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Hedgehog Cabin

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I operate a small hospital for sick, injured and orphaned wild hedgehogs. Donate https://t.co/wUQRQfPo5i Wishlist https://t.co/4UZ0T2FlAL Ambassador: @DrAmirKhanGP

Shorts

Hedgehogs are great creatures of habit, and will always return to the same spot to hibernate, if they can. Darling Belina has already returned here, to 'her' pen, and is beginning to prepare for hibernation this year. With the prolonged drought conditions forcing trees to drop their fruit and leaves early, and the absence of natural food, the signs and smells of approaching autumn have arrived very prematurely this year, so hedgehogs are likely to enter hibernation early. So now is the ideal time to check any empty hedgehog houses in your garden, to ensure they are still weatherproof, and give them a good clean out. Please always use the stick test first, to make absolutely sure the house doesn't have a resident (see below). Once the houses are completely dry, line them with newspaper and stuff them full to the brim with clean dry hay. Then poke your hand inside the hay, through the doorway, and flatten down an area, to make an inviting cosy nest. (scroll to the bottom of this website page to see a How-To video of making up a house: Don't worry if the house already has a resident. Just fill a large flowerpot or bucket with fresh hay and lie it on its side, next to the house, so the resident can help themselves to clean sheets.😊 Hedgehogs build 2, sometime 3 hibernation nests, just in case their chosen nest becomes endangered or flooded. This forward-thinking means they always have a safe warm ready-made shelter to move straight into, at a time when dry nesting material would be impossible to find, and they wouldn't have the energy to build. Isn't that clever? Belina's history:

Hedgehogs are great creatures of habit, and will always return to the same spot to hibernate, if they can. Darling Belina has already returned here, to 'her' pen, and is beginning to prepare for hibernation this year. With the prolonged drought conditions forcing trees to drop their fruit and leaves early, and the absence of natural food, the signs and smells of approaching autumn have arrived very prematurely this year, so hedgehogs are likely to enter hibernation early. So now is the ideal time to check any empty hedgehog houses in your garden, to ensure they are still weatherproof, and give them a good clean out. Please always use the stick test first, to make absolutely sure the house doesn't have a resident (see below). Once the houses are completely dry, line them with newspaper and stuff them full to the brim with clean dry hay. Then poke your hand inside the hay, through the doorway, and flatten down an area, to make an inviting cosy nest. (scroll to the bottom of this website page to see a How-To video of making up a house: Don't worry if the house already has a resident. Just fill a large flowerpot or bucket with fresh hay and lie it on its side, next to the house, so the resident can help themselves to clean sheets.😊 Hedgehogs build 2, sometime 3 hibernation nests, just in case their chosen nest becomes endangered or flooded. This forward-thinking means they always have a safe warm ready-made shelter to move straight into, at a time when dry nesting material would be impossible to find, and they wouldn't have the energy to build. Isn't that clever? Belina's history:

12,575 views

Some kind organisations are posting messages urging people to leave out water for our precious wildlife in this hot dry weather, which is brilliant, thank you. But this rumour doing the rounds that hedgehog mums abandon their nursing babies is utter nonsense. Hedgehog mums are the most patient, loving parents you can imagine. They are tightly bonded and would NEVER willingly abandon their babies. But they die. They die because lactation places a massive continuous drain on a mother's water reserves. If she is deprived of water, her body is forced to pull from its own tissues and blood supply to maintain milk production, resulting in rapid blood volume depletion and thickening of the blood. Producing milk requires a massive amount of calories and water. If resources are scarce, the mother's body goes into a negative energy balance, which drastically accelerates the depletion of her internal reserves. But they stay with their babies, protecting them, loving them, literally giving them their last drop of life. The starving dehydrated babies eventually stagger out of the maternity nest, instinctively seeking sustenance. By the time they are found by humans they are so near death and their dehydration so extreme that only subcutaneous fluids from an experienced rescue can save them. All this heartbreak and tragedy can be avoided, and rescues freed from bed-blocking babies, if only everyone simply puts out a dish of water. Right now. And tonight. Front and back. Under cover in the shade, if possible. A turn of the tap can save so many lives.❤️

Some kind organisations are posting messages urging people to leave out water for our precious wildlife in this hot dry weather, which is brilliant, thank you. But this rumour doing the rounds that hedgehog mums abandon their nursing babies is utter nonsense. Hedgehog mums are the most patient, loving parents you can imagine. They are tightly bonded and would NEVER willingly abandon their babies. But they die. They die because lactation places a massive continuous drain on a mother's water reserves. If she is deprived of water, her body is forced to pull from its own tissues and blood supply to maintain milk production, resulting in rapid blood volume depletion and thickening of the blood. Producing milk requires a massive amount of calories and water. If resources are scarce, the mother's body goes into a negative energy balance, which drastically accelerates the depletion of her internal reserves. But they stay with their babies, protecting them, loving them, literally giving them their last drop of life. The starving dehydrated babies eventually stagger out of the maternity nest, instinctively seeking sustenance. By the time they are found by humans they are so near death and their dehydration so extreme that only subcutaneous fluids from an experienced rescue can save them. All this heartbreak and tragedy can be avoided, and rescues freed from bed-blocking babies, if only everyone simply puts out a dish of water. Right now. And tonight. Front and back. Under cover in the shade, if possible. A turn of the tap can save so many lives.❤️

