A few months ago I posted about trying to identify some droppings in the
garden.
Well a couple of uncomfortable evenings hiding near the veggie patch, the
culprits have been caught red-handed - or rather - red-bummed. And yes, it
was hedgehogs. A family of 3.

I have been putting normal cat-food out, but only a little just to tempt
them in to the garden, and as I only use such a little bit the rest often
goes bad before I can use it all up.

Does anyone know if they'll eat dried cat/kitten-food pellets if I mix them
with a bit of water or milk or something?
Is it good/bad for them?

--
Tim.

If the human brain were simple enough that we could understand it, we would
be so simple that we couldn't.

In article m, Tim
Challenger "timothy(dot)challenger(at)apk(dot)at"@?.? writes
A few months ago I posted about trying to identify some droppings in the
garden.
Well a couple of uncomfortable evenings hiding near the veggie patch, the
culprits have been caught red-handed - or rather - red-bummed. And yes, it
was hedgehogs. A family of 3.

I have been putting normal cat-food out, but only a little just to tempt
them in to the garden, and as I only use such a little bit the rest often
goes bad before I can use it all up.

Does anyone know if they'll eat dried cat/kitten-food pellets if I mix them
with a bit of water or milk or something?
Is it good/bad for them?

They'll eat dried cat food, but put a bowl of water nearby. Don't give
them milk - they can't digest it easily and it's bad for them.

You can also try dried fruit.

Avoid the fish flavoured tinned cat foods.


--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

On Wed, 17 Sep 2003 08:43:02 +0100, Kay Easton wrote:

In article m, Tim
Challenger "timothy(dot)challenger(at)apk(dot)at"@?.? writes
A few months ago I posted about trying to identify some droppings in the
garden.
Well a couple of uncomfortable evenings hiding near the veggie patch, the
culprits have been caught red-handed - or rather - red-bummed. And yes, it
was hedgehogs. A family of 3.

I have been putting normal cat-food out, but only a little just to tempt
them in to the garden, and as I only use such a little bit the rest often
goes bad before I can use it all up.

Does anyone know if they'll eat dried cat/kitten-food pellets if I mix them
with a bit of water or milk or something?
Is it good/bad for them?

They'll eat dried cat food, but put a bowl of water nearby. Don't give
them milk - they can't digest it easily and it's bad for them.
I've been avoiding milk for wild animaly anyway. Why would they be able to
digest milk anyway? Hedgehogs are rarely seen suckling at cows' udders. ;-)

You can also try dried fruit.
Avoid the fish flavoured tinned cat foods.

Right, thanks for the tips Kay.
Dried fruit is something I'd never heard of before as an option. It'll help
stop the local cats getting interested.

--
Tim.

If the human brain were simple enough that we could understand it, we would
be so simple that we couldn't.

"Tim Challenger" "timothy(dot)challenger(at)apk(dot)at" wrote in message
s.com...
A few months ago I posted about trying to identify some droppings in the
garden.
Well a couple of uncomfortable evenings hiding near the veggie patch, the
culprits have been caught red-handed - or rather - red-bummed. And yes, it
was hedgehogs. A family of 3.

I have been putting normal cat-food out, but only a little just to tempt
them in to the garden, and as I only use such a little bit the rest often
goes bad before I can use it all up.

Does anyone know if they'll eat dried cat/kitten-food pellets if I mix
them
with a bit of water or milk or something?
Is it good/bad for them?


Buy the pouches of food.
Less in them. Can be resealed and kept in fridge overnight without problems.

Don't know about dried foods but I know you shouldn't give them any sort of
milk
(Cows, goats, tinned) they can't digest the oils and fats in it and it
actually makes them sick,
trouble is they like the taste.

HTH

Dave

In article m, Tim
Challenger "timothy(dot)challenger(at)apk(dot)at"@?.? writes
On Wed, 17 Sep 2003 08:43:02 +0100, Kay Easton wrote:

They'll eat dried cat food, but put a bowl of water nearby. Don't give
them milk - they can't digest it easily and it's bad for them.
I've been avoiding milk for wild animaly anyway. Why would they be able to
digest milk anyway? Hedgehogs are rarely seen suckling at cows' udders. ;-)

You can also try dried fruit.
Avoid the fish flavoured tinned cat foods.

Right, thanks for the tips Kay.
Dried fruit is something I'd never heard of before as an option.

One youngster we had to pass to the local hedgehog hospital developed a
passion for bananas.

It'll help
stop the local cats getting interested.

Make a tunnel 4 inches high and put the food under that. Upturned
cardboard box with hole cut out of side and weighted down with a brick
will do as a temporary measure.

An interesting extra is a 'footprint detector' - cover a piece of card
with aluminium foil, use a candle to apply a layer of soot to one side,
and place the food on that. In the morning you will see lots of slug
tracks and hopefully some hedgehog footprints. And maybe other
footprints too.
--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

On Wed, 17 Sep 2003 13:53:51 +0100, Kay Easton wrote:

Make a tunnel 4 inches high and put the food under that. Upturned
cardboard box with hole cut out of side and weighted down with a brick
will do as a temporary measure.

I've got a few bricks, I can knock something up. How about a section of old
plastic drainpipe? That'd be 10cm, around the right size. Trim a bit off so
it doesn't roll away.

An interesting extra is a 'footprint detector' - cover a piece of card
with aluminium foil, use a candle to apply a layer of soot to one side,
and place the food on that. In the morning you will see lots of slug
tracks and hopefully some hedgehog footprints. And maybe other
footprints too.

What a great idea. Good for my 4yo daughter, she'd wild about them but they
always come out when she's gone to bed.
Footprints would be wonderful.
Thanks.

--
Tim.

If the human brain were simple enough that we could understand it, we would
be so simple that we couldn't.

