[Misc] Hedgehogs

[The Clamp]

I’ve just purchased some bits to tart up my garden after a few years of letting it run wild.

Bird feeders etc.

After a few years of not much attention the neighbourhood cats are basically using it as their own. So I’m going to keep a large area for wild garden and then a veggie patch, bird area and some seating area.

Hoping to discourage the cats but not sure how. I guess just be out there more?

 

[PeterT]

How lovely. Hedgehogs are wonderful creatures.
Bet you get some good camera footage?

Here he is:

 

[Albion my Albion]

Hoping to discourage the cats but not sure how. I guess just be out there more?

Website for cat deterrent.

https://aax-us-iad.amazon.com/x/c/RG7Q0nf_yDfFRPFYs0yGn2IAAAGWtaPyJAEAAAH0AQBvbm9fdHhuX2JpZDUgICBvbm9fdHhuX2ltcDIgICBYA6hQ/clv1_CEuOPUxokZA2iHrVU-YfwA77WyFhS5lvhpce0ha4z7pe138ZoxCdfvw18nFItlO9gqEp25IbkHjNfU3hA3t0G2RYO2fXN-yjLWxdWEBjd3qoErdzxaMd6JJGZw6b80RikgBUFNWSqbJGFEs33lD4YAJWOlYCAMY4H09tHfkwHhrXwaCbzFtlVFHva86wd7EyRn4VasCZ0dZWR3p4J9kRbvoJ-LWynsUoAh2UJ7Qv2Eoev4ktlr2nQhNiz2rpg3FtNUbgL-LDplxEk3EhEs1sc1OOc2W7kgmLAt2RLduRh-dPTSSPxY6U1j--dVWRRIZhqZl4lYvv7VitkwnGJS3XQhi1qqI/http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DSTTZJNJ/ref=syn_sd_onsite_desktop_0?ie=UTF8&psc=1&pd_rd_plhdr=t&aref=JxxSRKoXiO

 

[Zeberdi]

I did some campaign work for the Hedgehog Society a few years back and found this site to be very helpful

Home - Hedgehog Street

www.hedgehogstreet.org

I’m fortunate as I have hedgehogs in the garden every season and have had to rescue a fair few too as well as over winter them, either because they were too underweight prior to hibernation (they need to be at least 600g to survive the big sleep) or because they are critically ill with Lungworm (which is contagious) and needed antibiotics.

Lungworm is carried by slugs (which are not hedgehogs most preferred food btw, they much prefer beetles so log piles are really important for wildlife gardens!). Hedgehogs also commonly get Flystrike, a fatal infestation of fly eggs which hatch into maggots.

Both these fatal illnesses‘s impact on Hog populations can be worsened by soiled artificial feeding areas (where hedgehogs are feeding in dense numbers too to close together ) and Flystrike from fresh meat food that people ‘kindly’ leave out in the warm weather which attracts blowflies which then lay eggs on the hedgehogs while they are feeding.

Plenty of fresh water and a dried complete proper hedgehog food (like Spike) helps minimise the risk of the diseases mentioned above.

I have several proper hedgehog tunnels installed in my fencing too - the openings is into my neighbour’s garden through the 6 x 6 hole cut in the fence - hedgehogs can travel up to several kilometres a night to feed and find a mate so need access - modern fencing is one of the reasons for their decline.

No apologies for the TLDR - I love Hedgehogs and they need our help!

 

[POSKETT AT THE VALLEY]

A hedgehog has started visiting us in a suburban street in Hove, can’t remember the last time I saw one other than in the countryside. There are a couple of parks etc nearby but not sure where he lives.

We have some gaps in the fence he can get through and we’ve now been leaving food out which he seems to enjoy, put a cheap camera on the food to check it’s him eating it, and it is, though not sure what we’ll do about that when we are on holiday in the summer.

Anyway, I thought it was a really nice thing to see. Our garden is FULL of snails and slugs, hopefully he eats them as I can’t now put down the slug pellets which I understand aren’t great for the hedgehog.

