Hedgehogs in May by Kay Bullen - BHPS

Sadly not all have had a good winter - this is Percy
who is very underweight

Most of the hedgehogs out and about now will hopefully be in good condition and will have replaced any weight losses from their hibernation.

So the next step in the hedgehog calendar is the breeding season. Courtship is a noisy affair with lots of huffing and puffing and circling around (the male circles the female). Once completed the pair will part company and perhaps never meet again. After a pregnancy of around 32 days 4-5 hoglet will be born in a nursery nest.

It is very important, especially at this time of year, that hedgehog nests are not disturbed.  Disturbance may cause the females to abandon or even kill their hoglets. Nursery nests can be almost anywhere, under an old shed, under clumps of garden plants, even under old rugs or polythene used as a weed suppressor. So if you know you have a hedgehog that is a regular visitors then it is likely to be a female rather than a nomadic male. In which case do take care and perhaps watch at night to see where she is coming from so you have a rough idea of where the nest may be.

Female hedgehogs are often like clockwork, they appear from roughly the same direction at around the same time each night. She may miss a few nights after giving birth preferring to stay with her hoglets night and day.

Sometimes females are seen in the early morning gathering bedding, this could well be a female about to give birth, so again note where she is heading so you know the location of her nest. Perhaps have a word with a neighbour if it appears the nest may be next door. This depends on the neighbour – they are not all wildlife friendly so use your judgement. This is one of the few times when healthy hedgehogs are seen in the day and when they do not need rescuing. They will be busy and moving with purpose - so enjoy the opportunity to observe, whilst not intruding.

If you need advice or find a sick or injured hedgehog contact the British Hedgehog Preservation Society they can give general advice and perhaps details of a local hedgehog rehabilitator that you can contact. Contact them on 01584 890801 or for general advice visit their website.  

Hedgehogs In October - by BHPS

Hedgehogs are trying to build up their weight for hibernation. They usually hibernate because the cold weather means there is less natural food around. Some may wake during hibernation, sometimes it may only be to change position or it may be to forage for food.

The best way to check whether a nest box is being used is to place a small screwed up piece of paper in the entrance during the day. When the hedgehog emerges the paper will be pushed out and you will know something has left the nest box.

You can help them to put on weight by either giving them a complete hedgehog food like Spike's Dinner or they can have mashed up, meat based dog or cat food mixed with a little cereal (Weetabix, bran or wholemeal bread) to give it some bulk. They can also have meat based cat biscuits, as these are good for the teeth. They will need a dish of water too, especially if dry biscuits are given.

When feeding hedgehogs you could make a feeding station - eg use either a
plastic mushroom box or child’s toy box or similar and cut a 13cm x 13cm (5”x5”)
hole in one of the short sides. Place this over the food, like a tunnel, and the hedgehog can get through the hole to the food but it keeps the cats out. A brick on top should stop the box being pushed aside. Another brick or large stone placed 13cm (5”) from the entrance should stop a cat lying down and hooking the food out with its paw! Another suggestion is to use a paving slab on some bricks (placed on their sides), leave a 5" gap between 2 of the bricks for an entrance. Always make sure there is a little food left in the mornings - if not, you are not feeding them enough.

When feeding in the winter a lot of food could be wasted. It may be best to offer dry food and provide plenty of water. As a trial, before winter sets in, provide one of the dishes of dry food with a saucer placed over it to protect the food. See whether your hedgehogs realise that by pushing the saucer off they will get at the food. This can be useful in the winter to protect/preserve the food and perhaps keep the water from freezing. By protecting the food in this way you should stop smaller creatures eg mice from getting at the uneaten food.

If you find a sick or injured hedgehog contact the BritishHedgehog Preservation Society they can give general advice and perhaps details of a local hedgehog rehabilitator you can contact.  Their phone number is 01584 890801. For information about helping hedgehogs at this time of year visit the BHPS website.

