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[CLKD]

Nope.  They will survive on any tadpoles in the area …….. if they don't get food in your pond they will find another.

I have lots of room in our freezer if you get too many pheasants   

I put meal worms out for the hedgehog this evening ……… he made me jump the other night as he scuttled along the path 

[purplenanny]

Oh dear, I now have a vision of 37 newts abandoning my pond!

Well, I only have myself to blame, I was the one wanting a clean pond!

[CLKD]

You could ring your local Nature Group in the morning ……… most Counties have one.

[purplenanny]

Does your hedgehog visit everyday CLKD? I haven't seen one in years

[CLKD]

Once they are out of hibernation we have 3 in the evenings, usually around dusk.  If 2/3 meet there is a lot of spine rattling  and grumpiness in the undergrowth  .  The 1 the other night was quite large ……...

[purplenanny]

Gosh, you are lucky CLKD. I would love to see one in my garden

[Taz2]

Ours have all disappeared which is so sad. We've lived here for over twenty five years and up till last year always had at least five pass through the garden each night. They are so endangered now. Hedgehog rescue charities are inundated with poorly ones. Our local one does a great job http://www.hedgehog-rescue.org.uk/  Just a reminder to gardeners - please check before strimming! So many hedgehogs die a horrible death from losing limbs and noses. Also this time of year lots of hedgehogs are disturbed due to people replacing their garden sheds. Purplenanny - I'm not sure what type of garden you have but can hedgehogs get in? My friend was really bemoaning the fact that she never saw a hedgehog in her garden but it was totally fenced in so, short of them abseiling in, it wasn't surprising she didn't ever see one. She cut a small hole in the bottom of two of the fence panels and within a month the hedgehogs were visiting.

Purplenanny - it's a shame about the newts but I'm sure they will be ok. They only live in the pond at breeding times I think. Ours have laid lots of eggs this year underneath the pondweed leaves. Obviously you wont have babies this year in yours but maybe the next year they will return? Ours is a small wildlife pond so no fish - apart from the few that always arrive on their own - and we do ours around October time as quickly as possible.  http://www.wildaboutgardens.org.uk/wildlife/amphibians/newts.aspx

Taz x

[CLKD]

With acres and acres of new housing + fences without gaps = no hedgehogs ……. our properties were built in the 1960s so there are gaps everywhere.

There is a lot of hedgehog pooh - I think I've given him/her too many meal worms 

Local organisations will re-home hogs so contacting one may be the way to help out!

[Taz2]

I know I posted this before but for others who are concerned about the hedgehog's demise from the UK http://ptes.org/campaigns/hedgehogs/

Taz x

[CLKD]

 

[purplenanny]

Thanks Taz, the info on the link you gave was very interesting. I placed a query on a gardening radio show today. They were featuring ponds and the chap said feed them with blood worms. Need to find them now! He also recommended some plants they like.

Hedgehogs can easily accessy garden as i have hedges with lots of spaces to get through. Perhaps I should put mealy worms out for them?
Dried or alive though?

Purplenanny x x

[Hurdity]

I haven't seen a hedgehog around our cottage for years either. Used to get them coming to feed on cat food in the outside loo (now no longer there - neither loo nor hedgehogs!), when one of our cats had kittens years ago.

I'm wondering about the best way to attract them without attracting rats which are plentiful round here! We also use slug pellets in the garden for the veg, (I know I know...) so maybe not such a good idea to try to attract them (hogs) as they may eat the slugs?

Our garden/yard/orchard are also completely open access from the road and through to the fields so no problem there. Maybe we have them (hogs) in the orchard and they don't need to come down further to the cottage but would be good to see them though if so?!

Hurdity x

[Taz2]

Slug pellet advice from Hedgehog Street Hurdity http://www.hedgehogstreet.org/pages/slug-pellets.html

They are probably there but don't need to come into the garden. Would be good to leave down a shallow dish of water though during dry weather as dehydration is a killer for them.

Taz x

[Taz2]

Purplenanny - you may get some ideas here of what to leave out and a way of making a feeding station to keep the food away from cats http://www.prickleshedgehogrescue.org.uk/information/faq/feeding-a-wild-hedgehog-in-your-garden/

Taz x

[CLKD]

When I use slug pellets I put an up-turned wire hanging basket over the area to stop birds/hedgehogs/cats - one only needs a small area for the pellets, no need to throw them every where.

I soaked dried meal worms this afternoon and they are now in a dish outside the back door  ………

Blood worms can be found in compost heaps.  Drop them into the water and watch the newts devour them  …….. you may find that very small pieces of cat food works too.