# Yay, I saw a Hedgehog



## MrJsk

I have been living in Yorkshire for almost 7 months now and it wasn't until last night, on my way home from work, that I finally saw a hedgehog !!!!!!!


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## Zincubus

Our little Italian Greyhound ( think smaller , skinnier Whippet )went out into our garden a few nights ago and came back in a very exited state .... we went out with a torch but we couldn't see anything unusual .....then we heard a kinda grunting / snorting sound and wondered if it could have been a hedgehog or two . I then went on uTube and found a few vids showing hedgehogs communicating by the grunting / snorting we heard . 

Last night we both took a cuppa out and sat int the dark for about 10 minutes ( until the midges started feasting on me ) and were lucky enough to see a lovely hedgehog practically walk right past us , totally unaware we were there


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## feorag

:lol: That's where the 'pig' big comes from. The noise they can make is really loud!


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## geck123

We built a hedgehog house in the back garden and have a couple of perminant residents now :2thumb:


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## feorag

Lucky you! I've very jealous. Our garden is catproofed to keep the cats in, which unfortunately keeps most of the wildlife out, although we've had more than a few woodmice and frogs still getting in.

Do you supplement feed them?


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## Drayvan

We don't seem to have any hedgehogs around here  not even a poo or any on the roads. I do miss them, in the last house we lived in they would nest under the shed. It was lovely watching the train of little babies following their mum about the garden!


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## geck123

feorag said:


> Lucky you! I've very jealous. Our garden is catproofed to keep the cats in, which unfortunately keeps most of the wildlife out, although we've had more than a few woodmice and frogs still getting in.
> 
> Do you supplement feed them?



Yep, they get food every night and water is always avaliable for them :2thumb: There awesome little creatures, they have different personalities. You can tell when there not amused because you can hear very loud snorting :lol2:


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## _simon_

Lived here for 8 years I think, lots of fields, wooded areas and nature reserves. I've seen 1 live hedgehog and 1 squashed in all that time. We used to have a back garden full of them when we lived in a more built up area! I see foxes every day, the odd badger, bats and hear plenty of owls but that's with getting up at the crack of dawn to walk the dog. Also seen a few drunks staggering up the road lol


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## feorag

Sadly hedgehog numbers are dwindling fast. :sad:


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## geck123

This is my hedgehog home in my garden :2thumb:


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## Zincubus

geck123 said:


> This is my hedgehog home in my garden :2thumb:
> 
> image


Looks nice 

We put some dog food down for them but no idea if they got it or the local rodents and birds ..


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## AdamAnt

I used to see hedgehogs every year coming into the back garden making their way behind the shed. Don't see them much these days, might be due to the increase of cats in the neighbourhood.


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## feorag

More likely to be the lack of hedgehogs! :sad:

They are now on the Endangered List and if we aren't careful we'll lose them altogether!


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## AdamAnt

feorag said:


> More likely to be the lack of hedgehogs! :sad:
> 
> They are now on the Endangered List and if we aren't careful we'll lose them altogether!


Hopefully not


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## corvid2e1

AdamAnt said:


> I used to see hedgehogs every year coming into the back garden making their way behind the shed. Don't see them much these days, might be due to the increase of cats in the neighbourhood.


Actually, while cats are a major problem to the majority of wildlife, Hedgehogs are one of the few species that are rarely bothered by them as the spines are pretty impenetrable to most predators (other than Badgers and the odd persistent dog). Habitat loss is the main problem, which is pretty embarrassing for us considering their habitat is mostly our gardens, therefore entirely within our control. Chemicals, both in gardens and on farmland, as well as increased traffic and a few other things may have also had an effect.


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## AdamAnt

Thanks for the correction corvid2e1.


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## Shellsfeathers&fur

This:

National Day of the Hedgehog: can the prickly favourite be saved from extinction? - Telegraph


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## feorag

I really hope we can save them.

Loved watching the baby hedgehog eating the slug video. Amazing how they roll and roll them to remove all the slime before they eat them.


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## wagg

We had one the garden when we moved at 3 months ago. It was quite big. Havent seen it aince. Probs hibernating.


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## feorag

He will be hibernating now, but keep an eye out for him, because warm snaps can bring them out a bit earlier. Meat based cat food will help him if you see him out and about.


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## wagg

Ye. And ye il put some out for him if i see him again. Told the mrs when i seen him and she named him mr prickles. Must be about 500 000 mr prickles lol


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## AdamAnt

feorag said:


> Meat based cat food will help him if you see him out and about.


Cat food also seems to attract slugs, whether that's a regular coincidence or not, its a double whammy for hedgehogs.


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## feorag

It's not good for hedgies to eat slugs! Slugs carry lungworm and that kills them. :sad:

It's really a fallacy that they love them. - they'll only eat them as a last resort if they can't dig up worms.


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## AdamAnt

feorag said:


> It's not good for hedgies to eat slugs! Slugs carry lungworm and that kills them. :sad:
> 
> It's really a fallacy that they love them. - they'll only eat them as a last resort if they can't dig up worms.


I did not know, do snails have lungworm too? 

Your cat food comment just reminded me of when young and we had a cat, if you left cat food outside overnight, by morning you would find snails and slugs around and in the bowl....


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## feorag

AdamAnt said:


> I did not know, do snails have lungworm too?


No, that's where your dog gets it from. Slugs &snails are at the end of the life cycle of the lungworm and it's when your dogs eat infected slugs & snails that they pick up the lungworm :sad:


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