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hedgehog study


islandgun
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Just now, Walker570 said:

Just do not see the numbers or any for that matter on the road these days. In fact have not seen a hedgehog in the ountryside here for many years.

+1 

Badgers do to good of a job on them before they get a chance to be squashed on the road.

I've seen two in the last 5 years, badgers on the other hand...

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Used to be when we heard our dogs going nuts in the pen there was surely a wee hedgehog scuttling up the garden. Me and the wife used to see one every other night in the autumn time crossing the road in front of our house going into the neighbours garden. I wonder do cats ever go for them as there's loads of feline vermin around here these days that don't seem to belong to anybody 

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38 minutes ago, Rob85 said:

Used to be when we heard our dogs going nuts in the pen there was surely a wee hedgehog scuttling up the garden. Me and the wife used to see one every other night in the autumn time crossing the road in front of our house going into the neighbours garden. I wonder do cats ever go for them as there's loads of feline vermin around here these days that don't seem to belong to anybody 

Doubt very much that a cat could kill an hedgehog, they may show some curiosity but I doubt they would even try, too prickly.

I have heard that an hungry fox may attempt to kill one but I have never witnessed it, did hear an old wives tale about foxes rolling them into water to try and drown them.

No, the culprit in most cases are badgers, we did have a fair few hedgehogs around this way but over the years I have lost count of the stripped out hedgehog skins I have found, they will also dig out rabbit birthing burrows for adults and young.

Badgers are also responsible for the decline in bumblebee numbers, seen plenty of bee and wasp nests dug out by badgers, they will even have a go at bee hives if they are not secure.

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Channel 5 news now.........are reporting a major cause of the decline in hedgehogs.......is the increase in road traffic!.......the nutters are suggesting building tunnels under roads for em! I suppose said nutters, will then teach them to read, and put up signs with an arrow showing......hedgehog tunnel this way!

Completely ignoring the unpalatable truth!

 

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1 hour ago, panoma1 said:

Channel 5 news now.........are reporting a major cause of the decline in hedgehogs.......is the increase in road traffic!.......the nutters are suggesting building tunnels under roads for em! I suppose said nutters, will then teach them to read, and put up signs with an arrow showing......hedgehog tunnel this way!

Completely ignoring the unpalatable truth!

 

they already build tunnels under motorways for newts ....why not...............they pay taxes like the rest of us..

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Around 15 years ago we had a problem with Ragwort on the farm so I was given the job of spraying it off with a knapsack sprayer. This involved walking the many miles  of field margins at a leisurely pace for weeks on end. Most days I would discover another Hedgehog turned inside out with just the skin and prickles left. Fast forward 15 years and I still walk the same margins whilst out with the gun, albeit not quite as often, but hardly ever seen any remains of Mrs. Tiggywinkle. I now assume that Brock has joined the Vegan movement and leaves the Hedgehogs alone.🤔

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I'd love a few in my garden. Not seen one for 6 years. 

Did rescue a baby one once some time ago, it ended up quite tame and used to live at mum's  when it was rehomed. On a nice afternoon if you were having a drink outside it would often wander over and run across your bare feet making you jump. 

It had baby hedgehogs that used to wait till dark before marching about on the gravel driveway. Sounded like 10 stormtroopers practicing drill. Marvellous creatures. 

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Whilst trying to remove one of those horrible saw grass plants a couple of years ago (the type that shreads you to ribbons if you happen to pass by too closely) I thought I would cut it down close to the ground first before trying to dig out the root ball. I first tried pruning shears, no chance, so I tried a wood saw, much more effective. Now, about halfway through, I thought I heard something Growl. So I paused, looked about, the dog was inside, so carried on. Then another growl, louder this time,  so I stopped again, parted the leaves of the plant and peered inside. Staring up at me was a very, very angry mummy Hedgehog and her 4 or 5  little pink baby hogs! I was a out halfway across their nest and a out an inch and a half above them with the saw blade! So I covered them back over and left well alone for a few weeks. Racked with guilt for disturbing them and almost decapitating an entire hog family, I left them food out for a few nights as way of an apology. 

Who knew hedgehogs could growl?

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