58,298 views

Just to start the weekend off on a joyful note, just look what a week in care has done for that dying starved little skin and bones baby, Ryder. Not only is he alive, engaged, happy and having a fun time, he has the sweetest little rounded belly.😍 If you'd like to help with his treatment at Prickle Lodge - Hedgehog Rescue , here are their Amazon wishlist and donation details: Wishlist: PayPal: Thank you so much. Happy weekend! Ryder's history:

Just to start the weekend off on a joyful note, just look what a week in care has done for that dying starved little skin and bones baby, Ryder. Not only is he alive, engaged, happy and having a fun time, he has the sweetest little rounded belly.😍 If you'd like to help with his treatment at Prickle Lodge - Hedgehog Rescue , here are their Amazon wishlist and donation details: Wishlist: PayPal: Thank you so much. Happy weekend! Ryder's history:

194,181 views

The night temperatures are predicted to drop below freezing this week, and while most hedgehogs are safely hibernating, many are not. Those born too late and still underweight, and those who are a little sickly, are still around, desperately searching for a kind garden that provides dry kitten food and ice-free water all winter. Please let that be you.

The night temperatures are predicted to drop below freezing this week, and while most hedgehogs are safely hibernating, many are not. Those born too late and still underweight, and those who are a little sickly, are still around, desperately searching for a kind garden that provides dry kitten food and ice-free water all winter. Please let that be you.

64,555 views

Fireworks. Just don't. Please. It's so cruel. Stress kills wildlife. Please choose, and teach your children, kindness. We have so many ways of entertaining ourselves which don't involve the suffering and death of animals. 🔊

Fireworks. Just don't. Please. It's so cruel. Stress kills wildlife. Please choose, and teach your children, kindness. We have so many ways of entertaining ourselves which don't involve the suffering and death of animals. 🔊

67,781 views

Sound on 🔊 When a baby nurses, microscopic amounts of saliva flow back into the breast. That saliva carries biological signals about the infant’s immune system. If the baby is getting sick, the mother’s body detects it. Within hours, the milk changes. White blood cells surge. Macrophages multiply. Targeted antibodies appear. Miraculous, isn't it? This is why mother's milk is so critical. It's not just the bonding, or the colostrum. Or that it's exceptionally high in immunoglobulins, white blood cells, proteins and essential vitamins, serving as a crucial "natural vaccination" that protects the newborn's immature digestive system and boosts immunity. It can actually make sick babies well. We, with all our scientific know-how, can't do this. So it's critical that babies and mum stay together. Under the shed is this century's hedgerow. We've destroyed the hedgehog's natural habitat so these clever, adaptable little animals, these survival specialists, have learnt to use our spaces. Under a shed the temperature stays more or less constant. It's dry, protected, inaccessible to predators, and completely undisturbed. The perfect nesting spot. Right now, these spaces are being used by hibernating hedgehogs. And from the end of April they will start being used by mums and their newborns. So if you are planning on removing or replacing an old shed this year PLEASE, I beg you, remember this is a precious space. Plan your renovations in the small relatively safe windows of the first 3 weeks of April, or the month of September. This kind consideration on your part will help these gentle, endangered animals to thrive, and produce a strong and healthy new generation.

Sound on 🔊 When a baby nurses, microscopic amounts of saliva flow back into the breast. That saliva carries biological signals about the infant’s immune system. If the baby is getting sick, the mother’s body detects it. Within hours, the milk changes. White blood cells surge. Macrophages multiply. Targeted antibodies appear. Miraculous, isn't it? This is why mother's milk is so critical. It's not just the bonding, or the colostrum. Or that it's exceptionally high in immunoglobulins, white blood cells, proteins and essential vitamins, serving as a crucial "natural vaccination" that protects the newborn's immature digestive system and boosts immunity. It can actually make sick babies well. We, with all our scientific know-how, can't do this. So it's critical that babies and mum stay together. Under the shed is this century's hedgerow. We've destroyed the hedgehog's natural habitat so these clever, adaptable little animals, these survival specialists, have learnt to use our spaces. Under a shed the temperature stays more or less constant. It's dry, protected, inaccessible to predators, and completely undisturbed. The perfect nesting spot. Right now, these spaces are being used by hibernating hedgehogs. And from the end of April they will start being used by mums and their newborns. So if you are planning on removing or replacing an old shed this year PLEASE, I beg you, remember this is a precious space. Plan your renovations in the small relatively safe windows of the first 3 weeks of April, or the month of September. This kind consideration on your part will help these gentle, endangered animals to thrive, and produce a strong and healthy new generation.

