h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

There's a bustle in my hedgerow - should I be alarmed?

I woke in the night - as you do - but couldn't get back to sleep because of the rustling of dead leaves in the shrubby bit outside my bedroom window. Too small to be a dog, to blundering to be a cat. Too loud to be a mouse. What was it?

I put my eyes on and shone a torch out of the window (yes, i jeep a torch by my bed for sneaky-checking-up-on-babies) - no sign of anything. I put my dressing gown on and went out in to the garden (lovely). I located the noise pretty quickly, deep in the leaves, but it stopped when I shone the torch in that area, and as it didn't start again I gave up. The Real clovis Cat had cpme out with me, and he didn't seem remotely interested in the mystery creature.

I hope it's a hedgehog. I hope it's *NOT* a rat. But without seeing it, how can I tell? are there any tell-tale signs of hedgehog habitation? What does hedgehog spoor look like?

Id imagine you do. If the cat wasnt at all interested, thats because it knew it was a hedgehog and not to bother. If it was a rat, surely the cat would have shown *some* interest...

Been out badger watching a bit recently, following the rustling sounds in the bushes and shining a torch in here and there to eventually see looking back at me........a mouse. They can be surprisingly noisy in dry leaves but I think they would be off as soon as you shine a light on them as would a rat. Probably a hedgehog I'd say, they dont care how much noise they make.

I know he's caught rats before...

I'd like to encourage hedgehogs. I know that bread and milk is no longer recommended, but they suggest... cat food. Yeah I can see where that will end up!

Wonder what to do...?

We adopted a hedgehog before... When we found one in our garden (no idea how it got there, its fully enclosed) we turned a crate upside dow, cut a hole in the side, and buried it, leaving the entrance clear. I cant remember how we encouraged it to stay (I was quite young at the time) but it lived there for years...

Hodgehegs are noisy littly blighters - give 'em a pile of leaves and they rustle away for no good reason. They do a good line in snuffling too. I've heard about the cat food but I would have thought that there would be a risk of them becoming dependent. If it's clearly a baby and orphaned that would be different. Hodgehegs are supposed to eat slugs and the like but I've never seen my slug population reducing.

We keep a substantial log pile in the garden for hodgehegs and (occasionally) stag beetles. I hope the former doesn't eat the latter...

I've seen hedgehogs in our local area a few times, and it's nice to think that something untamed still lives in suburbia. On the other hand, I've seen a couple of rats as well (although not in the suburbs but the town centre), and I'd rather have them well away from me.

My garden seems like the perfect spot for a hedgehog, Got rabbits, squirrels, deer and badgers, all the usual birds, we've got hedges, but no hogs.
There's even a disused pig-sty with a log pile in it, just right for a hedgehogs house I'd have thought, but they stubbornly insist on not being there.
Why?

You stubbornly insisting on looking might have something to do with it.

What? Do you think they saw me?

Cloviscat, have a look at the Edited Entry on Hedgehogs: A510931. It certainly sounds like you have one. Offer it cat food, but not fish-based variety. If you can persuade the hedgehog to stay, it will eat up all your snails and slugs.

Tnak you to everyone (and yes you again Gnomon! )

Like TSF, I've thought that my garden might make a good hedgehog home, but no luck...until now? I never use slug pellets, but rely on organic methods, so I know there are plenty of the evil slimy b*st*rds out there... and sure enough, especially in the area where I heard the tell-tale rustling.

Are we talking wet catfood out of a tin, rather than the dry and crunchy stuff? I'll have to buy a tin - wonder if they do snail flavour, to give prickles a taste for escargot?

Wet cat food out of a tin or even out of a plastic sachet. I thought of slug and snail flavoured cat food, but they don't stock it in my local supermarket. We keep a few sachets in the back of the cupboard in case our hedgehog ever comes back.