Birker2020
Well-Known Member
A few weeks ago we had good reason to believe our neighbours (husband and wife) hurt a hedgehog. The wife was horrified and clearly distressed when my partner told her in all innocence about the lovely hedgehogs that come into our garden from their through a hole in the fence and told her that they were nesting under her garden shed. She shrieked and exclaimed that she 'hates them' and that they 'give her the heebie jeebies'.
Then they go on holiday for 2 weeks, we reguarly see the hedgehog during this time. They come back from holiday, the husband has been 'doing the gardening' whatever that means. They've never done the gardening in the 18 months they've lived at the property before. The following day and my partner spots our dog sniffing something on the lawn, it turns out its a dying hedgehog, breathing heavily on its side, not curling up like it should. We can't understand why its on the lawn in broad daylight anyway, let alone heavily breathing and its tongue going in and out. Refuses to curl up too.
So I whisk it to the local vet 3 minutes away as by law they have to treat. I rang up three hours later to find out it had been euthanised. I couldn't prove anything but I felt fairly confident that it had either been poisioned or hit with something with the intent of it leaving its nest under the shed. Too much of a coincidence to be anything else I think.
And then a couple of nights ago my partner reported seeing another hedgehog in our garden, it goes from the hole in the neighbours fence, along the top and down the side of our garden before going under our gate and down the alleyway at the back of our houses and into a hole in the fence of a garden that backs onto ours.
Then last night the hedgehog is in our garden again, curled tightly when I approached. Very heavy big hedgehog. But this was at 8.15am so still very daylight. Seemed to walk okay when it did get going but also tried to push itself between a plant pot and the house wall. In the end it walked up the garden, ignored the food I put out for it and hid between a paving slab and the garden fence the slab was leaning on.
This morning it had gone. Is this the normal behaviour of a hedgehog? I.e. to be out at 8pm in broad daylight. I don't want to take it to the vet in case its a female and its got babies its feeding. I tried to uncurl it by brushing its spine in the opposite direction (a tip I'd got from watching wildlife rescue) but it wouldn't uncurl.
I also don't want to take it to the vet as I really felt that they would have pts regardless of the condition, they didn't appear to make much effort in saving the previous one. Are they normally out during the day?? I can't see ticks or fly eggs and its not damaged or doesn't appear to be.
Then they go on holiday for 2 weeks, we reguarly see the hedgehog during this time. They come back from holiday, the husband has been 'doing the gardening' whatever that means. They've never done the gardening in the 18 months they've lived at the property before. The following day and my partner spots our dog sniffing something on the lawn, it turns out its a dying hedgehog, breathing heavily on its side, not curling up like it should. We can't understand why its on the lawn in broad daylight anyway, let alone heavily breathing and its tongue going in and out. Refuses to curl up too.
So I whisk it to the local vet 3 minutes away as by law they have to treat. I rang up three hours later to find out it had been euthanised. I couldn't prove anything but I felt fairly confident that it had either been poisioned or hit with something with the intent of it leaving its nest under the shed. Too much of a coincidence to be anything else I think.
And then a couple of nights ago my partner reported seeing another hedgehog in our garden, it goes from the hole in the neighbours fence, along the top and down the side of our garden before going under our gate and down the alleyway at the back of our houses and into a hole in the fence of a garden that backs onto ours.
Then last night the hedgehog is in our garden again, curled tightly when I approached. Very heavy big hedgehog. But this was at 8.15am so still very daylight. Seemed to walk okay when it did get going but also tried to push itself between a plant pot and the house wall. In the end it walked up the garden, ignored the food I put out for it and hid between a paving slab and the garden fence the slab was leaning on.
This morning it had gone. Is this the normal behaviour of a hedgehog? I.e. to be out at 8pm in broad daylight. I don't want to take it to the vet in case its a female and its got babies its feeding. I tried to uncurl it by brushing its spine in the opposite direction (a tip I'd got from watching wildlife rescue) but it wouldn't uncurl.
I also don't want to take it to the vet as I really felt that they would have pts regardless of the condition, they didn't appear to make much effort in saving the previous one. Are they normally out during the day?? I can't see ticks or fly eggs and its not damaged or doesn't appear to be.
Last edited:
Handling wise, if you can get some live meal worms from a pet shop, any that you find out in the day you might be able to coax out once they’re in a quiet box, or some wet cat food. That way you could check for injuries.