32,231 views

Hedgehogs are up! They're about, desperately looking for food. They may visit your garden tonight. They're weak, hungry, cold. It's too early for them to find sufficient natural food. Please help them. Put out a dish of dry cat food and a dish of water. You'll save lives.

Hedgehogs are up! They're about, desperately looking for food. They may visit your garden tonight. They're weak, hungry, cold. It's too early for them to find sufficient natural food. Please help them. Put out a dish of dry cat food and a dish of water. You'll save lives.

103,958 views

With so much in the world to make you angry and upset, it's worth remembering that most people are good and kind, and are quietly going about their day performing unsung acts of heroism and generosity of spirit. Thank you to everyone who is feeding their visiting wildlife, and to those supporting and encouraging them. And I can never thank enough those who support me and the hospital here, by kind word or deed, and by providing supplies and help towards the costs of medicines, etc. You are all incredible, wonderful people, and I hope you feel proud of yourselves.❤️ Those with notes are from Sue & Ray H, Miss Le Roy, Gordon & Marcelle, Jane R, Hannah O, Heather C, Wendy B, Gary J, Rhian J, Emma L, Teia L. May your day start as happily as Figgy's.

With so much in the world to make you angry and upset, it's worth remembering that most people are good and kind, and are quietly going about their day performing unsung acts of heroism and generosity of spirit. Thank you to everyone who is feeding their visiting wildlife, and to those supporting and encouraging them. And I can never thank enough those who support me and the hospital here, by kind word or deed, and by providing supplies and help towards the costs of medicines, etc. You are all incredible, wonderful people, and I hope you feel proud of yourselves.❤️ Those with notes are from Sue & Ray H, Miss Le Roy, Gordon & Marcelle, Jane R, Hannah O, Heather C, Wendy B, Gary J, Rhian J, Emma L, Teia L. May your day start as happily as Figgy's.

39,613 views

One of the many myths about hedgehogs which I find particulary annoying is "hedgehogs get their name from living under hedges and grunting like a hog". This is not only utter nonsense, it's very dangerous misinformation which has caused the death of so many poor sick hedgehogs, who could otherwise have been saved. Yet I've seen this utter rubbish published on websites of organisations you'd think you could trust to get their facts right. Especially when it comes to such a precious endangered animal. Hedgehogs don't grunt. They don't snort. They don't make any sound at all. Just like us, their breathing is completely silent if they are healthy. Hedgehogs hunt for food. They certainly don't announce their presence to their prey by grunting and snorting as they approach. They are silent, and they hunt via scent and sound. They listen intently, all the time. Their hearing is so incredibly acute they can hear the scurry of insects legs under an inch of soil. Hedgehogs don't come out to hunt in the rain, not because they don't like getting wet, but because the sound of the rain drowns out the sounds of their prey, making hunting imposssible. And hedgehogs are solitary animals. Being solitary means they don't socialise with their own kind, or any other species, so they have no need for a vocabulary, or any verbal communication. The only time you are likely to hear a hedgehog making a sound is the huffing a female hedgehog makes when being courted by a male during mating season. So if you hear a hedgehog snorting or grunting, or making ANY audible breathing sounds, what you are hearing is a very sick hedgehog whose breathing is compromised and who needs urgent treatment from a rescue (never a vet). When a hedgehog is sick, particularly with lungworm, the fluid in the lungs means the air moving in and out makes a bubbling sound. And as the airways become inflamed and swollen, the flow is impeded, making the passage of air noisy. The clip below is of Arthur, recently returned from his hibernation. As you can hear, his breathing has a bubbly, creaky sound. Not too bad, as yet, but bad enough to need treatment - which is probably why he's returned, to book himself into the hospital here.🥰

