don’t have holes. She emailed a short response back to say that was a shame, thanks anyway! Not the best response I was expecting, but never mind.

[Jan-Marie]

Hmm – it never fails to amaze me though that people think they don’t have hedgehogs passing through, simply because they don’t see them. They probably / possibly do have them, but need to put out at least a little water in a bowl (preferably some cat bics in a feeding station too) to stand any chance of seeing them or encouraging them in or to stop in passing.
Our neighbour also claimed to have not seen any for years – but with a house quietly positioned, some water out and a little patience he has clearly been proven wrong in that respect, and he’s delighted about it.

[Suzynic]

I told her to listen out for them in the evening, ours appear to be active around 9pm and are very noisy foragers! And to look for hedgehog poo. I put a note with my hedgehog leaflets asking people to contact me if they have a hedgehog hole and get any visiting hogs, but sadly out of about 90 houses just one reply 🙁

[Penny]

Great work Suzynic, don’t be too down hearted, at least you have made people aware of their presence and the next time they reach for the slug pellets or the strimmer, they might just think twice. I can never understand why not everyone gets as exited as me over hedgehogs; sometimes they look at me as though I’m a little bit unhinged…maybe they’re right!

Thanks for the info on Vale Wildlife, I shall look into it and let you know. 🙂

[Suzynic]

Well one good thing Penny, people at work always comment on my hedgehog related facebook posts, and other people share the posts so that’s all good.

Me neither, they are soooo adorable!!!! I have finally found something that I feel passionate about 🙂

The hedgehog course is just over 100 miles away from me, it will be the furthest I have ever driven on my own! But aside from that I am really looking forward to it.

[Jan-Marie]

we did the leaflet thing too Suzynic – no responses whatsoever! I did point out how fortunate we were to have a small surviving population of hedgehogs at the back of our houses and how good they were at clearing the garden of pests such as slugs. I had expected at least a couple of responses and interested parties – I even offered free hedgehog highway signs to anyone who wanted to collect them and position over fence tunnels etc. Radio silence……………………. We love them at our house anyway – and the thrill of their antics most evenings, its better than anything on the TV!

[Suzynic]

What a shame Jan-Marie, I don’t know about yours, but our estate is modern and most people round here drive like idiots up your backside, drop their kids off at the childminders behind us with music blaring at 7.30 in the morning, cut their grass pretty much every week (unless paved) and generally seem like the majority of the british population who don’t care about anything other than themselves……. little rant there 🙂

I agree, I love watching them, the best thing about where we live is the wildlife, hedgehogs, lots of birds including great spotted woodpeckers, I even find the grey squirrel entertaining! 🙂

[Jan-Marie]

….sounds familiar Suzynic.
Only last week I commented to my husband how surreal life is beginning to feel in our surburban bubbles – a bit like one of those exaggerated cartoon films like Over The Hedge – as we plough up nature to support our plastic lifestyles (and plastics lawns) and alarmed gardens that protect us from anything natural or native. its only a matter of time before we achieve WALL-E status and have to find another planet to move to as we have exhausted this one and filled it with waste from ‘stuff’ we don’t need anymore……….that’s my little rant as well.

[Suzynic]

Good to have a little rant Jan-Marie, at least there are like minded people on this forum that we can communicate with!

I think the female hedgehog may be living in one of the boxes at the bottom of the garden, I saw what I think is her come up earlier for food. No sign of the other two!

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