Hedgehogs in May

Hedgehog Awareness Week runs from 3^rd to 9^th May this year, the British HedgehogPreservation Society is asking people to do one extra thing to help hedgehogs during the week.  That could be making a 13cm (5”) square gap as a hedgehog highway in the bottom of your boundary wall or fence, offering suitable food and water, building a log pile for natural food and shelter or creating a display of BHPS posters and leaflets in a local library, garden centre, etc.

Towards the end of this month, following a noisy courtship, the new season’s hoglets will be born.  In some colder regions this may not be until June and in warm areas it could be early-mid May.

Mum can have 4-5 hoglets although up to 8 viable hoglets have been recorded in a litter.  Of these 4-5 hoglets only 3-4 are likely to survive to independence ie 8 weeks of age.  It is suggested that only 1 in 5 will survive to its first birthday – this is probably due to the high mortality of the late born hoglets.  Of course if something happens to mum then the whole litter will perish unless found in time.  Once they reach the 1 year milestone then they can live for perhaps 5-6 years.

The mothers and their young face all sorts of hazards.  Nest disturbance, by people and pets, especially when garden sheds are taken down, is a big problem.  Then there are all the hazards mum has to avoid in her home patch.  This can include slippery sided ponds, uncovered drains, netting, litter, poisons, grass cutting especially with strimmers and bonfires.  On top of all this is the problem with crossing the roads.  It is amazing that they survive at all. 

If something has happened to mum the hoglets may leave the nest to try to find her, even if their eyes are still tightly shut they will still do this.  They will be out in the day and will make a high pitched squeak, like a bird but at ground level.  Often flies are attracted to them and they may even be attacked by large birds.  They become cold and extra wobbly and will not survive without intervention.   Remember they do not come in ones so look for more.  Bring them indoors.  Put them in a high sided box.  Fill a hot water bottle with warm water (keep replacing the water as it cools) and cover the bottle with a towel.  Place the hoglets on this and then place another towel over them to keep them snug.  It is better not to try to feed them when they are cold.  Then call for help. 

Hand rearing them can be a long, complicated and difficult process, they need bottle feeding and any problems caused by their abandonment need addressing, so it is better to pass them on to an experienced carer or at the very least seek advice until they can be passed on.

To make your garden safer visit the BHPS web site and look at the Gardening with Hedgehogs leaflet.  This mentions many of the dangers and how to help minimise them.  What better reward can there be for making a garden safer than to see mum with her line of miniature hedgehogs walking across your garden.

If you find a hoglet or a sick or injured hedgehog contact us: Herts Hogline (remember we are very small and only cover an area in a 15 mile radius of Stansted Airport) or the British Hedgehog Preservation Society who can give general advice and perhaps details of another local hedgehog rehabilitator that you can contact.  You can contact them on 01584 890801.  For more general information about hedgehogs and how to help them, or about Hedgehog Awareness Week, visit the BHPS web site. 

Building the perfect pond

"Make a garden pond and you'll be astonished at the wildlife you encourage - from pond skaters and water boatman to dragonflies and damselflies, frogs, toads and newts."

Alan Titchmarsh

A few days ago I dropped in on one of our lovely fosterers to check on our latest disabled hedgehog (will be blogging about him soon). Whilst I was there I was shown the pond they are in the process of creating. The amazing thing is it's not even finished and a small frog has already moved in. I was so impressed with it that I wanted to share it with you.

So here are the highlights.

Firstly they've made it fairly deep and installed a fountain (the pipe work and cables are still to be sorted, so please ignore those). Now depth is important as dragonfly larva etc. need to be able tuck themselves away at the bottom, so they can survive the cold of our winters. The fountain will help introduce air into the water and stop it becoming stagnant.

Plants have been placed in the pond (you can't see them in my pictures but they are there), which will help attract wildlife and support it should it decide to move in. A pebble beach has been created to allow hedgehogs and other visitors to take a drink (very important during the hot summer months) and easily escape should they fall in.

A shallow waterfall has been designed to allow birds to enjoy a drink and should they wish a little bath as well. Last but not least fish will not be introduced, so this will become an oasis for all manner of insects.

I'm hoping by sharing this you've been inspired to make a little room for a pond. It'll give you hours and enjoyment and will help a huge list of wildlife.