One of the many myths about hedgehogs which I find particulary annoying is "hedgehogs get their name from living under hedges and grunting like a hog". This is not only utter nonsense, it's very dangerous misinformation which has caused the death of so many poor sick hedgehogs, who could otherwise have been saved. Yet I've seen this utter rubbish published on websites of organisations you'd think you could trust to get their facts right. Especially when it comes to such a precious endangered animal. Hedgehogs don't grunt. They don't snort. They don't make any sound at all. Just like us, their breathing is completely silent if they are healthy. Hedgehogs hunt for food. They certainly don't announce their presence to their prey by grunting and snorting as they approach. They are silent, and they hunt via scent and sound. They listen intently, all the time. Their hearing is so incredibly acute they can hear the scurry of insects legs under an inch of soil. Hedgehogs don't come out to hunt in the rain, not because they don't like getting wet, but because the sound of the rain drowns out the sounds of their prey, making hunting imposssible. And hedgehogs are solitary animals. Being solitary means they don't socialise with their own kind, or any other species, so they have no need for a vocabulary, or any verbal communication. The only time you are likely to hear a hedgehog making a sound is the huffing a female hedgehog makes when being courted by a male during mating season. So if you hear a hedgehog snorting or grunting, or making ANY audible breathing sounds, what you are hearing is a very sick hedgehog whose breathing is compromised and who needs urgent treatment from a rescue (never a vet). When a hedgehog is sick, particularly with lungworm, the fluid in the lungs means the air moving in and out makes a bubbling sound. And as the airways become inflamed and swollen, the flow is impeded, making the passage of air noisy. The clip below is of Arthur, recently returned from his hibernation. As you can hear, his breathing has a bubbly, creaky sound. Not too bad, as yet, but bad enough to need treatment - which is probably why he's returned, to book himself into the hospital here.🥰

16,791 views

It's hard to believe, but this chubby little baby is Jip! And this sight last night brought tears to my eyes: this dear little baby doing something so completely normal and healthy - grabbing some bedding to make himself a little comfy nest in his bed. 🥹 He was so skeletal, so dehydrated, that just 6 days after admission he has almost doubled his weight. Happy Solstice everyone, I hope you all have a wonderful summer.

It's hard to believe, but this chubby little baby is Jip! And this sight last night brought tears to my eyes: this dear little baby doing something so completely normal and healthy - grabbing some bedding to make himself a little comfy nest in his bed. 🥹 He was so skeletal, so dehydrated, that just 6 days after admission he has almost doubled his weight. Happy Solstice everyone, I hope you all have a wonderful summer.

27,943 views

Hedgehogs are solitary animals so are silent - they have no need to communicate so don't have a 'vocabulary'. Even when in pain or fear they usually suffer in silence. The only time you'll really hear them vocalise is this time of year - mating season. And it's only the girls who talk.😁 The male approaches the female and circles her, trying to mount. The female turns to face him, keeping her nether regions out of his reach, and makes a chuff-chuff sound, telling him she's not interested. She'll keep this up for hours, sometimes days, until she whittles down which of her suitors is the strongest, has the most endurance and energy, is the fittest and healthiest and most determined. She wants only the very best to be the father of her precious children. Only when he's proved himself to be worthy, does the female crouch down and lay her spines flat, and allow him to mate. Inexperienced males often need to use their mouth to hold on and get into position, so this time of year you may see females with a small wound on their back. There can be more than one winner, and she'll allow other males who have made the grade to mate with her also. So the resulting litter can be hoglets with several different fathers, producing a truly diverse and healthy gene pool. This genetic diversity within a population allows it to adapt to changing environments and resist diseases. Just one of the reasons our humble little hedgehog has survived for over 15 million years!

Hedgehogs are solitary animals so are silent - they have no need to communicate so don't have a 'vocabulary'. Even when in pain or fear they usually suffer in silence. The only time you'll really hear them vocalise is this time of year - mating season. And it's only the girls who talk.😁 The male approaches the female and circles her, trying to mount. The female turns to face him, keeping her nether regions out of his reach, and makes a chuff-chuff sound, telling him she's not interested. She'll keep this up for hours, sometimes days, until she whittles down which of her suitors is the strongest, has the most endurance and energy, is the fittest and healthiest and most determined. She wants only the very best to be the father of her precious children. Only when he's proved himself to be worthy, does the female crouch down and lay her spines flat, and allow him to mate. Inexperienced males often need to use their mouth to hold on and get into position, so this time of year you may see females with a small wound on their back. There can be more than one winner, and she'll allow other males who have made the grade to mate with her also. So the resulting litter can be hoglets with several different fathers, producing a truly diverse and healthy gene pool. This genetic diversity within a population allows it to adapt to changing environments and resist diseases. Just one of the reasons our humble little hedgehog has survived for over 15 million years!

28,963 views

Lots of calls to the hospital now are from people who have acidentally disturbed a nest. The most important rule is immediately (and I mean immediately, every second counts so no photo taking!) put everything back as you found it and urgently call a good established rescue for advice. We're coming into the height of baby season now so this is particularly important, and could mean the difference between life and death for the babies. Pregnant hedgehogs build two or three maternity nests, in case the chosen nest becomes uninhabitable (from flooding or predators for example). This means mum can quickly move her babies without having to leave them to find bedding and build. BUT.. Moving babies isn't a cute, Disney-esque event. It's a dire emergency. It's difficult, sometimes painful, and fraught with danger and tragedy. Babies get dropped, the ones left in the new nest may wander out while mum is back getting the next one from the old nest, and mum will be suffering extreme stress. Prevention is always better than cure so please be extra careful in the garden during this baby season. Before doing anything, think hedgehog. Anything left undisturbed for long will be seen as an attractive nesting place: Beneath a shed/wendy house/decking Inside a shed Inside a compost bag/rubbish bag Under piles of rubbish/wooden palettes Under furniture/barbeque covers Taking a moment to gently check before moving could save precious little lives.

