We have a hedgehog.....

Lucky you. If you do feed it, on no account give it the traditional bread and milk, that will kill it. I think dog-food is what is recommended, but someone else will be able to enlighten you. It should be hibernating quite soon, if it is fat enough. Maybe you could supply a suitable hibernation home for it? www.hedgehogstreet.org/pages/hedgehog-homes.html

I too have a hedgehog. I put out cat biscuits and water each day to supplement diet of worms/slugs/beetles etc! I cover the food witha plastic box with a doorway cut out. I had lifted it up to take this picture.

I did like those DIY hedgehog homes. I might have a go at that, my garden is rough enough to hide one in. Only problem is that I've not seen a hedgehog for years, and I think the foxes which are certainly around would demolish any that took up residence.

We had a hedgehog. Even baby ones (so there must have been more than one!) But we've had no sign since our new neighbours moved in, re-styled their garden and put up new panel fencing. We now have slugs!

I haven't seen a hedgehog for a couple of years. We used to get them in the garden every year.

I've only ever seen one hedgehog in my life. It was ambling down our road a few years ago (in the middle of the road) and some teenagers were stopping traffic to ensure its safety I would be afraid to put food out as we have a canal at the back of the house and I think the only things that would benefit would be rats! I would love to see a hedgehog in the garden.

I had the same a couple of weeks ago.
The day after, I received some post from the Woodland Trust asking when did you last see a hedgehog?
I could tell them the exact date, but it was the first time I'd seen one here in six years.
The important thing to do is to leave spaces in your fences or hedges so they can pass from one garden to the next, and not block up the hedgehog run.

Oh, and don't put out slug pellets.

We have a hedgehog though I rarely see him, but I know he comes as he leaves his poo all over the grass(small and black). Last time I saw him he was eating seeds that had fallen from the bird feeders. I looked for some snails for him but they were hiding so I left him to find his own.

I've heard you should not give bread and milk, but you can leave out tinned cat food. I've also heard that if you see them during the daytime they are in trouble or distress and need help, otherwise leave them be.

We once heard strange noises from the shed and thought we had a rough -sleeper in there but on investigating(very gingerly) found it was a hedgehog, snoring loudly! I found one hibernating in the greenhouse last autumn and have seen it around a few times, usually foraging for dropped bits from the birds fatball feeder. When the male is pursuing a female for a bit of hows-yer-father, he makes a fantastic grunting noise. You can hear it from way off.

Pretty sure that the RSPCA recommend wet cat food. Their only natural predator is the badger as they can prise them open with their powerful claws, however foxes may take youngsters by catching them by their hind legs and flipping them over. Good luck with your little visitor.

DD found a hedgehog in the garden about a month ago. She feeds them (she now has two) the dried meal worms you feed birds with. To stop the birds eating the worms she puts the saucer of worms for the hedgehogs out after dark and usually finds the saucer empty in the morning.

I intend to do the same. I had a hedgehog overwinter successfully in a mound of leaves a year or so ago, so I know they are about.

We've put out some cat food for our visitor and DH has been looking online at how to construct a house for him. Hopefully he'll stay around and perhaps hibernate in the habitat DH is going to make. It's actually quite exciting!

Full of envy here
I've just had four hog pets over the years, the last being about four years ago in my previous garden.
Love them

We see the occasional hedgehogs. We had a surprise a few weeks ago, we saw a badger strolling past our bungalow.It has been confirmed that they have set up camp in the wood close by.
PS We no longer use slug pellets.The hedgehogs eat the poisoned slugs and die themselves.

I am lucky enough to have a hedgehog too-my dog always comes in to "tell" me when it's about by running in and out until I follow him.Of course,it rolls into a ball when the dog approaches and I don't think he can understand why it doesn't say hello and play with him!
You can buy special hedgehog food from Tesco and Wilkinsons.

We have two fully grown hedgehogs in our garden, in the city. We buy hedgehog food from the local garden centre, and put a dish of this and chopped raisins out each night with a separate dish of water. The dishes need to be shallow - saucers are ideal.

