Yay!! We have a Hedgehog on our Plot!!

[Mrs Dobby]

As we were tidying the bottom end of our plot today (the last bit of overgrown wilderness on there, a large highly raised bed which is covered in nettles, brambles, rasps and bindweed) Mr D removed some of the plastic ground covering to find a snoozing hedgehog curled up in his den of leaves and snug for the winter! He was breathing, so we covered him back up and wont be disturbing that area until the spring!

We are both really happy to find him on the plot, as we want to be as organic as possible and having a hedgehog will help to keep the slugs and snails under control (along with the frogs and toads we have from our pond) without resort to using slug pellets!

It was really fab to see it so close up, the last time I was as close to a live hedgehog as this was when I was little at Primary School and my Teacher brought one in to show us all!

Think we are goning to have to do a little bit of research into providing him with a home for after we've sorted out the bottom bed next year, as although we want to get the area cleared, its definitely not going to be at the expense of the hedgehogs home! We were planning on leaving the back 2 foot or so wild, its under blackthorn and hawthorn trees, so is a bit difficult to get to anyhows, so I think we are going to put up some supports accross the bottom and train the blackberries and rasps up there onto it to make a second fedge, leaving the area behind it to go as wild as it wants, and just trim it back if it tries to take over through the fedge!

[Bex]

Wow Mrs D, free slug/snail control with no chemicals. Last time I saw a hedgehog was in the summer. I'd been out from work and got a bit tipsy when I come home I decided to take the dog for a walk and low and behold there was a hedgehog outside. I thought (being tipsy) that I would try to touch it - woke a few people up with the scream I can tell you! Wont be doing that again!

[NOG]

When we were kids we used to feed them....they love cat food. they used to come right up to you.

[Mrs Dobby]

Lol Nog, I dont want to feed it, I want it to eat all the slugs and snails on our plot!!

[NOG]

Arr but if you feed it, it will stay on your plot and mate and you will have lots of them.

I don't mean feed them every day but a little every now and them..in the spring when they come out of hibernation.

[Mrs Dobby]

Ok, that sounds like a good idea NOG, guess we'll have to get some cat food come the spring!

[dexterdoglancashire]

Awwhhhh! how lovely! I'd keep my eye on him/her and if it gets really cold put out some cat food to make sure he/she has enough to eat. Dexterdog

[Sue]

Mrs Dobby
Green with envy...
Sue

[Lesley Jay]

Mrs D. If there are foxes about don't leave cat food out for the hedgehog because it will encourage the foxes and you don't want them taking up residence.

[Mrs Dobby]

Thanks for that LJ, I hadnt thought of that! Perhaps we'll have to think of a hedgehog home and feeder combined that the foxes wont be able to access, tho the smell would encourage them, so not so sure! Perhaps just putting all the slugs we find into a nice easily accessible place would be a good start tho!

[Alice]

Great news Mrs D. Keep a corner of your plot that's not too clean and tidy that you don't disturb. Leave leaves and dry grass and things your hedgehog can use to nest in. If you find a pile like that make sure it's not a hedgehog nest before you disturb it. One year we found a heap of old leaves and dry grass and thought we just hadn't cleaned that corner. It was full of baby hedgehogs. We put it back smart and they all got ob fine. I've got a pic. Must dig it out.

[Mrs Dobby]

I'd love to see the piccies Alison, what a great thing that must have been!

We are planning on leaving an area of about 2' all the way along the bottomn of the plot (against the fence and under the trees) to do as it wants, so may well add a bit of stuff in there to make it as attractive as possible to the hedgehogs! Any recommendations?

[Earthbabe]

That's brilliant Mrs D. Hope he/she stays. You can get hedgehog houses like the bat boxes/ladybird thingies. Last time I was close to one was when I was out for a walk at 16 with my then boyfriend. It was in the middle of the path in the wood near where I lived and let me stroke it. Amazing!

[Waffler]

Congratulations! I'm so pleased for you. Aren't they lovely!

[Mrs Dobby]

That's brilliant Mrs D. Hope he/she stays. You can get hedgehog houses like the bat boxes/ladybird thingies. Last time I was close to one was when I was out for a walk at 16 with my then boyfriend. It was in the middle of the path in the wood near where I lived and let me stroke it. Amazing!

He/she is still there, I carefully checked today (and managed to get a very blurred and indistinct picture of its back (see below, wonder if anyone can actually see it tho! Note to self, must get decent digital camera sometime soon!) I've been looking at the hedgehog houses EB, have a feeling we may well make one ourselves, and situate it in the wild border at the bottom of the plot, should be about 3 or 4 foot deep wild area, so should be ok for our little friend down there!

Congratulations! I'm so pleased for you. Aren't they lovely!

Definitely lovely!

Here's the piccy I got anyhows, sorry for the poor quality and the fact you can only just see its back, I didnt want to disturb it, hopefully come spring we'll be able to get some better piccies when it wakes up! He/she is in the area where the bag has been pulled back, hope that you are able to spot it!