Lots of calls to the hospital now are from people who have acidentally disturbed a nest. The most important rule is immediately (and I mean immediately, every second counts so no photo taking!) put everything back as you found it and urgently call a good established rescue for advice. We're coming into the height of baby season now so this is particularly important, and could mean the difference between life and death for the babies. Pregnant hedgehogs build two or three maternity nests, in case the chosen nest becomes uninhabitable (from flooding or predators for example). This means mum can quickly move her babies without having to leave them to find bedding and build. BUT.. Moving babies isn't a cute, Disney-esque event. It's a dire emergency. It's difficult, sometimes painful, and fraught with danger and tragedy. Babies get dropped, the ones left in the new nest may wander out while mum is back getting the next one from the old nest, and mum will be suffering extreme stress. Prevention is always better than cure so please be extra careful in the garden during this baby season. Before doing anything, think hedgehog. Anything left undisturbed for long will be seen as an attractive nesting place: Beneath a shed/wendy house/decking Inside a shed Inside a compost bag/rubbish bag Under piles of rubbish/wooden palettes Under furniture/barbeque covers Taking a moment to gently check before moving could save precious little lives.

22,540 views

If you really have to have fireworks, and I hope you don't - I hope you make your own new, kinder tradition for 5th November, like creating your own family home made Christmas cake together, or your own candles, or ornaments, or inviting all your friends over and telling them to bring their favourite takeaways so you can swap... But if you really have to have fireworks, please choose the low noise type, to limit the harm and suffering you will cause neighbour's pets and all the wildlife in your area.

If you really have to have fireworks, and I hope you don't - I hope you make your own new, kinder tradition for 5th November, like creating your own family home made Christmas cake together, or your own candles, or ornaments, or inviting all your friends over and telling them to bring their favourite takeaways so you can swap... But if you really have to have fireworks, please choose the low noise type, to limit the harm and suffering you will cause neighbour's pets and all the wildlife in your area.

16,929 views

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A surprise visitor to my garden. It's 4.30 in the morning, the end of a hard night's foraging, and this poor badger mum is going home to her hungry cubs empty handed. Again. Badgers don't want to come into gardens. It's a massive risk to get that close to humans. This is an act of profound desperation. She tried digging for worms (which make up 80% of a badger's diet), but the prolonged drought has left the soil baked dry and barren. The hedgehog feeders were inaccessible and the cat food had all been eaten by the visiting fox family. She stay for half an hour and left as starving as she arrived. If a hedgehog had been accessible she would have risked being wounded, just to eat and feed her cubs. Badgers do NOT hunt hedgehogs, but a starving animal will eat anything to stay alive. But it's NOT natural. In fact it's no more natural than starving third world children eating mud. Or prisoners of war eating pebbles. Or victims of a mountain plane crash eating each other. These are acts of desperation. It's eat this or die. And why hedgehogs? Why not cats or fox cubs - a much safer and more satisfying meal? Simply because cats and foxes run away, hedgehogs don't. And badgers are foragers, not hunters. You don't need a degree in zoology to know that. Just your own common sense. Don't believe the perverts who enjoy hurting animals, or the callous dishonest farmers. Believe your own eyes. Just look at that low, squat body and lumbering gait: built for low-gravity stability while digging, and moving through dense undergrowth. Not for chasing down prey. Look at the small head and downward facing eyes: perfect for focusing on the ground directly in front of their nose to locate worms and insects, but giving them a very limited field of view for spotting or tracking moving animals. And take a look at those short stumpy legs: designed for power and endurance while excavating setts and turning over soil, making them incapable of the speed or agility required by true hunters. The physical traits you can see with your own eyes are the textbook definition of a specialised fossorial (digging) forager, not a predator. Because of this specific anatomy, badgers lack the biological machinery to actively hunt or target other mammals. They are overwhelmingly, scientifically, anatomically, blatantly obvious ground-level foragers. The idea that badgers systematically track or target hedgehogs is a narrative pushed by groups looking to justify culls, rather than an accurate description of badger biology. In reality, a badger's daily life revolves around patiently snuffling through the soil for worms and grubs, and any departure from this is a rare, situational event born of sheer desperation. So please remember this, next time some deviant shows you a hedgehog pelt, seeking your validation and inciting hatred towards these innocent animals.

