"Derek" wrote in message
...

"aquachimp" wrote in message
ups.com...
Last evening whilst we were watching telly, we heard a noice in the
kitchen akin to what the cats make when the pop in for a bit to eat
and there is some dry food out for them, (crunchy-bits, my wife calls
it).
However, on checking which cat had returned home, lest a stray had
sneaked in, ... it turned out to be a hedge hog. The back door been
open....
We were delighted. I'm plagued by snails/slugs that wont eat the dam
stuff I've planted for them (lettuce, nasturtiums, etc) but will go
after my one and only cytisus, a jap maple, some climbing plants,
roses and so on.
So, like I say... delighted to see a hedge hog.
We turned the kitchen light back off and shut the living room door.
We could hear it crunching away. Then silence. Checking moment later,
we saw it was sipping the milk... then gobbled the tinned cat food.
Much later, it was gone.
I've noticed recently that the cat's bowls have been unusually licked
clean.
So; I have 3 questions.

1)
Can / would a hedge hog use a cat-flap

2)
If we allow it to continue on the cat food, will that be bad for it?

3)
If not bad for it, if we put some food out for it (we would like to
keep it and maybe the bribery would help), will it not bother with
slugs and snail anymore?

best source for information is at http://www.sttiggywinkles.org.uk/
downloadable hedgepig fact sheets

Very good, but I wouldn't say it was a better source than
http://www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk/

On Aug 14, 9:24 am, "BAC" wrote:
"Derek" wrote in message

...







"aquachimp" wrote in message
oups.com...
Last evening whilst we were watching telly, we heard a noice in the
kitchen akin to what the cats make when the pop in for a bit to eat
and there is some dry food out for them, (crunchy-bits, my wife calls
it).
However, on checking which cat had returned home, lest a stray had
sneaked in, ... it turned out to be a hedge hog. The back door been
open....
We were delighted. I'm plagued by snails/slugs that wont eat the dam
stuff I've planted for them (lettuce, nasturtiums, etc) but will go
after my one and only cytisus, a jap maple, some climbing plants,
roses and so on.
So, like I say... delighted to see a hedge hog.
We turned the kitchen light back off and shut the living room door.
We could hear it crunching away. Then silence. Checking moment later,
we saw it was sipping the milk... then gobbled the tinned cat food.
Much later, it was gone.
I've noticed recently that the cat's bowls have been unusually licked
clean.
So; I have 3 questions.

1)
Can / would a hedge hog use a cat-flap

2)
If we allow it to continue on the cat food, will that be bad for it?

3)
If not bad for it, if we put some food out for it (we would like to
keep it and maybe the bribery would help), will it not bother with
slugs and snail anymore?

best source for information is athttp://www.sttiggywinkles.org.uk/
downloadable hedgepig fact sheets

Very good, but I wouldn't say it was a better source thanhttp://www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk/- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Yes far better than that one.

But, still athttp://www.sttiggywinkles.org.uk/ in stating "It is fine
to supplement the hedgehog's natural diet of snails and slugs...."
seems to propogate the alledged myth (according to http://www.thehedgehog.co.uk/diet.htm
that slugs and snails are so natural a diet for them. The graph at the
top of the page clearly shows that slugs and snails only amount to 5%
of their diet and elswhere on that site, that 5% is given as only
when nothing else is available and starvation threatens.

"Traditionally people have had the idea that hedgehogs live almost
totally on slugs and snails

The idea of feeding them almost entirely on slugs and snails is very
wrong information and a hedgehog that is forced to rely on that diet
will very quickly die.")
http://www.thehedgehog.co.uk/diet.htm

But, still at http://www.sttiggywinkles.org.uk/ in stating "It is fine
to supplement the hedgehog's natural diet of snails and slugs...."
seems to propogate the alledged myth (according to
http://www.thehedgehog.co.uk/diet.htm
that slugs and snails are so natural a diet for them.

actually if you look a little more closely at the site it does cover diet
although nothing like as closely as a naturalist would
What does the Hedgehog eat naturally?
The hedgehog is carnivorous and, in the wild, lives on a diet of beetles,
earthworms and other invertebrates.

( note no mention of snails or slugs though nor other less savory items
sheeps afterbirth various roadkills which I have seen the beasties tucking
into ) and yes the little beggars do knick left over dog food in the garden
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOWefy2DCVQ
Derek

On Aug 14, 1:21 am, "Emrys Davies" wrote:
Do not feed the hedgehog a fish based product or milk. Water is ideal.
I have fed hedgehogs for some thirty or so years and I find, from their
droppings, that beetles are their main source of food. On many
occasions I have seen a slug in the act of eating from the hedgehogs
bowl but when the hedgehog arrives it ignores the slug. However, I
think that they eat very tiny slugs, those which have not long hatched
and they certainly suck lob worms.

Regards,
Emrys Davies.

OK, I have to ask as I've been rummaging 'round the garden to see if
the hedgehog has really been to the place previously rampaged by
weevils, or beetles in any case.
So, err, this droppings.... what do they look like and where might
they be, or more to the point, how do I find out how much of the 2 to
3 kilometers hedgehogs can do every-night was done here?

On 15/8/07 16:17, in article
, "aquachimp"
wrote:

On Aug 14, 1:21 am, "Emrys Davies" wrote:
Do not feed the hedgehog a fish based product or milk. Water is ideal.
I have fed hedgehogs for some thirty or so years and I find, from their
droppings, that beetles are their main source of food. On many
occasions I have seen a slug in the act of eating from the hedgehogs
bowl but when the hedgehog arrives it ignores the slug. However, I
think that they eat very tiny slugs, those which have not long hatched
and they certainly suck lob worms.

