oowee Posted March 6, 2023 Report Share Posted March 6, 2023 After years without hedgehogs the last few years with the cull ongoing they have made a big comeback here. I have one that's been wandering around my field for the last few days. I see on tv that in the event that they wake up early from hibernation, they can be short of food as their normal food resources are not available. Should I put some dog food out for it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stonepark Posted March 6, 2023 Report Share Posted March 6, 2023 Wet and dry dog food is fine, anything but milk and bread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oowee Posted March 6, 2023 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2023 40 minutes ago, Stonepark said: Wet and dry dog food is fine, anything but milk and bread. 👍 out to do it now. I can see it with the thermal. I will give it an hour and see if its gone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discobob Posted March 6, 2023 Report Share Posted March 6, 2023 They love calciworms. Had 3 in our garden last year for them after only a few sightings over quite a number of years Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Good shot? Posted March 6, 2023 Report Share Posted March 6, 2023 (edited) Disco bob, check out “feeding mealworms to hedgehogs” on the web. Not advised. Sorry but not meaning to cast a shadow but I have stopped using mealworms because of this advice I saw. Just checked again on the web and I may be wrong, but still some doubt over Calciworms. Edited March 6, 2023 by Good shot? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen-H Posted March 6, 2023 Report Share Posted March 6, 2023 We used to get them in the back garden at night house backs onto a field they seemed to love wet cat food the stuff from the supermarkets in the silver pouches . We had 4 arrive in one evening they were regular visitors almost nightly & then all of a sudden nothing for years. Possibly loss of habitat or access a lot of garden hedges were replaced with fencing possibly couldn't make it through any longer perhaps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mice! Posted March 6, 2023 Report Share Posted March 6, 2023 3 hours ago, oowee said: Should I put some dog food out for it? I'm sure they'll eat it, but I'd get some hedgehog food, probably best fed under some sort of cover because the magpies like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oowee Posted March 7, 2023 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2023 (edited) 12 hours ago, Mice! said: I'm sure they'll eat it, but I'd get some hedgehog food, probably best fed under some sort of cover because the magpies like it. I put some in front of it last night. It did not curl up when I went over to it but it stopped moving. I left the food and an hour later it had gone so i think it probably ate it. I will look again tonight. It was giving off a lot of heat, far more than a rabbit. Its been snowing now and its only 3 deg so it might go back to sleep? Edited March 7, 2023 by oowee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discobob Posted March 7, 2023 Report Share Posted March 7, 2023 14 hours ago, Good shot? said: Disco bob, check out “feeding mealworms to hedgehogs” on the web. Not advised. Sorry but not meaning to cast a shadow but I have stopped using mealworms because of this advice I saw. Just checked again on the web and I may be wrong, but still some doubt over Calciworms. Mealworms is a no for sure - I was told Calciworms on here by someone Didn't want to do dog/cat food as that may attract other "critters" that we occasionally get visiting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchman Posted March 7, 2023 Report Share Posted March 7, 2023 when i had my dogs (6 of them)...they used to live in their kennels...but at 7 oclock they would come into the house and lay every where (usually infront of the fire)...then at 10 oclock they would hear the music for the news ..and they would que up at the door to go back to ther run..... so i would let them out...and they would only come back when they have got a hedgehog......i wanted to know how many hogs i had so i sprayed a yellow mark on their spikes..(some of those hogs were big ..and i mean big)....anyway ..i found out over time i had 7 hogs in the large garden i had......at night i used to sleep with the window open ...and it made me laugh at the noise they made bonking each other and chewing gritty worms... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_b_wales Posted March 7, 2023 Report Share Posted March 7, 2023 Any dry/wet dog/cat food but not fish flavoured. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old man Posted March 7, 2023 Report Share Posted March 7, 2023 Should not be around in the daylight, have been told to take to an animal rescue asap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oowee Posted March 7, 2023 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2023 4 hours ago, ditchman said: when i had my dogs (6 of them)...they used to live in their kennels...but at 7 oclock they would come into the house and lay every where (usually infront of the fire)...then at 10 oclock they would hear the music for the news ..and they would que up at the door to go back to ther run..... so i would let them out...and they would only come back when they have got a hedgehog......i wanted to know how many hogs i had so i sprayed a yellow mark on their spikes..(some of those hogs were big ..and i mean big)....anyway ..i found out over time i had 7 hogs in the large garden i had......at night i used to sleep with the window open ...and it made me laugh at the noise they made bonking each other and chewing gritty worms... 😁. A few years back I asked secret world for some of their hogs to re-home. After a visit to the ground they said no (i must have failed the DBS check). I have been doing everything I can think of since, to provide the right sort of habitat. Its great to hear them rummaging about in the garden in the summer, and the numbers have grown rapidly. My cockers wants nothing to do with them but was more than a little peed off last night when I took some of his food out and shut the door on him. 😁 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mice! Posted March 7, 2023 Report Share Posted March 7, 2023 5 hours ago, ditchman said: when i had my dogs (6 of them)...they used to live in their kennels...but at 7 oclock they would come into the house and lay every where (usually infront of the fire)...then at 10 oclock they would hear the music for the news ..and they would que up at the door to go back to ther run..... so i would let them out...and they would only come back when they have got a hedgehog......i wanted to know how many hogs i had so i sprayed a yellow mark on their spikes..(some of those hogs were big ..and i mean big)....anyway ..i found out over time i had 7 hogs in the large garden i had......at night i used to sleep with the window open ...and it made me laugh at the noise they made bonking each other and chewing gritty worms... My old GWP used to throw them around if he found one in the garden!! 40 minutes ago, old man said: Should not be around in the daylight, have been told to take to an animal rescue asap. Probably just been disturbed so looking for food, I've been randomly scattering some dry food on the lawn just in case any little hogs are about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigbob Posted March 7, 2023 Report Share Posted March 7, 2023 If i lost my spaniel walking over the golf course i had to back track and she would be digging round a hedgehog never bothered about anything else Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonty Posted March 9, 2023 Report Share Posted March 9, 2023 On 06/03/2023 at 19:46, oowee said: After years without hedgehogs the last few years with the cull ongoing they have made a big comeback here. I have one that's been wandering around my field for the last few days. I see on tv that in the event that they wake up early from hibernation, they can be short of food as their normal food resources are not available. Should I put some dog food out for it? Owee, my wife helps out with the local animal rescue centre, we've currently got a couple of hogs in our shed at the moment that wouldn't have made it through the winter outside. I've learned a lot about these interesting little critters since she's been involved with them. Generally if you see a hedgehog out in the daytime, it is usually not well/in trouble and the best thing you can do is take it to a local rescue centre. If you are seeing them out and about at night at this time of year, it's not unusual for them to wake up mid hibernation, go for a wander and then go back to sleep. They sometimes change house/nest as well. if you want to put anything out for them food wise, at this time of year, dry kitten food is great. I've really enjoyed being able to get up close and personal with hogs - up until us taking them in, I'd never seen a hedgehogs ear, or realised that along with the spikes, they also have some lovely soft fur too. I had to take the picture below a while back after shouting through to my wife if she wanted a cup of coffee - her reply was "yes please , but in a minute, I'm just giving the hedgehog her medicine'' - you couldn't make it up!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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