Hedgehog living in garden, what should I do.

[ChroniC]

Last year and now this spring too, when I let my dog out to do her business at night time, there is sometimes a hedgehog in my garden.

It happens so often during the warmer months that I am certain it's always the same one, and because I live in a suburban area with rows of back gardens, I worried it's not the right environment for it.

My garden isn't small or massive it's roughly 15mx15m, and whilst there is place it could escape I believe it's chosen to live under my shed, between the patio tiles and the base.

The dog will not harm the hedgehog, it's a shihtzu scared more of her own shadow than a pin cushion, it receives verbal warnings and I have to get her in and the hedgehog goes about the rest of the night doing what it likes.

But, I can't say there's much food in my garden, or lady/boy hedgehogs, so it's just existing in my frankly rubbish bit of land.

What would you do? Leave it, feed it, relocate it. I don't mind having a guest but I'm sure it would be happier in a field maybe?

 

[Feek]

I’d leave it and let it get on doing whatever it wants to do.

 

[Throrik]

If you think it's the same hog that keeps coming back it's obviously happy and getting its food/drink from somewhere - keep ignoring it, they're fantastic and not seen enough of these days. It'll be perfectly happy where it is.

 

[Uhtred]

They usually roam between gardens, about a mile per night iirc. THere might be a hole into next door that you've not noticed?

 

[Throrik]

They usually roam between gardens, about a mile per night iirc. THere might be a hole into next door that you've not noticed?

Apparently they can travel for multiple miles per night, which is crazy considering how slow they generally look. They can also get through fairly small places - one downside to being in a city centre apartment, I can't set up hog boxes anymore.

 

[benjii]

If you've got a spare webcam kicking about, you could always set it up and see if you can track its movements. Otherwise, I'd just leave it alone and let it do its thing. You could also consider naming it, Herbert maybe?

They're quick when they want to be. One got into our house years ago, I scooped it up in an old tshirt and put it in down in the garden. I briefly looked around and it pulled a Batman on me. It just up and vanished.

 

[Hades]

I'd love one n my garden. I'd probably leave a little food and water out for it (after checking whats safe for them to eat).

 

[Simmz]

We have them as well and cats have a sniff but won't touch them. They love cat or dog food, we usually stick a bowel of water and food every couple of nights in same spot, once cats are in. Always gone by the next day and sometimes catch them enjoying it.

 

[ChroniC]

If you think it's the same hog that keeps coming back it's obviously happy and getting its food/drink from somewhere - keep ignoring it, they're fantastic and not seen enough of these days. It'll be perfectly happy where it is.

I am assuming, if it weren't then I have a lot of hedge hogs in the area as randomly coming outside at like midnight once a week and finding a hedgehog in your garden, seems to me to be more than just random.

 

[ChroniC]

I'd love one n my garden. I'd probably leave a little food and water out for it (after checking whats safe for them to eat).

Dog food and water apparently but I am not sure whether that's helping or not. Rule of thumb seems to be always leave animals to themselves.

 

[bayo000]

give it a name, as it lives under your shed... Shedgehog?

 

[Uhtred]

Apparently they can travel for multiple miles per night, which is crazy considering how slow they generally look. They can also get through fairly small places - one downside to being in a city centre apartment, I can't set up hog boxes anymore.

We had a hog box setup at our last house with a webcam inside. One night I left some hay outside it for nesting material. It looked proper chuffed.

 

[Chris Wilson]

Give it a rent book unless it's Ukrainian, in which case claim some money off the government

 

[Ayahuasca]

Sonic is the only name to be considered, even rhymes with OP.

 

[Lysander]

But, I can't say there's much food in my garden, or lady/boy hedgehogs

Ladyboy hedgehogs?

@Feek please can you change OP's name to Ladyboy Hedgehog

 

[Fubsy]

Don't kick it.

 

[Blackjack Davy]

Leave it be they used to be so common that nobody thought anything of the hedgehog that visited your garden now they're rarer than hen's teeth gardens are far too tidy these days. I actually saw one about six months ago theres a communal area out back with grass and some undergrowth and a pond and it must be living in there somewhere came home late one night and it was shuffling about on the grass thought "**** me its a hedgehog havn't seen one for donkeys years!" havn't seen it since hope its OK

 

[Hades]

A couple of years ago I was shocked to see a badger running down my road. I have no idea where the hell that came from as I live in a suburb inside the M25. But it was a big bugger and it was moving fast.

 

[montymint]

Buy it a little hedgehog house and put a webcam in there

 

[DrToffnar]

We had one that would entertain us a few nights of the week about a year ago, then we got a greyhound... Went out one evening to find the dog barking at it and flinging the poor thing up into the air. Promptly grabbed the dog by the collar and dragged him inside and when I went back out to check on the hog it had scarpered.

Fenced off the bottom half of the garden where it used to go recently as we're growing veggies down there so hoping that encourages them to come back. Lovely things they are and would help keep the slugs at bay!