Regards,
Emrys Davies.

OK, I have to ask as I've been rummaging 'round the garden to see if
the hedgehog has really been to the place previously rampaged by
weevils, or beetles in any case.
So, err, this droppings.... what do they look like and where might
they be, or more to the point, how do I find out how much of the 2 to
3 kilometers hedgehogs can do every-night was done here?


http://images.google.co.uk/images?hl...tnG=Search+Ima
ges&gbv=2
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove weeds from address)
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'

On Wed, 15 Aug 2007 16:17:15 +0100, aquachimp wrote
(in article . com):

On Aug 14, 1:21 am, "Emrys Davies" wrote:
Do not feed the hedgehog a fish based product or milk. Water is ideal.
I have fed hedgehogs for some thirty or so years and I find, from their
droppings, that beetles are their main source of food. On many
occasions I have seen a slug in the act of eating from the hedgehogs
bowl but when the hedgehog arrives it ignores the slug. However, I
think that they eat very tiny slugs, those which have not long hatched
and they certainly suck lob worms.

OK, I have to ask as I've been rummaging 'round the garden to see if
the hedgehog has really been to the place previously rampaged by
weevils, or beetles in any case.
So, err, this droppings.... what do they look like and where might
they be, or more to the point, how do I find out how much of the 2 to
3 kilometers hedgehogs can do every-night was done here?


All you could possibly want to know about hedgehog droppings:
http://images.google.co.uk/images?gb...og+droppings&b
tnG=Search+Images

:-)

--
Sally in Shropshire, UK
Burne-Jones/William Morris window in Shropshire church with conservation
churchyard:
http://www.whitton-stmarys.org.uk

On Aug 15, 5:26 pm, Sally Thompson
wrote:
On Wed, 15 Aug 2007 16:17:15 +0100, aquachimp wrote
(in article . com):

On Aug 14, 1:21 am, "Emrys Davies" wrote:
Do not feed the hedgehog a fish based product or milk. Water is ideal.
I have fed hedgehogs for some thirty or so years and I find, from their
droppings, that beetles are their main source of food. On many
occasions I have seen a slug in the act of eating from the hedgehogs
bowl but when the hedgehog arrives it ignores the slug. However, I
think that they eat very tiny slugs, those which have not long hatched
and they certainly suck lob worms.
OK, I have to ask as I've been rummaging 'round the garden to see if
the hedgehog has really been to the place previously rampaged by
weevils, or beetles in any case.
So, err, this droppings.... what do they look like and where might
they be, or more to the point, how do I find out how much of the 2 to
3 kilometers hedgehogs can do every-night was done here?

All you could possibly want to know about hedgehog droppings:
http://images.google.co.uk/images?gb...q=hedgehog+dro...
tnG=Search+Images

:-)

--
Sally in Shropshire, UK
Burne-Jones/William Morris window in Shropshire church with conservation
churchyard:http://www.whitton-stmarys.org.uk

Thank you both.
Most interesting.
No signs of anything like them here though.
I even got to find out amongst that lot that hog fleas are indeed
hedgehog specific (only).

"Brian Watson" wrote in message
...

"Mary Fisher" wrote in message
et...

"Tom" wrote in message
...
aquachimp wrote:
1)

It it has a good supply of food, it would be more likely to breed, you
could end up with dozens :-)

And many, many times more fleas.

..that are probably hedgehog-specific fleas.

Still, I understand the concern psychosomatically scratches leg.

:-)

:-)

Worse still, you've got me at it!

Mary

--
Brian
"Fight like the Devil, die like a gentleman."

"Brian Watson" wrote in message
...

"aquachimp" wrote in message
ups.com...

1)
Can / would a hedge hog use a cat-flap

Yes, I'm sure one could.

I encountered one of the little blokes while we were both out for a walk
the other night and it had no problem scaling quite a steep kerb at a run.

I've heard that they're good jumpers.

Bit scratchy though ...

Mary

"Sally Thompson" wrote in message

All you could possibly want to know about hedgehog droppings:

Or, All you never wanted to know :-)

Mary

"aquachimp" wrote in message
s.com...

....

I even got to find out amongst that lot that hog fleas are indeed
hedgehog specific (only).

Most fleas are, they depend on chemicals in the host's blood to reproduce.

Mary

On Aug 15, 4:26 pm, Sally Thompson
wrote:
On Wed, 15 Aug 2007 16:17:15 +0100, aquachimp wrote
(in article . com):

On Aug 14, 1:21 am, "Emrys Davies" wrote:
Do not feed the hedgehog a fish based product or milk. Water is ideal.
I have fed hedgehogs for some thirty or so years and I find, from their
droppings, that beetles are their main source of food. On many
occasions I have seen a slug in the act of eating from the hedgehogs
bowl but when the hedgehog arrives it ignores the slug. However, I
think that they eat very tiny slugs, those which have not long hatched
and they certainly suck lob worms.
OK, I have to ask as I've been rummaging 'round the garden to see if
the hedgehog has really been to the place previously rampaged by
weevils, or beetles in any case.
So, err, this droppings.... what do they look like and where might
they be, or more to the point, how do I find out how much of the 2 to
3 kilometers hedgehogs can do every-night was done here?

All you could possibly want to know about hedgehog droppings:
http://images.google.co.uk/images?gb...q=hedgehog+dro...
tnG=Search+Images

:-)

--
Sally in Shropshire, UK
Burne-Jones/William Morris window in Shropshire church with conservation
churchyard:http://www.whitton-stmarys.org.uk

Sally, you have helped me identify some of the stuff in our garden,
thanks!

Judith