…. and then there were two hedgehogs …..

Hi everyone,

I hope you have enjoyed my hedgehog post & been inspired to help the wildlife where you live.  We can all help by not using harsh chemicals in the garden which negatively effects the delicate eco systems that share our space.

We do not use chemicals because our free range house bunny Vivaldi loves the back garden - munching away at plants & grass.

I have several bird feeders & nest up & we share our space with a clutch of sparrows, dunnocks, a few cute wrens, blackbirds, song thrushes, blue tits, great tits, the occasional green finch and several robins. Our fountain is used as a pond by a regular frog / toad & of course our hedgehogs too. We do not use slug & snail pellets either as those kill off  the wildlife; we don't have many slugs & snails so the hogs must be doing a good job.

As I mentioned in the previous post on our hedgehog,  our cameras have given me a new understanding of those who share my space. Every morning I review the footage to find when the hog visited & how long he stayed.

This morning, tea in hand, I settled down to watch the hog with white markings strut into the picture then make itself at home on our covered entrance. It sniffed around, seemingly in no hurry to leave & 20 minutes later it was still sniffing around by our front door, its white markings clearly visible.

Then, the corner of the camera picked up the large hog that I saw a few nights before, as he scurried across the lawn. I rewound & looked again - whitey was still on the doorstep & the other one made its way past her (I think 'her' as she is smaller) and he went to feed on mealworms in the hedgehog house.

I know - it is silly to be so happy to see a pair of them as regular visitors but I feel as if I am having a direct impact on the wild life in my immediate garden & that can only be a good thing.

Whitey stayed for more than 40 minutes before going to eat & then wander off in to the night … I hope to see them together again on camera & we might even have some hoglets in the future.

Do you champion local wildlife? Who do you share your space with?
Dee ~♥~

Our hedgehog is such a fussy eater ….

My regular visitors will already be acquainted with the numerous wildlife that pass through our Shropshire garden, particularly the random hedgehogs mentioned here and here ….

Recent reports of the decline in their numbers has spurred me on to making sure that I feed them regularly - they need all the help (and food) they can get.

This past month has seen our front hedgehog house being well used as a feeding station each night.  I have been very good about putting out food each night - mealworms are a firm favourite, and they have been gone by the morning.

Our recently installed outdoor cameras have caught the hedgehog making its way around the garden - taking his time, ambling along, sometimes spending 15-20 minutes in the garden close to midnight.

The hedgehog sign on the top of the house as I have been asked what it is for ….

Last night I was down to the last of the mealworms (the baby blue tits like them too) so I decided to try the Waitrose cat biscuits again. They were not liked last time around but another try is always good?

So I mixed them  up with the mealworms, smug in the illusion that they were Waitrose ones that might be marginally better than other ones but no ……

A decisive NO from our spoilt hedgehog.

I lifted the lid & it was like a kid throwing food around - the container was tipped over - strewn about the house & only the mealworms eaten!  He even pooped by the container … oh dear - I think that means NO!

So I cleaned it out with a brush - aired the house by leaving the roof raised & then went to buy more mealworms.

 I even looked in at our garden centre & bought a bag of hedgehog biscuits!

I hope this will satisfy our noisy hedgehog & stop him from stropping about his food. Do you have any hedgehog advice for me? I will let you know how it goes - please stop back again for an update!

Dee ~♥~