Child with dead hedgehog?

I knew a rather eccentric person once who kept small animal and bird skulls on their 4 x 4 dash board, much to the horror of their rather posh friends to whom they gave lifts.

I used to bury dead birds that I found and dig the bones up later. I had read a book that told me how to boil the bodies to get the bones, but my mother wouldn't let me do that in the kitchen!

I saw a baby rabbit dead in a local paddock which had been partially eaten by birds while walking my two dogs. I got a stick and moved it into the longer grass - just feel carcasses are more dignified if moved out of view.

A badger can't get into our back garden although we've seen them at the front.

The hedgehog was a sad sight.

Badgers kill and eat hedgehogs.

We found a dead hedgehog in a corner of the garden ☹
Something had eaten it, no DG around to inspect it so DH had to use a shovel to take it to the bin.

My brothers terrier used to kill hedgehogs in the garden and come in the house covered in fleas - not nice at all, none our family has the slightest fascination with dead animals.

Little girls too.

I remember one who was fascinated by dead insects when she was about four.
Yes, she did go on to study biochemistry.

Little boys are fascinated by dead things.

Two little boys I childminded were fascinated by a dead rabbit we came across one day. It's eyes had gone and it was crawling with maggots.
I didn't let them touch it but we spent some time inspecting it and discussing it.
I took some photos for their EYFS development folders.
The Ofsted inspector who saw this was impressed, and recorded that "we discussed the circle of life" 🙂

What a lot of brilliant responses! Seems to be that the overwhelming outcome is make sure you wash your hands thoroughly after touching anything dodgy. Thank you.

I love hedgehogs but my main worry about them is they tend to be covered in ticks and I’m paranoid about Lyme disease.

How lovely to have parents who aren’t germaphobes 👏👏👏👏
I’ve introduced my grandchildren to all sorts of ghoulish things.

Oreo

MissInterpreted

My six-year-old grandson loves finding bones and skeletons when he is out for a walk with his papa and the dog. At one time, we had a 'skull' tree in our garden where he had put some of his finds. He was very excited when we took him away for a couple of days in our motorhome last week and they discovered a whale carcass on the beach.

😄
Little boys are fascinated by dead things.

Delightful little creatures, aren't they?

Maggiemaybe 😲😖😄

MissInterpreted

My six-year-old grandson loves finding bones and skeletons when he is out for a walk with his papa and the dog. At one time, we had a 'skull' tree in our garden where he had put some of his finds. He was very excited when we took him away for a couple of days in our motorhome last week and they discovered a whale carcass on the beach.

😄
Little boys are fascinated by dead things.

Chestnut

I am literally astonished at these stories! I was never interested in dead animals, nor my children or grandchildren. We never touched them or picked them up. My only contact with dead animals were family pets (fish, frogs, budgies, canaries, mice, guinea pigs, rabbits) where there was no choice!

I must say, I feel the same, Chestnut. One of my lot has attended plenty of autopsies in her career but never showed any interest in corpses as a child.

Though her sister liked slugs. And there’s something worse than being handed a slug by a toddler - being handed half a slug with teeth marks in it.

My six-year-old grandson loves finding bones and skeletons when he is out for a walk with his papa and the dog. At one time, we had a 'skull' tree in our garden where he had put some of his finds. He was very excited when we took him away for a couple of days in our motorhome last week and they discovered a whale carcass on the beach.

😂😂 Monica we housed a pet slug for my DGS for a while!

DGS aged 2-3 was fixated on slugs. As well as family members, the AA man and delivery man, when the front door was opened, were greeted by a small boy with an outstretched hands on which there was a large slug, saying proudly.' I minding a slug.'

I would also ensure children washed their hands well but I've nothing against touching the creatures. My dad and I spent time exploring the occasional dead animal and ensured I washed my hands well afterwards. I think it's a interesting way of teaching

M0nica

Well, providing the child washed their hands when they got home, I really do not see a problem.

I doubt I would have let my children touch it, although now I think about it if one of DC had wanted to take it home to examine it in more detail, I probably would have got a spade to lfit it and take it home, and once the examination had taken place , given it a decent burial.

Same here, tho would have insisted it take place outdoors.

I am literally astonished at these stories! I was never interested in dead animals, nor my children or grandchildren. We never touched them or picked them up. My only contact with dead animals were family pets (fish, frogs, budgies, canaries, mice, guinea pigs, rabbits) where there was no choice!

My eldest son was fixated by bones as a child. We went to a pig roast (he was seven) and he managed to acquire part of the skull, complete with lower jaw and teeth. His dad boiled it and bleached it overnight and sat it on his bedside table for him to wake up to. I'll never forget the wondrous look on his face the next morning. 😂😂

He became a TV producer.

My daughter's friend used to disect anything the cat brought in.
She made mouseskin coats for her dolls and had a bones collection.

Her parents had a very rural smallholding so she was quite matter of fact about it - curing skins etc.

😁 Well done her!