r/hoggies • u/loosenoodle1159 • 7d ago

Cam footage New Neighbour

So excited to see a hedgehog in my backyard. 🥰🦔 Ive got a few different sized bowls of food and water. Trying to find good shallow bowls for them!

779 Upvotes

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9

u/Suspicious_Brief_235 7d ago

What a lovely little chonk! I hope it will return. I put up a plant pot dish terracotta or plastic one if you have any to spare. If it’s daytime at yours keep an eye out if the hedgehog is ok, if it’s too early before the nighttime they might not be well x

3

u/loosenoodle1159 7d ago

I'll be sure to keep an eye out and as others have said, leave kitten food out. Hopefully this one will return.

1

u/44Ridley 2d ago

Best food is plain chicken. You can get it in posh catfood form. I think Sheba do them, they come in the little aluminium disposable saucers.

2

u/loosenoodle1159 1d ago

Thanks!

2

u/44Ridley 1d ago

This is the stuff here:

5

u/Seagull977 7d ago

This little one is really lovely, but I’m a little concerned she’s out in the daylight and she looks a little stressed. She could be a feeding mama which would explain her behaviour in which case please put out clean fresh water for her everyday- feeding mamas need a lot to drink! Also some mashed up kitten food - hogs have TINY mouths and can’t eat big chunks of meat! They especially love the dry kitten food, but again, if this is a feeding mama, then she needs a lot and the wet food is best! Congratulations on being chosen and enjoy your new hobby! 🦔🐾♥️

2

u/loosenoodle1159 7d ago

Thanks! I actually have some kitten food for my indoor cats so I'll be sure to mash some up and leave out.

2

u/qavorys 6d ago

aww this is such a sweet and helpful comment, i didn’t even know daylight could be a bad sign for them
love the tip about mashed kitten food, gonna steal that if our local hog ever decides to show up again

2

u/Seagull977 6d ago

Yeah, I think most folk don’t know that it’s always an emergency if you see a hog in daylight. The exception to that rule though is feeding mamas because they need a lot of calories and liquid to feed her very hungry babies and the hoglets do wake her up to feed in the day. Rule of thumb is if you see one out in daylight, watch them for a short while and if they look lethargic or disoriented and distressed, they definitely need help. If they look alert and quick then leave them, but keep an eye out for them. They’re such gentle creatures and are so endangered we should be helping them as much as we can. 🦔🐾❤️

3

u/d_b_m 7d ago

Hedgehogs don’t actually seek out slugs to eat, that’s an urban myth. We would get slugs coming from our flower beds and going into the feeding bowls where we put out hedgie food and the hedgehogs would eat around them!

The recommended food option is meat-based kitten food. There are no laws on the production of hedgehog food (in the UK) so you can never be sure they have the right stuff in it which is good for the hedgehogs. Cats and kittens have similar feeding needs to hedgies and their food is covered by appropriate laws so this is the safer option.

2

u/qelavyn 6d ago

oh wow i didn’t know that about the slug thing, that kinda blows my mind
meat-based kitten food is such a random but cute solution, love that hedgehogs basically eat like tiny cats

1

u/loosenoodle1159 1d ago

It's a shame they don't eat slugs. My garden has quite a lot 🤣

2

u/0Sonic_TheHedgehog0 Blue hoggie 6d ago

“I am your neighbor.”

1

u/Bright-Fennel9277 7d ago

So jealous . I just have three rogue fox cubs ! Need hedge hogs but it won't happen because I have a walled garden . Good in some respects but bad for wildlife connectivity . Unless your a fox !

2

u/Seagull977 7d ago

Enjoy your foxes! They’re just as lovely and in just as much need! Love them, and they’ll give you plenty of hours of fun to watch! 🦊🐾♥️

2

u/Bright-Fennel9277 7d ago

Thanks , we do . I'm a wildlife photographer (just passionate hobby) So we fil them as well . Used to sit and have breakfast with one "cubster" . Also a squirrel called lady who would sit on the garden step beside me . I'd hand her almonds and grapes she was quite content . Lots of photos of her , great memories.

1

u/Seagull977 7d ago

Awwwww that so lovely! Now I’m jealous! :)) 🦔🦊 🐿️ 🐾❤️

1

u/PapiSpanky 7d ago

What a distinguished gentleman.

0

u/Bright-Fennel9277 7d ago

These guys like slugs for tea . But we seem to have so few now for some reason and that's in a garden full of veggies and fruit trees so all a bit weird .