Hedgehog in the house ............

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Orangehorse

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I think my dog is traumatised. I could see that she looked a bit put out over the weekend, but I didn't take a great deal of notice. On Sunday morning I took the blanket out of her bed -indoor kennel cage in the Back Kitchen as it was all rucked up. I held it up to give a shake, and then looked down and couldn't believe my eyes, I wondered if I was seeing things. But no, there was a hedgehog at my feet, so my dog had been sharing her kennel with a hedgehog. I went to tell OH and of course the hedgehog had gone by the time I got back. I asked the dog where it was and she wasn't that interested!

By scrabbling around on my hands and knees I managed to find it hiding in the corner under a table and it growled loudly when I tried to touch it. Dog still not interested. I managed to roll it into a cardboard box and took it outside into an open fronted shed. Gone shortly afterwards.

My dog has been a great hedgehog hunter, barking hysterically when finding one in the garden, at all hours of day and night. But somehow I don't think she is going to be as interested in the future.
 
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They are a rarity apparently! I have only ever seen one in the 10 years I have been on the farm.... but I did have the unfortunate incident as a child at running bare foot, in the dark, across the field and accidentally kicking one :eek:. It sensibly heard me coming and went into a ball!!! I'm still traumatised for the thing but it didn't seem phased. I did have a nasty rash though!

I'd certainly be flea treating the dog bed :)
 
DSW found this beauty (Hogsmeade) in the feild on Saturday evening. He looked pretty healthy but curled into a ball so couldn't see too much of him. Was a bit concerned as don't normally see them in the day but he had scampered off by next am so hope he is ok 😊🦔

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Well we do seem to have a few. I had to move a mother and 4 babies earlier in the year as they had their nest under the straw by the cattle crush - not a safe place. You wouldn't believe how loud they can growl. I can always tell by the note of hysterical barking if my dog is barking at a hedgehog. There were two one night, one at either end of the lawn and the dog was just rushing backwards and forwards between the two. They cover quite a lot of ground and travel fairly long distances.
 
Wow.... Poor doggie :eek::eek:

We have two at the moment who visit our stable block in the evening and eat the catfood left out for the yard cat....

So gorgeous.

Fiona
 
we make hedgehog nests for the winter and place them around the garden, old rabbit hutch, drain pipe etc stuffed with hay/straw all put in the thick of hedges, we have one or two guests each winter. its up to them if they use them free choice.
 
I love hedgehogs.
However, my Jack Russel isn't allowed within 100m of them after an unfortunate incident a few years back 😟
 
We don't generally have them around here.... Too many badgers. But some years ago I found one in the rabbit hutch that the cats used to sleep in. He'd climbed up the ramp, eaten all the cat food and then curled up in the bedroom. I left him there.. Cats were miffed.
The next morning he'd gone, leaving behind an enormous poo.. Thanks hedgehog!
 
I had a family in my garden when I lived in Birmingham. They all used to come out at dusk and wait for me to feed them. Very noisy eaters!
 
Hopefully I have managed to add a photo. We foster underweight hedgehogs over winter if they are too light to hibernate. They have to be some of the strangest, but cutest creatures I have ever come across. They each have their own little personalities & it is always hard to release them come spring <3
 

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Orangehorse said:
Well we do seem to have a few. I had to move a mother and 4 babies earlier in the year as they had their nest under the straw by the cattle crush - not a safe place. You wouldn't believe how loud they can growl. I can always tell by the note of hysterical barking if my dog is barking at a hedgehog. There were two one night, one at either end of the lawn and the dog was just rushing backwards and forwards between the two. They cover quite a lot of ground and travel fairly long distances.
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I had a similar experience in early August. Woke up at 6.00am, sat in the garden ( it was very warm) & lo & behold a mother hedgehog moving her babies one by one to her nest underneath the compost heap. This went on until 11am. Never seen this before.
 
We get often get one in the garden, but usually only know they are there as one of our dogs Ava shouts "Hedgehog! Hedgehog!" and then I have to run down the garden to get them in before she can pick them up in her mouth.
 
loz9 said:
Hopefully I have managed to add a photo. We foster underweight hedgehogs over winter if they are too light to hibernate. They have to be some of the strangest, but cutest creatures I have ever come across. They each have their own little personalities & it is always hard to release them come spring <3
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That's the cutest thing I've ever seen 🤗
 
A lady in my village runs a very informal hedgehog rescue, she is always looking for suitable properties to release them onto once rehabilitated. I have taken on quite a few. She goes through tins and tins of dog food and pet milk in the busy season. My dogs usually alert me to their presence at night, I often go out and give them a raw egg which they love. They are very territorial and cover quite a large area at night. Here is a photo of a couple she successfully reared last year.

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