Some time ago I researched what to feed hedgehogs, and you can give them wet or dry cat food or dog food, but it must not be a fishy or pork variety. I decided to buy the hedgehog food, which looks very much like cat crunchies, in the hope that it might be less appealing to the local cats! Milk is another no-no as it can upset their little tummies and kill them. Also, the dishes should not be left out in the day as flies can leave something nasty behind that kills them. It seems hedgehogs have a very delicate digestive system.

Our hedgehogs are currently starting to feed around 9.15pm each evening, and are a delight to watch. They are very noisy eaters! One evening there was a bit of an altercation between the two adults, and they were grunting very loudly indeed!!!

I just found out I still have the hedgehog that I overwintered in my greenhouse in a box of hay. In January the derelict house next door was taken over by developers who first stripped the garden of everything. I asked them to look out for hedgehogs as I'd been feeding them the autumn before, and they found one and left it in a box on my porch! - so I put it in the greenhouse with food and water, and as the weather then got colder it just stayed in the box until I provided a place in my garden, which is now very overgrown but I'm leaving it alone!
Recently a plant i just put in was dug up, probably by the hedgehog, and I realised that there might be a shortage of slugs etc as it's been so dry here - so put out some soft chicken bits near the hedgehog place, which disappeared. Now it's rained, so plenty of slugs. Which I deal with with a beer trap near my veg.
Re fences, a lot of high fences are appearing round here, and I have been asking people to see that there are hedgehog ways under them, some have responded. You can always make sure you own garden is accessible though. Hedgehogs roam an unexpectedly long way for food.

We have also been feeding our residents with cat food but I was not aware of the fish/pork rule. Glad that I am now and will make sure that they get meat variety. Our problem is that we put the food out for our hedgehogs but the local cats have now got wind of this and come along and clear the dishes!!! Has anyone any ideas how to avoid this. The hedgehogs need is far greater than the plump cats in our neighbourhood!

We've fed hedgehogs for years and have several wandering in and out of garden. Dried mealworms, water (a must) , meat cat food not fish. Dried cat food. We have resc ued small and underweight hogs (late babies who are not the right weight for hibernation) If out in day either unwell (lungworm) or dehydrated.

Hedgehogs are a declining species I understand, because of being killed on roads and people paving over their gardens so reduction in places to hunt and sleep. A couple of years ago we had one wandering around our garden in the snow. So I phoned Wiltshire Wildlife Trust and was told how much it would need to weigh to get through the winter. Fortunately it was heavy enough but she told me to feed it either cat or dog food and either wet or dry was fine. They can roam several miles a night and we are being asked to make small holes in the bottoms of fences so that they can move around more easily. You can also pile up dead leaves, twigs and sticks and they will check it out to see if it's a Des Res! If sick, I think most vets will look at them and advise for free.

My lovely DIL volunteers with Hart Wildlife Rescue, specialising in hedgehogs and has become something of an expert. She fosters abandoned hedgies, as she calls them, feeds them up, cares for them and houses them until they can make their own way in the hedgehog world.
A couple of points which she has stressed to us is that it's important to keep an entrance and exit clear, but not so clear that cats, badgers etc can get in. Hedgies can fold their spines down and squeeze through the smallest spaces. Cat food and water in another dish are good, as is some shelter under leaves etc. Also, and I still am not entirely sure about this - they love hard-boiled eggs.
A bonus is that they get rid of those horrible, slimy plant-munching monsters. (I have a phobia - makes my fingers tingle to even type their name, so I won't, but you know what I mean.)
Good luck and according to Zoe, the DIL, you've gained a low-maintenance pet for free! As well as being a bit of an expert, she's also slightly obsessed, but we love her!!

Lucky people, those of you who have hedgehog visitors. Last autumn I saw one in my garden and couldn't understand how it got there as the garden is enclosed with a wooden fence. I was so thrilled that I rushed out the next day and bought a hedgehog house, straw and food. Set it up under shrubs near where I'd seen the hedgehog.
Haven't seen it since! Something ate the food though.

We have a half grown "hodgeheg" as DD used to call them !! My favourite kind of garden visitor , we have just retired to Cambridgeshire from SE London and after years of putting up with the destruction caused by urban fox's its wonderful , we seem to have a "hodgeheg' walk right round the edge of our garden, so I have taken to buying hedgehog food from Tesco's adding meal worms and placing it in the corner behind the compost bin , its always empty in the morning.