More info on Hedgehogs please

devondumpling · #1 (**permalink**) 28-07-2010, 09:06 AM

Hi, I have just joined as I am trying to find out more about hedgehogs, cut a long story short last year we knew we had one regular hedgehog, then a few weeks ago we found two eating together from the bowl of dog food that we leave out at night, and then last night we saw 1 adult and 2 much smaller ones, all eating together, then a 4th one wandered past, by which time it was so dark we couldn't see anything else !

Do we have 1 mum and 3 babies? or is it 2 mums and a baby each?
Any advice please? any pointers to useful site etc and info would be gratefully welcomed as we realise that we know nothing about these lovely little creatures.

Thanks

dampflippers · #2 (**permalink**) 28-07-2010, 10:29 AM

There are loads of good hedgehog sites on the net.

Hedgehogs can have a litter of up to 7, so they all could have belonged to one mum. I think she would have been more defensive if an unknowh hedgehog had come near her brood. But I may be wrong.

First port of call is the British Hedgehog Preservation society (which is quite cheap to join). Loads of info on the website.
British Hedgehog Preservation Society BHPS

There is a really good wild hedgehog forum frequented by very experienced hedgehog carers here:
Hedgehogs

Its parent site, the Epping Forest Hedgehog Rescue also has lots of good information Epping Forest Hedgehog Rescue - Home Page

This year there have been alot of poorly and dead and dying hedgehogs because of lack of rain, so everyone can help by putting several bowls of water around their garden (all year round) and feeding them (not milk, not fish flavoured cat food)

devondumpling · #3 (**permalink**) 28-07-2010, 10:40 AM

Thank you, I will have a busy afternoon!

HedgehogRescue · #4 (**permalink**) 28-07-2010, 09:46 PM

Quote:

Do we have 1 mum and 3 babies? or is it 2 mums and a baby each?

Most likely to be one mum, two babies or 3 babies if they're all a similar size or 'a.n.other' if the other one is big.

I have hoglets here ranging from - a litter of one, there were two but mum decided one was no good, up to a litter of 7 that I'm just about to release. They can have anything in between but 7 is unusual, normally 6 is the max.

It depends on how big/old the babies are as to whether mum would get upset with another hog being near. If they are weaned and she's about to boot them out then she won't be worried.

Keep your ears open and an eye on the little ones when she does clear off. They don't always cope very well and you may hear them peeping. If you see any of them in difficulty or out in the day, don't wait to ask questions, grab them, get them in something they can't escape from, then shout for help.

devondumpling · #5 (**permalink**) 29-07-2010, 08:14 AM

Thanks for the advice, I will keep an eye open for them.

Not quite sure just how much food to put out now, as the last few nights everything has been eaten and the platter licked clean, we then left even more last night and again clean this morning, but we do have some very hungry seagulls, which are quite annoying, trying to keep then away!

We are leaving fresh leftover cooked chicken pieces and stinky dog food (chicken and rabbit), plus some bread, but I don't think they eat the bread.

Anyway thanks again

posie · #6 (**permalink**) 29-07-2010, 08:34 AM

..Don't put the bread out, apart from not being ideal hedgehog food, it will attract the greedy seagulls...You could also set up a feeding station for the hedgehogs so that the seagulls etc. would not be able to get the food. I'm sure there is simple info on the hedgehog sites, also propably on WAB...try and google hedgehog feeding station, or something similar....Posie..

PS, as Hedgehog Rescue said, hedgehogs should really only be out at evening and night, so if you put their food out in the evening, they should have a good feed before the birds arrive in the morning.

devondumpling · #7 (**permalink**) 29-07-2010, 09:06 AM

Thank you WAB, lots of more useful info for me, I will take a look at feeding stations, I have come across them on my hunt for hedgehog info.

Thanks again,

HedgehogRescue · #8 (**permalink**) 29-07-2010, 12:10 PM

Bread and milk are the two worst things you could put out for hedgehogs with the possible exception of feeding them poison.

Bread contains no nutrients. It swells up in their stomach and makes them feel full so they don't bother looking for anything else. From late August onwards they need to start fattening up for hibernation. Bread will leave them in a very dire state and they may well not make it through.

Milk is a disaster. It contains lactose and hogs are lactose intolerant. They get diarrhoea and dehydrate. That can lead to enteritis and deterioration at an alarming rate. I've lost count of the people who tell me they used to see hedgehogs in their garden but haven't for a long time. They then tell me they still keep putting the milk out though.

Watch out putting meat out. Flies lay eggs on it and we have a lot of young hogs coming in with severe flystrike and worms. If you put it out, do so just before dark and bring it in first thing. You're better off with small cat biscuits in a feeding station so they don't get wet.

You can also tell with those if it's a hog eating them or something else. If there are lots of small crumbs left then it's a hog. Empty dish suspect cats or birds.

devondumpling · #9 (**permalink**) 29-07-2010, 12:49 PM

Yes I know not to put milk out, just water and I only leave the food out just around dark/early night time. it is only the last few nights that all the food had gone, and that coincided with seeing the young ones for the first time.
until a few nights ago, there was always a bit of dog food left in the dish every morning. We were used to seeing one hedgehog in the evening, then it became two, and now these with the small ones, we are feeling quite excited !