Got up early to see this:

We have at least one regular hedgehog visitor and have been putting out food for several years. We even made sure there was a built-in hedgehog hole in the concrete gravel board in our new fence. :)

During lockdown we decided to clean out the "Schwegler hedgehog dome" house after winter to find that two hedgehogs had hibernated in there, but it was then full of woodlice and ants and the hay was dirty.

It was obvious that no hedgehog was currently living there. So we cleaned it out and after the washed hay was dry again we mixed it with a few leaves and put the home back together.

For a few nights we've been seeing two hedgehogs that have been having a sparring match between themselves and I kept my fingers crossed that one of them might move in. :)

This morning OH called me downstairs very early to find a hedgehog going back and forth between the hedgehog dome and the bamboo to collect bamboo leaves and carry them back to the house. I am so thrilled. Then I rushed upstairs and grabbed my iPhone in order to make my first ever video on it. Here it is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RI-ogAoIKM0


(The hedgehog dome is behind the greyish/white bush)

Great video Chrissy! We think of these spaces as our gardens but there are several other species that lay claim too.

Maybe a time to ink up a pen with "Sonic Blue" in honor of the hedgehog? (A stretch, but I tried.)

I realize I could Google, but is a Hedgehog a Ground Hog?

Thank you for posting. :)

That's so cool!! What a cute little critter.

We currently have some baby bunnies in our backyard. Fun stuff.

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Originally Posted by Chuck Naill

I realize I could Google, but is a Hedgehog a Ground Hog?

Thank you for posting. :)

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A groundhog is different from a hedgehog which is a little bigger than a mans clenched fist, short spikes on its back and rolls into a ball when frightened. The hedgehog is a gardeners friend eating slugs and snails.

Better known as Mrs Tiggy-Winkle by Beatrix Potter

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tale-Tiggy-.../dp/0723247757

A groundhog is a rodent, of the Order Rodentia. Hedgehogs belong to order Erinaceomorpha.

Look a little alike, but they are quite different taxonomically.
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
Genus
Species

Very nice video. I'm kind of surprised to learn that bamboo grows in the UK - and also (per a Google search) that hedgehogs are "good" to eat.

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Originally Posted by Robert

Very nice video. I'm kind of surprised to learn that bamboo grows in the UK - and also (per a Google search) that hedgehogs are "good" to eat.

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There is nothing good about eating a hedgehog, a dear little creature that has every right to life that is already threatened by its slow pace when crossing roads.

There is a petition to make them a Protected Species in addition to the protection offered by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

As you may gather, I am one of those cranks who would say that it is better stop your hunger by eating an apple from a tree instead of a wild animal.

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Originally Posted by Robert

Very nice video. I'm kind of surprised to learn that bamboo grows in the UK - and also (per a Google search) that hedgehogs are "good" to eat.

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Thank you. :)

Bamboo grows very well in the UK. Once you have some in your garden it's really hard to get rid of it if you change your mind. My neighbour has an ongoing battle trying to get rid of his several years after it was removed.

My bamboo plant has black stems (Phyllostachys nigra) but it's still a rampant variety. I also have a smaller version that forms a round bushy plant. They are quite nice plants that lose leaves but still remain green through winter. :)

I wouldn't fancy eating a hedgehog despite the fact that they come with built in toothpicks. ;)

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Originally Posted by Fermata

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Robert

Very nice video. I'm kind of surprised to learn that bamboo grows in the UK - and also (per a Google search) that hedgehogs are "good" to eat.

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There is nothing good about eating a hedgehog, a dear little creature that has every right to life that is already threatened by its slow pace when crossing roads.

There is a petition to make them a Protected Species in addition to the protection offered by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
As you may gather, I am one of those cranks who would say that it is better stop your hunger by eating an apple from a tree instead of a wild animal.

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I've had hedgehog visitors for as long as I've been feeding wild birds. Last week was a week of two per night. This time last year we regularly saw four and two of them were obviously males as they had grunting and pushing matches on the patio instead of eating the food I put out.