Technical stuff

I thought it might be a good idea to talk about hedgehogs some more, to drag this blog a little more back on topic (before it veers off again, anyway). And, pretty much, when you can expect to find them.

Hedgehogs are actually nocturnal creatures, and most likely to come out around dusk. That, according to what I've read, is a good time to put some food out for them and wait. They might not come immediately, but give them chance! If they don't show up, your garden might be too hard to access for them. We've actually got a Hog Port cut in the side gate to let hogs trundle through comfortably.

Hedgehogs hibernate over the winter, so don't be surprised if you don't see one. But at the same time, if it's a mild winter they might be out and about a bit -- in which case, they'd welcome the food, especially since it'll be both harder for them to find food, and colder, so they'll need more energy to keep warm.

In spring, they'll be waking up after hibernation -- and you betcha they'll be hungry. And as spring gets on, they're going to be thinking about mating, in which case you might get visits from baby hedgehogs. In summer, if it's hot, they may also need water -- their "natural" food, such as slugs and worms, will have disappeared, so they'll still be hungry.

According to the back of the Spike's Dinner food, hedgehogs need to weigh around 500g to allow them to survive the winter. Obviously, that's a wonderful time to feed them up a bit. ;)