A surprise visitor to my garden. It's 4.30 in the morning, the end of a hard night's foraging, and this poor badger mum is going home to her hungry cubs empty handed. Again. Badgers don't want to come into gardens. It's a massive risk to get that close to humans. This is an act of profound desperation. She tried digging for worms (which make up 80% of a badger's diet), but the prolonged drought has left the soil baked dry and barren. The hedgehog feeders were inaccessible and the cat food had all been eaten by the visiting fox family. She stay for half an hour and left as starving as she arrived. If a hedgehog had been accessible she would have risked being wounded, just to eat and feed her cubs. Badgers do NOT hunt hedgehogs, but a starving animal will eat anything to stay alive. But it's NOT natural. In fact it's no more natural than starving third world children eating mud. Or prisoners of war eating pebbles. Or victims of a mountain plane crash eating each other. These are acts of desperation. It's eat this or die. And why hedgehogs? Why not cats or fox cubs - a much safer and more satisfying meal? Simply because cats and foxes run away, hedgehogs don't. And badgers are foragers, not hunters. You don't need a degree in zoology to know that. Just your own common sense. Don't believe the perverts who enjoy hurting animals, or the callous dishonest farmers. Believe your own eyes. Just look at that low, squat body and lumbering gait: built for low-gravity stability while digging, and moving through dense undergrowth. Not for chasing down prey. Look at the small head and downward facing eyes: perfect for focusing on the ground directly in front of their nose to locate worms and insects, but giving them a very limited field of view for spotting or tracking moving animals. And take a look at those short stumpy legs: designed for power and endurance while excavating setts and turning over soil, making them incapable of the speed or agility required by true hunters. The physical traits you can see with your own eyes are the textbook definition of a specialised fossorial (digging) forager, not a predator. Because of this specific anatomy, badgers lack the biological machinery to actively hunt or target other mammals. They are overwhelmingly, scientifically, anatomically, blatantly obvious ground-level foragers. The idea that badgers systematically track or target hedgehogs is a narrative pushed by groups looking to justify culls, rather than an accurate description of badger biology. In reality, a badger's daily life revolves around patiently snuffling through the soil for worms and grubs, and any departure from this is a rare, situational event born of sheer desperation. So please remember this, next time some deviant shows you a hedgehog pelt, seeking your validation and inciting hatred towards these innocent animals.

144,306 views • 17 days ago

Look how happy she is!😍 Taking a prize home to her hungry babies. This is the desperate badger mum who came into my garden looking for anything to eat, and left with nothing. The following evening I put some food out for her in the woods, where I know she visits (to drink from the water I leave out there daily for wildlife). I left good quality dry cat food for her to eat, and slices of Chubb Roll and chopped apples and pears to take home to her cubs. While textbook badger behaviour states they don't carry food to cubs, extreme environmental stress forces wildlife to adapt and break the rules, and as there's zero natural forage in this drought, clearly that's what this clever mum was doing. She spent the whole night there. After all these weeks of deprivation and stress it must have felt like Christmas for this sweet mum. She made several trips back to her sett with food, in between eating for herself and resting and drinking. Just before dawn she covered up what was left, and went to bed full and content. I'm so happy. Badger's history:

Look how happy she is!😍 Taking a prize home to her hungry babies. This is the desperate badger mum who came into my garden looking for anything to eat, and left with nothing. The following evening I put some food out for her in the woods, where I know she visits (to drink from the water I leave out there daily for wildlife). I left good quality dry cat food for her to eat, and slices of Chubb Roll and chopped apples and pears to take home to her cubs. While textbook badger behaviour states they don't carry food to cubs, extreme environmental stress forces wildlife to adapt and break the rules, and as there's zero natural forage in this drought, clearly that's what this clever mum was doing. She spent the whole night there. After all these weeks of deprivation and stress it must have felt like Christmas for this sweet mum. She made several trips back to her sett with food, in between eating for herself and resting and drinking. Just before dawn she covered up what was left, and went to bed full and content. I'm so happy. Badger's history:

116,759 views • 15 days ago

As we enter yet another week of drought conditions please, I beg you, put out water for the wildlife. They have nothing. No puddles. No ponds. No streams. All have dried up. Sometimes the birds are thought of and provided for. But the nocturnal animals go unseen. Unthought of. No kind dishes. Just the tantalising smell of water from a pond they may drown in, or a drain they may get trapped in. Or a stagnant, dirty old birdbath they may get fatal fluke from. Hedgehogs need to drink a lot of water to stay healthy. Please provide clean, fresh, safe, ground level water each evening for our precious nocturnal wildlife. Tap water is best. Pop a dish or two out tonight. Dying of thirst is a terrible, painful way to die. It should never happen to any animal, and certainly not in a country that has the safest tap water in the world. The few minutes it takes you to fill a dish will make the difference between life and death.❤️

