Mammal track Frustration indeed!

[Kleftiwallah]

Found some tracks in the snow beside my shed this morning, all I wanted to do was find a track of a hedgehog and a rat to compare and find out which they were. Why is it so difficult? I googled and searched on this site. Still in the dark! Cheers for any help/snaps, Tony.

[Dogghound]

Post a photo here. Its unlikely to be a hedgehog as they hibernate, although can show slight activity in winter. However rat and hog prints are quite different. Either an accurate drawing or photo please.

[Kleftiwallah]

If I could grasp the technicalities you would have it, however. How about instructions chum? You will have to be quick, there is a bit of a thaw taking place! Cheers, Tony.

[loripo]

I've been looking for something like that today - have a look on this...
Wildlife ID :: Environmental Facts :: Young People's Trust for the Environment

it might help, but couldnt see mine on this...

[Jason Claxton]

There was a young Hedgehog ,still active in my garden on 15th Dec ,and sadly I saw a young one recently crushed on a road near me ,so definitely some Hedgehogs still active at this time of the year in my part of the world,so don't rule them out yet.Hopefully Lori's link will help you I.d your prints Kleftiwallah.

[Kleftiwallah]

Loripo's link certainly hit the spot Jason.

I'm sure it's hedgehog tracks as they were far more round than rat tracks so I'll put out a bowl of dogfood this evening just in case. Now why could I not find that site ? ? ? ? Cheers, Tony.

[Jason Claxton]

I put dog food out for the Hedgehog in my garden too, Tony,if anybody knows better I'd really like to know what is best.It would usually eat about half of it.But naturally Cats and Rats might have eaten some of it as well.Cheers Jason.

[loripo]

This is from the British Hedgehog Preservation Society website...
What can I feed ‘my’ garden hedgehog?
A meat based pet food is fine, the plainer the better, also a little dried hedgehog or cat food is good as it keeps the teeth sharp and clean. However, they can be very fussy and very cheap foods are not always acceptable. If you have a problem with cats stealing the food, try offering some unsweetened museli or weetabix and a handful of raisins. Alternatively a feeding station can be used. The idea is to provide something that is high enough for the hedgehog and its food to go under, but too low for a cat to reach the food.

You could try a paving slab on bricks (leave a gap between 2 of the bricks as an entrance hole) or get one of those blue plastic mushroom boxes (from supermarkets). Cut a 5” x 5” hole in one of the short sides so that when the box is upside down the hole becomes an entrance. Put the food at the far end and weigh the box down with a stone. Fresh water is the best thing to offer as a drink.

[danthekeeper]

When looking at a rats tracks you can usually see a trail left by its tail(it is too long to be held aloft)

[loripo]

This is what I was looking for when I found the ID sheet above...


what might that be? There is a shoe print at the lower edge to give an idea of size, it just went off across the path, but not sure which direction!