Wiggum Posted April 12, 2014 Report Share Posted April 12, 2014 I was fishing one night and had a hedgehog in the back of my bivvy trying to get in my food bag scared the life out of me at 3am in the pitch black. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_b_wales Posted April 12, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 12, 2014 Lol i didn't realise you were lord of the manor..... Promotion in the ranks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andypaint Posted April 12, 2014 Report Share Posted April 12, 2014 Just hope the badgers don't come in your garden following the food scent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_b_wales Posted April 14, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2014 At 03.30 this morning, one of the staff came into the office and said that there was a rat in one of the recycling bags outside. As we have had a problem with rats, I went to investigate. Sure enough, there was a rustling sound coming from inside the bag and we could see it moving. I picked up an old broom handle and was just about to give the bag a whack, when I noticed a hedgehog's bag leg poking out of the bag. Sure enough, it was 'our' hedgehog inside the bag, looking for what, I don't know. Anyway, I grabbed the hedgehog with a towel and put it back into the garden area. One very lucky hedgehog! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r1steele Posted April 14, 2014 Report Share Posted April 14, 2014 Me too. Of all the years ( too many to count) that I've been on farms etc, I've never seen one, not even while lamping. This little one comes into the garden area of a community house where I work It may have been attracted by the bird food that is dropped from the feeders that we have hanging. In the early hours of this morning,while on a night shift, I sat outside and watched it moving about searching for scraps. I think it ate a few peanuts. It was no more that 2ft away from me. I'm absolutely amazed that you have never seen one before, especially being out shooting etc. Years ago they were targeted by keepers as they are very fond of eggs and many a pheasant or partridge would lose a clutch of eggs due to hedgehogs. One of the biggest problems they face these days is predation by our ever increasing badger population. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mentalmac Posted April 14, 2014 Report Share Posted April 14, 2014 I rescued one before that had been frightened by car - and I fed it peanuts and dry dog food. Also found a young hedgehog which I looked after too, sweet little things! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ack-ack Posted April 14, 2014 Report Share Posted April 14, 2014 Sad to day i havent seen one here for four years Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
station Posted April 14, 2014 Report Share Posted April 14, 2014 Many years back I rescued one that had taken a tumble into our local outdoor pool ! Luckily it was empty and only 2'6" deep but the poor thing obviously could not get back out. The girlfriend at the time thought I was an absolute hero ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoggysreels Posted April 14, 2014 Report Share Posted April 14, 2014 I'm absolutely amazed that you have never seen one before, especially being out shooting etc. Years ago they were targeted by keepers as they are very fond of eggs and many a pheasant or partridge would lose a clutch of eggs due to hedgehogs. One of the biggest problems they face these days is predation by our ever increasing badger population. Think predators are Environment/Chemical usage , Weather, Road traffic. Badgers as with most predators look for the easy "less effort spent" option ... they plough through earthworm. Areas were Badgers/Foxes haven't greatly increased in numbers, doesnt necessarily correlate with increased numbers of Hedgehogs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r1steele Posted April 14, 2014 Report Share Posted April 14, 2014 Think predators are Environment/Chemical usage , Weather, Road traffic. Badgers as with most predators look for the easy "less effort spent" option ... they plough through earthworm. Areas were Badgers/Foxes haven't greatly increased in numbers, doesnt necessarily correlate with increased numbers of Hedgehogs. Chemical usage is a lot more controlled now compared to what it used to be before the decline of the hedgehog and the weather hasn't changed that dramatically but the traffic has definitely had a huge affect. I agree that 'less effort spent' but having seen areas that used to hold a lot of hedgehogs and seeing badgers picking them off very easily it is less effort than digging for worms. They pull them open and turn the inside out in a matter of seconds, just the same way they do lambs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dougy Posted April 14, 2014 Report Share Posted April 14, 2014 You want to hear them when there at it there right noisy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoggysreels Posted April 14, 2014 Report Share Posted April 14, 2014 (edited) Chemical usage is a lot more controlled now compared to what it used to be before the decline of the hedgehog and the weather hasn't changed that dramatically but the traffic has definitely had a huge affect. I agree that 'less effort spent' but having seen areas that used to hold a lot of hedgehogs and seeing badgers picking them off very easily it is less effort than digging for worms. They pull them open and turn the inside out in a matter of seconds, just the same way they do lambs.Why the decline in hedgehog numbers in towns for instance ... ?? Think the Badger tearing them from.limb to.limb cant be a reason that has any significance regards population collapse. Its true a Badger can take a hedgehog on a rare ocassion .. but to suggest the hedgehog population is compromised by Badgers is not so. Proven with many town hedgehogs, having once populating a town, thats Badger free, and their numbers collapsing dramatically ... lm not suggesting Badgers dont take hedgehogs!! ... l can see that being a major cause of number collapsing though .. cheers Edited April 15, 2014 by hoggysreels Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r1steele Posted April 15, 2014 Report Share Posted April 15, 2014 Why the decline in hedgehog numbers in towns for instance ... ?? Think the Badger tearing them from.limb to.limb cant be a reason that has any significance regards population collapse. Its true a Badger can take a hedgehog on a rare ocassion .. but to suggest the hedgehog population is compromised by Badgers is not so. I didn't suggest that badgers tear them limb from limb and they do take them a lot more than on a rare occasion. Not really sure about town hedgehogs as I haven't really had anything to do with them but I would imagine the traffic increases wouldn't have helped a great deal along with increased development destroying there habitat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoggysreels Posted April 15, 2014 Report Share Posted April 15, 2014 Well lets hope the trend stops and the numbers recover asap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisheruk Posted April 15, 2014 Report Share Posted April 15, 2014 (edited) We always have hedgehogs in our garden. They live under the log store, which is raised off the ground as it has a base of old pallets. Been in the house for more than 30yrs and they've been here all that time. Never fed them. Plenty of food under the hedges and bushes. Wow the Dawn chorus is loud this morning. Edited April 15, 2014 by Fisheruk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penelope Posted April 15, 2014 Report Share Posted April 15, 2014 And happily munch on nest full of baby hedgehogs. A nice easy meal. I stopped see squashed hedgehogs in the road when I started seeing squashed badgers instead. Think predators are Environment/Chemical usage , Weather, Road traffic.Badgers as with most predators look for the easy "less effort spent" option ... they plough through earthworm.Areas were Badgers/Foxes haven't greatly increased in numbers, doesnt necessarily correlate with increased numbers of Hedgehogs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoggysreels Posted April 15, 2014 Report Share Posted April 15, 2014 And happily munch on nest full of baby hedgehogs. A nice easy meal. I stopped see squashed hedgehogs in the road when I started seeing squashed badgers instead. So towns that have suffered the same national decline in hedgehog numbers. Though those towns have not for a long time had a Badger population, cant be linked into the Hedgehog decline. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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