Allotments 4 All

We thought we saw this little treasure a week ago but couldn't be sure.We have been putting cat food down since and it has always been gone by morning' Last night we stayed up abit later 10-30 pm. and when I looked out of the back door window there he or she was eating the food we put out.We also put out a full dish of water and this morning it was nearyl empty so must have been thirsty too. Its not very clear but you can just make out what it is

Are you still being visited Shirl. My favourit visitor & yes they are very thirsty. I have about 4 dishes scattered round the garden. They also love chopped up peanuts & sunflower hearts.

We put the food out forthe next 4 nights but it was still there in the morning so havent put any more out. I must say that my hosta's havent been touched this year so it must be getting enough to eat. We go to bed at 10pm at the latest. The night we saw it we were a bit later going to bed.

I have lived at this address for 19 years and have never seen a hedgehog in the garden until last night.  I was so excited, It must be 20+ years since I saw a hedgehog alive and not squashed on the road, and my daughters, 19 and 15 have never seen a living one!!

We had let the dog out about 10.30pm and she wouldnt come in or stop barking, I went out and on the edge of the grass was a baby hedgehog.  We saw him a few times before we went to bed running around the grass. 

On our patio we have a very large old sink, it's about 5ft long and stood on bricks with ivy growing at one end.  When the dog went out this morning she headed straight for the sink, barking like a mad thing, I could hear rustling behind all the ivy so am assuming we still have the hedgehog :-)

My OH has made a hedgehog house this morning and we have put it on the patio next to the sink, I have put out some water and at dusk tonight I'll put out some cat food.  Fingers crossed he will stay a while.

P1020236 by lisaparkin2010, on Flickr

P1030237 by lisaparkin2010, on Flickr

Lisa lucky you, and very apt as it's Natural England's species of the week!  :)
http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/ourwork/conservation/biodiversity/iyb/hedgehog.aspx

Hedgehog update :)

Well he's still with us :D

This morning there was a trail of sawdust and newspaper outside the hedgehog house, I thought he had moved in, I carefully opened the roof expecting to see him curled up fast asleep, but no, the box was empty, no shredded newspaper, no leaves.  He must have spend all night taking it all to his little home under the sink, behind the ivy.  It must be cosier than the house my OH made.

That's typical, but let him do his own thing and hope that he stays around!

Great news that he is still with you Lisa, even if he isn't living in his little house.

Does he eat the food you are putting out for him?

 Yes he is eating the food, it's the first thing he does when he wakes?  Hopefully it'll help build him up a bit to get him through the Winter.

Great news.  Is it possible to put youir hedgehog house somewhere quieter like under bushes and away from a busy area of your garden.  I know I had luck with keeping a hedgehog over winter in a 'house' but it was on the edge of my garden under the leylandii and well protected from us walking past at all times of the day. 

Hope he or she stays with you.

ACE!!!!!!

Here's our little friend


P1020233 by lisaparkin36, on Flickr

Lovely  :) We had hedgehogs this summer, for the first time and we've lived here 17 years. Not seen them lately, I don't know if they've moved on or we aren't seeing them now it's dark so much earlier.