I thought slug pellets were illegal now?

 

[The Clamp]

I did some campaign work for the Hedgehog Society a few years back and found this site to be very helpful

Home - Hedgehog Street

www.hedgehogstreet.org

I’m fortunate as I have hedgehogs in the garden every season and have had to rescue a fair few too as well as over winter them, either because they were too underweight prior to hibernation (they need to be at least 600g to survive the big sleep) or because they are critically ill with Lungworm (which is contagious) and needed antibiotics.

Lungworm is carried by slugs (which are not hedgehogs most preferred food btw, they much prefer beetles so log piles are really important for wildlife gardens!). Hedgehogs also commonly get Flystrike, a fatal infestation of fly eggs which hatch into maggots.

Both these fatal illnesses‘s impact on Hog populations can be worsened by soiled artificial feeding areas (where hedgehogs are feeding in dense numbers too to close together ) and Flystrike from fresh meat food that people ‘kindly’ leave out in the warm weather which attracts blowflies which then lay eggs on the hedgehogs while they are feeding.

Plenty of fresh water and a dried complete proper hedgehog food (like Spike) helps minimise the risk of the diseases mentioned above.

I have several proper hedgehog tunnels installed in my fencing too - the openings is into my neighbour’s garden through the 6 x 6 hole cut in the fence - hedgehogs can travel up to several kilometres a night to feed and find a mate so need access - modern fencing is one of the reasons for their decline.

View attachment 201522

No apologies for the TLDR - I love Hedgehogs and they need our help!

This is great

 

[The Clamp]

Here he is:

View attachment 201518

How brilliant!

 

[Cordwainer]

I’ve just purchased some bits to tart up my garden after a few years of letting it run wild.

Bird feeders etc.

After a few years of not much attention the neighbourhood cats are basically using it as their own. So I’m going to keep a large area for wild garden and then a veggie patch, bird area and some seating area.

Hoping to discourage the cats but not sure how. I guess just be out there more?

Or if that fails, pepper powder or other strong natural smelly stuff seems to help.

 

[Zeberdi]

This is great

Thanks.

Btw - over the years, I’ve found the only way to really deter cats (apart from dog!) is plant lots of tall prickly hedging along the perimeter (which is also wildlife friendly). That was after failing for 20 years in my last place to deter cats with sonar machines, water pistols, orange peel and even lion dung - nothing worked!

Climbing roses, Pyracantha and hawthorn all work well.

 

[The Clamp]

Thanks.

Btw - over the years, I’ve found the only way to really deter cats (apart from dog!) is plant lots of tall prickly hedging along the perimeter (which is also wildlife friendly). That was after failing for 20 years in my last place to deter cats with sonar machines, water pistols, orange peel and even lion dung - nothing worked!

Climbing roses, Pyracantha and hawthorn all work well.

Thank you for the advice.

I have a family of magpies that nests in one of my trees. They do a fairly good job of dive bombing the cats.

I have no issue with cats per se, and don’t want to harm or distress them but I want to give the less dominant creatures a chance.

A large part of the garden will remain wild as I love the abundance of butterflies, bees, and other mini-beasts. But would be nice to encourage some wider fauna in.

 

[The Clamp]

This was the garden last Summer. Def needs some taming!

 

[WATFORD zero]

Thank you for the advice.

I have a family of magpies that nests in one of my trees. They do a fairly good job of dive bombing the cats.

I have no issue with cats per se, and don’t want to harm or distress them but I want to give the less dominant creatures a chance.

A large part of the garden will remain wild as I love the abundance of butterflies, bees, and other mini-beasts. But would be nice to encourage some wider fauna in.

We don't have one at the moment, but over the years we've generally had a cat. Put a collar and bell on a cat if you have one, it will still kill things (they're cats) but a lot less. If someone else's cats come over, I've found a water pistol best but would recommend @Zeberdi's approach above.

