Garden Hedgehog

[Miss Z]

Found this little guy sat on the back garden patio this morning and thought I should snap a few pics to share with Pet Talk. I used to see a lot more of these cute little things, but they seem to be in decline around my area. :(

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/Hedgehog001.jpg

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/Hedgehog003.jpg

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/Hedgehog002.jpg

I thought s/he may be ill, because it can be a bad sign if they are out in the open during the day and s/he didn't seem to be too keen to move. I put the little guy in a box with some paper shreddings, which I put underneath a bush in my garden, to keep it out of the wind and rain, and left a bit of corned beef and water near the 'entrance'. I did think about calling the vet, but after I'd left it for a few hours, I returned to find s/he had eaten the beef and drunk the water and returned to the wild. :)

[moosmom]

What a sweet lil guy!!! You done good, Zara. You're going to make an awesome vet!

[Karen]

Awww! Yes, sadly the wild hedgehog is declining in numbers - thanks for taking such good care and good pictures.

[Alysser]

Hedgehogs have always been on my top pet list, they just have the sweetest little faces, all of them are so freakin' cute! I've always wanted a hedgehog but they eat insects, I think, and I would NOT be able to give an animal insects as food, EW :eek:

What an adorable little visitor, Zara! How nice of you to help the little cutie out. :)

[Casper]

Good job with helping the little guy out, and thanks! He sure is a cute one. :)
I wonder why their numbers are declining....

[Miss Z]

Thanks everyone. :)

Yes, you're right, Alyssa, they do eat a lot of little critters. My dad hopes this little guy will stick around in the garden and eat the slugs that keep destroying his plants. ;)

Courtney, I think they are declining for many reasons. A lot are, sadly, killed on the roads. Some are killed by rubbish - I rescued one a few years ago which was stuck in the plastic rings which hold beer cans together. I think also pesticides and slug killers harm hedgehogs when they eat the infected prey.

Their habitat has diminished greatly too over the years; the UK population is booming and we're cramming so many homes into such a small island! :( Thankfully, there is a lot of parkland next to my house where some hedgehogs can still thrive.

[Twisterdog]

Oh, my. That is SO cute! I wish they lived around here!

[ramanth]

So cute! :love:

[Killearn Kitties]

I'm not sure that I would hold out much hope of them eating the slugs. We often have hedgehogs in our garden and I have always encouraged them for the same reason. Sadly, they fail to live up to my expectations. They always seem to find something more attractive to eat. ;)

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b7d727b3127ccec258a9ace3a500000010O00BZOWbJu3bsQ e3nwQ/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/

Those are beautiful pictures you got.

[Maya & Inka's mommy]

Awww look at his cute little face :love::)

[Taz_Zoee]

Oh my goodness!! How cute is that?
The funny thing is, it looks just like the hedgehog dog toys Zoee loves. I guess it's a good thing we do not have live hedgehogs around here. :rolleyes:

[buddy.09]

Aww! S/he has such a cute little face :love:
That's great that you help him out. Great pictures and thanks for sharing them. :D