"Beryl Harwood" wrote in message
...
The message
from "Charlie Pridham" contains these words:

Couple of days ago I went to the wood pile in the barn and was
confronted by
a Hedgehog, not unusual in itself as they often hibernate in there, but
this
one did not freeze or roll up but kept advancing snorting as it came.
Fair
enough I thought and retreated! Next day I made another trip to get what
I
had gone for previously, and met the Hedgehog again, hell of a racket
was
going on and I realised it was a mum feeding babies, out in the open,
most
unusual to see them so young, normally we don't get to see them until
mum
takes them on patrol, and I have never been sure where they nest.
I did not have the nerve to disturb them again with the camera and I
think
they have now moved elsewhere as I have now retrieved the box I was
after
and there is no more noise. :~)

How interesting...

Talking fo hedghogs - I went to visit my daughter this afternoon and
found a hedgehog on the grass in the sun next to her front path. It did
not look at all well and certianly made no attempt to curl up or move
away. We tried putting a dish with some water in next to it but no
response so I rang the RSPCA who said they would send someone.
Unfortunately we had to go out, first to collect my grandaughter from
school and then shopping. After the school run we discoverd the hedghog
had moved closer to the house, but still exposed. After the shopping
trip it was missing altogether but of course we don't know if it made
it's way home or if it had been collected. I wish I had stayed around
now to keep an eye on it. It was not responsive to people, just opened
and shut its eyes a few times and looked like it was having difficulty
keeping it's head up. A neighbour suggested that with the wet weather
it may have eaten too many poisoned slugs and of course it's home may
have been flooded out.

Beryl

We have a lot of Hedgehogs and occasionally find them like you describe, we
have a friend in the village who is a vet pathologist and he has determined
that they have often been struck glancing blows by vehicles, but
occasionally have a respiratory disease. Always sad to see, but the one in
question was in rude good health and willing to take on all comers!

--
Charlie, gardening in Cornwall.
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of National Plant Collections of Clematis viticella (cvs) and
Lapageria rosea