Then we're onto squirrels/birds. After years of trying to keep squirrels off of bird feeders, squirrel baffles https://www.google.com/search?q=squ...EyMDk2ajBqN6gCALACAA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 are the only answer.

Then, keep the Seagulls, Crows, Pigeons off your feeders and you might get some of these

It's worth sticking with, really

 

[The Clamp]

We don't have one at the moment, but over the years we've generally had a cat. Put a collar and bell on a cat if you have one, it will still kill things (they're cats) but a lot less. If someone else's cats come over, I've found a water pistol best but would recommend @Zeberdi's approach above.

Then we're onto squirrels/birds. After years of trying to keep squirrels off of bird feeders, squirrel baffles https://www.google.com/search?q=squ...EyMDk2ajBqN6gCALACAA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 are the only answer.

Then, keep the Seagulls, Crows, Pigeons off your feeders and you might get some of these


View attachment 201529


It's worth sticking with, really

Super stuff, thank you!

 

[WATFORD zero]

This was the garden last Summer. Def needs some taming!

View attachment 201526

You're on a windup. That looks perfect, a couple of birdfeeders with squirrel baffles left and right, stick some climbing stuff down the back and Bob's your Auntie's live in lover. Looks lovely

 

[The Clamp]

T

You're on a windup. That looks perfect, a couple of birdfeeders with squirrel baffles left and right, stick some climbing stuff down the back and Bob's your Auntie's live in lover. Looks lovely

Thank you. I do love it wild like this .

I only meant clearing some space to grow some veggies and salad and put a table and chair.
It will largely remain wild and more importantly, maintenance free

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

I thought slug pellets were illegal now?

No. The metaldehyde (sedative) ones are. These days they are all ferric salts (basically rust).

 

[PeterT]

We don't have one at the moment, but over the years we've generally had a cat. Put a collar and bell on a cat if you have one, it will still kill things (they're cats) but a lot less. If someone else's cats come over, I've found a water pistol best but would recommend @Zeberdi's approach above.

Then we're onto squirrels/birds. After years of trying to keep squirrels off of bird feeders, squirrel baffles https://www.google.com/search?q=squ...EyMDk2ajBqN6gCALACAA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 are the only answer.

Then, keep the Seagulls, Crows, Pigeons off your feeders and you might get some of these


View attachment 201529


It's worth sticking with, really

We also get loads of different wild birds in our garden too, encouraging them a lot with feeders etc but using the Merlin app I sat in the garden for an hour and there were about 30 different species visiting or nearby. It was really something quite simple to appreciate!

 

[WATFORD zero]

We have five regular piggies that visit, along with seven foxes....often they are at the same bowl, but foxys very wary and tend to wait their turn! Can't leave bowls unattended, as there seems to be an influx of rodents this year, plus magpies, crows, wood pigeons and opportunistic gulls.
I just wished they'd wait until after dark to feed as it'll keep the bird life away

I've been doing everything to encourage hedgehogs round here, but put my failure down to the number of Badgers and Foxes around. But it seems that maybe Coldean foxes are more woke than Westdene foxes. Who knew

 

[Coldeanseagull]

I've been doing everything to encourage hedgehogs round here, but put my failure down to the number of Badgers and Foxes around. But it seems that maybe Coldean foxes are more woke than Westdene foxes. Who knew

I still don't know what woke means?
I'll try and get some photos of Hedgie, Spike, Athol, Piglet and Ian along with Sitdown, Ginger, Simon, Fluffy 1 and 2, Scabby 1 and 2 , also Legs when he turns up.
Yes we have named them, more descriptive than personalised as in Athol(he's an arsehole, he's big and barges all the others out of the way), Ian(he in the bowl) Simon(small and ginger, like daughters ex boyfriend)....you get the picture

 

[Anger]

I’ve found that a mix of seeds, oats and small pellets of dried beef goes down well with two visiting hedgehogs here.

Any wet food is more attractive to other animals, so the dry mix of small food works better. Put it out at dusk, otherwise birds may get to the food before the hedgehogs.