On Wed, 17 Sep 2003 13:17:02 +0100, Dave Painter wrote:


"Tim Challenger" "timothy(dot)challenger(at)apk(dot)at" wrote in message
s.com...
A few months ago I posted about trying to identify some droppings in the
garden.
Well a couple of uncomfortable evenings hiding near the veggie patch, the
culprits have been caught red-handed - or rather - red-bummed. And yes, it
was hedgehogs. A family of 3.

I have been putting normal cat-food out, but only a little just to tempt
them in to the garden, and as I only use such a little bit the rest often
goes bad before I can use it all up.

Does anyone know if they'll eat dried cat/kitten-food pellets if I mix
them
with a bit of water or milk or something?
Is it good/bad for them?


Buy the pouches of food.
Less in them. Can be resealed and kept in fridge overnight without problems.

Don't know about dried foods but I know you shouldn't give them any sort of
milk
(Cows, goats, tinned) they can't digest the oils and fats in it and it
actually makes them sick,
trouble is they like the taste.

I'm always dubious about giving milk to wild animals anyway. Unless they
are youngsters and natural milk drinkers. But I don't get many stray calves
in the garden thank goodness.

--
Tim.

If the human brain were simple enough that we could understand it, we would
be so simple that we couldn't.

"Tim Challenger" "timothy(dot)challenger(at)apk(dot)at" wrote in
message s.com...
A few months ago I posted about trying to identify some droppings in
the
garden.
Well a couple of uncomfortable evenings hiding near the veggie
patch, the
culprits have been caught red-handed - or rather - red-bummed. And
yes, it
was hedgehogs. A family of 3.

I have been putting normal cat-food out, but only a little just to
tempt
them in to the garden, and as I only use such a little bit the rest
often
goes bad before I can use it all up.

Does anyone know if they'll eat dried cat/kitten-food pellets if I
mix them
with a bit of water or milk or something?
Is it good/bad for them?
Tim.

Loads of specific info at : http://www.thehedgehog.co.uk/diet.htm
Jenny :~)

On Wed, 17 Sep 2003 15:19:52 +0200, JennyC wrote:


"Tim Challenger" "timothy(dot)challenger(at)apk(dot)at" wrote in
message s.com...
A few months ago I posted about trying to identify some droppings in
the
garden.
Well a couple of uncomfortable evenings hiding near the veggie
patch, the
culprits have been caught red-handed - or rather - red-bummed. And
yes, it
was hedgehogs. A family of 3.

Loads of specific info at : http://www.thehedgehog.co.uk/diet.htm
Jenny :~)

Inseresting to see they eat birds occasionally, I presume they'd be fallen
nestlings, or dead adults.
--
Tim.

If the human brain were simple enough that we could understand it, we would
be so simple that we couldn't.

I do not know about good or bad but hedgehogs love sprats - yes SPRATS.

I was pike fishing using sprats one warm February afternoon a few years ago
and heard a rustling in the undergrowth behind me. The hedgehog rolled into
a ball when I turned round but ate the sprat I left near his/her head end -
you should have heard the chomping! Another sprat went the same way before
Tiggywinkle went back to bed!

Regards

Ron

P.S. That was the only bite I had but it made my day!

The message m
from Tim Challenger "timothy(dot)challenger(at)apk(dot)at" contains
these words:


Inseresting to see they eat birds occasionally, I presume they'd be fallen
nestlings, or dead adults.

They eat the eggs and hatchlings of ground-nesting birds; which is why
hedgehogs are being culled on Uist.

Janet.

The message m
from Tim Challenger "timothy(dot)challenger(at)apk(dot)at" contains
these words:


Inseresting to see they eat birds occasionally, I presume they'd be fallen
nestlings, or dead adults.

They eat the eggs and hatchlings of ground-nesting birds; which is why
hedgehogs are being culled on Uist.

Janet.

On Wed, 17 Sep 2003 18:42:37 +0100, Janet Baraclough wrote:

The message m
from Tim Challenger "timothy(dot)challenger(at)apk(dot)at" contains
these words:


Inseresting to see they eat birds occasionally, I presume they'd be fallen
nestlings, or dead adults.

They eat the eggs and hatchlings of ground-nesting birds; which is why
hedgehogs are being culled on Uist.

Good point. Forgot about that.

--
Tim.

If the human brain were simple enough that we could understand it, we would
be so simple that we couldn't.

On Wed, 17 Sep 2003 18:42:37 +0100, Janet Baraclough wrote:

The message m
from Tim Challenger "timothy(dot)challenger(at)apk(dot)at" contains
these words:


Inseresting to see they eat birds occasionally, I presume they'd be fallen
nestlings, or dead adults.

They eat the eggs and hatchlings of ground-nesting birds; which is why
hedgehogs are being culled on Uist.

Good point. Forgot about that.

--
Tim.

If the human brain were simple enough that we could understand it, we would
be so simple that we couldn't.

On Wed, 17 Sep 2003 07:15:56 GMT, Tim Challenger
"timothy(dot)challenger(at)apk(dot)at" wrote:

A few months ago I posted about trying to identify some droppings in the
garden.
Well a couple of uncomfortable evenings hiding near the veggie patch, the
culprits have been caught red-handed - or rather - red-bummed. And yes, it
was hedgehogs. A family of 3.

I have been putting normal cat-food out, but only a little just to tempt
them in to the garden, and as I only use such a little bit the rest often
goes bad before I can use it all up.

Does anyone know if they'll eat dried cat/kitten-food pellets if I mix them
with a bit of water or milk or something?
Is it good/bad for them?


Hello Tim.

I missed your original post, but was wondering if you could describe
the droppongs to me, as we also have some "mystery droppings" in our
garden.

Thanks

Ian