As we enter yet another week of drought conditions please, I beg you, put out water for the wildlife. They have nothing. No puddles. No ponds. No streams. All have dried up. Sometimes the birds are thought of and provided for. But the nocturnal animals go unseen. Unthought of. No kind dishes. Just the tantalising smell of water from a pond they may drown in, or a drain they may get trapped in. Or a stagnant, dirty old birdbath they may get fatal fluke from. Hedgehogs need to drink a lot of water to stay healthy. Please provide clean, fresh, safe, ground level water each evening for our precious nocturnal wildlife. Tap water is best. Pop a dish or two out tonight. Dying of thirst is a terrible, painful way to die. It should never happen to any animal, and certainly not in a country that has the safest tap water in the world. The few minutes it takes you to fill a dish will make the difference between life and death.❤️

96,142 views • 1 month ago

Two minutes is all it took. Between me leaving the water for wildlife and the birds mobbing it. Just look at their delight!😍 Drinking and bathing - all that joy from just a turn of the tap from me. This week will be very hot and most natural sources of water have dried up. Please provide water for our wildlife. Day and night. You'll never find an easier, more satisfying way to save a life.

Two minutes is all it took. Between me leaving the water for wildlife and the birds mobbing it. Just look at their delight!😍 Drinking and bathing - all that joy from just a turn of the tap from me. This week will be very hot and most natural sources of water have dried up. Please provide water for our wildlife. Day and night. You'll never find an easier, more satisfying way to save a life.

154,077 views • 2 months ago

I introduced a food plate to my feeding station in the woods, in order to keep the area sanitary. For those wise enough to know they must always fear for their lives, the prospect is daunting. Could it be a trap? Could the food be a lure? Life is hard and scary for the lone fox cub, with no siblings to bolster his confidence. The little cub had to find his own courage.

I introduced a food plate to my feeding station in the woods, in order to keep the area sanitary. For those wise enough to know they must always fear for their lives, the prospect is daunting. Could it be a trap? Could the food be a lure? Life is hard and scary for the lone fox cub, with no siblings to bolster his confidence. The little cub had to find his own courage.

15,198 views • 7 days ago

A trail cam not only allows you to keep an eye on your hedgehog house, and its occupant's health. Even now, while your hedgehog hibernates, you'll discover all sorts of secret goings on in that nice tucked away undisturbed corner of your garden. (Footage here taken with a Victure HC100 Mini Wildlife Camera 16MP 1080P, around £42).

A trail cam not only allows you to keep an eye on your hedgehog house, and its occupant's health. Even now, while your hedgehog hibernates, you'll discover all sorts of secret goings on in that nice tucked away undisturbed corner of your garden. (Footage here taken with a Victure HC100 Mini Wildlife Camera 16MP 1080P, around £42).

294,849 views • 8 months ago

Hedgehogs are great creatures of habit, and will always return to the same spot to hibernate, if they can. Darling Belina has already returned here, to 'her' pen, and is beginning to prepare for hibernation this year. With the prolonged drought conditions forcing trees to drop their fruit and leaves early, and the absence of natural food, the signs and smells of approaching autumn have arrived very prematurely this year, so hedgehogs are likely to enter hibernation early. So now is the ideal time to check any empty hedgehog houses in your garden, to ensure they are still weatherproof, and give them a good clean out. Please always use the stick test first, to make absolutely sure the house doesn't have a resident (see below). Once the houses are completely dry, line them with newspaper and stuff them full to the brim with clean dry hay. Then poke your hand inside the hay, through the doorway, and flatten down an area, to make an inviting cosy nest. (scroll to the bottom of this website page to see a How-To video of making up a house: Don't worry if the house already has a resident. Just fill a large flowerpot or bucket with fresh hay and lie it on its side, next to the house, so the resident can help themselves to clean sheets.😊 Hedgehogs build 2, sometime 3 hibernation nests, just in case their chosen nest becomes endangered or flooded. This forward-thinking means they always have a safe warm ready-made shelter to move straight into, at a time when dry nesting material would be impossible to find, and they wouldn't have the energy to build. Isn't that clever? Belina's history:

Hedgehogs are great creatures of habit, and will always return to the same spot to hibernate, if they can. Darling Belina has already returned here, to 'her' pen, and is beginning to prepare for hibernation this year. With the prolonged drought conditions forcing trees to drop their fruit and leaves early, and the absence of natural food, the signs and smells of approaching autumn have arrived very prematurely this year, so hedgehogs are likely to enter hibernation early. So now is the ideal time to check any empty hedgehog houses in your garden, to ensure they are still weatherproof, and give them a good clean out. Please always use the stick test first, to make absolutely sure the house doesn't have a resident (see below). Once the houses are completely dry, line them with newspaper and stuff them full to the brim with clean dry hay. Then poke your hand inside the hay, through the doorway, and flatten down an area, to make an inviting cosy nest. (scroll to the bottom of this website page to see a How-To video of making up a house: Don't worry if the house already has a resident. Just fill a large flowerpot or bucket with fresh hay and lie it on its side, next to the house, so the resident can help themselves to clean sheets.😊 Hedgehogs build 2, sometime 3 hibernation nests, just in case their chosen nest becomes endangered or flooded. This forward-thinking means they always have a safe warm ready-made shelter to move straight into, at a time when dry nesting material would be impossible to find, and they wouldn't have the energy to build. Isn't that clever? Belina's history:

12,575 views • 9 days ago

Solomon and Marshall have finished their course of ringworm treatment baths but still have a few stubborn mange scabs. Normally I would soften them by the daily application of Thursdays Plantation Tea Tree cream, but Solomon in particular hates the smell, so here I'm using pure aloe vera gel instead. It's very labour intensive as you can imagine, but it works extremely well, and nothing worth having comes easy.🥰

Solomon and Marshall have finished their course of ringworm treatment baths but still have a few stubborn mange scabs. Normally I would soften them by the daily application of Thursdays Plantation Tea Tree cream, but Solomon in particular hates the smell, so here I'm using pure aloe vera gel instead. It's very labour intensive as you can imagine, but it works extremely well, and nothing worth having comes easy.🥰

284,982 views • 11 months ago

Deer like their pears cut up for them, please and thank you very much.😊 They are used to eating windfall fruit, which is soft and mushy, so fresh pears are a bit challenging. So now I dutifully cut up the apples and pears I leave for the badger and foxes, and this sweet deer finishes off their leftovers in the morning. Such a calming, pleasant and satisfying sight, isn't it?

Deer like their pears cut up for them, please and thank you very much.😊 They are used to eating windfall fruit, which is soft and mushy, so fresh pears are a bit challenging. So now I dutifully cut up the apples and pears I leave for the badger and foxes, and this sweet deer finishes off their leftovers in the morning. Such a calming, pleasant and satisfying sight, isn't it?

12,583 views • 10 days ago

There was a terrible smell coming from pen number 4, in the lodge. I knew no one was living there, because nothing had moved; it was spotless still from the last clean, and the food in there had been untouched for 3 days. When I opened the house, where the terrible smell was coming from, I found Arthur. Laying on his side, dying from a severely infected wound to his head. He was lying in a puddle of stinking pus, and had been lying like that, unable to move or eat or drink for 3 days. The pain just too much for him. This darling boy who, just 3 weeks ago, had been successfully treated and rid of the lungworm which was killing him, made fit and well and shining with health and released back into the wild. This darling boy, who had made us laugh with his gentle persistent moves on the girl of his dreams. This sweet gentle boy, who had left the safety of home, led by his hormones to neighbouring gardens, where he had been casually dealt a death blow by someone strimming grass that offended their eye by growing wild and free where they demanded order and obedience. As I carried Arthur into the hospital, I swatted away flies, hungry for the smell of death on him. I've drained a massive abscess and started him on antibiotics and pain relief. I really have no idea if he can overcome this, it's just a matter of time, and waiting. I'm just so grateful (and deeply touched) that this poor boy used the last of his strength to get home, where he knew he'd be safe. Please. Don't strim.

There was a terrible smell coming from pen number 4, in the lodge. I knew no one was living there, because nothing had moved; it was spotless still from the last clean, and the food in there had been untouched for 3 days. When I opened the house, where the terrible smell was coming from, I found Arthur. Laying on his side, dying from a severely infected wound to his head. He was lying in a puddle of stinking pus, and had been lying like that, unable to move or eat or drink for 3 days. The pain just too much for him. This darling boy who, just 3 weeks ago, had been successfully treated and rid of the lungworm which was killing him, made fit and well and shining with health and released back into the wild. This darling boy, who had made us laugh with his gentle persistent moves on the girl of his dreams. This sweet gentle boy, who had left the safety of home, led by his hormones to neighbouring gardens, where he had been casually dealt a death blow by someone strimming grass that offended their eye by growing wild and free where they demanded order and obedience. As I carried Arthur into the hospital, I swatted away flies, hungry for the smell of death on him. I've drained a massive abscess and started him on antibiotics and pain relief. I really have no idea if he can overcome this, it's just a matter of time, and waiting. I'm just so grateful (and deeply touched) that this poor boy used the last of his strength to get home, where he knew he'd be safe. Please. Don't strim.

621,090 views • 2 years ago

As we enter yet another week of drought conditions please, I beg you, put out water for the animals. Our nocturnal wildlife is dying of thirst. A terrible, painful way to die. And you hold the solution, the cure. A turn of the tap will save a life.🚰 So get out your casserole pot lids, your flan dishes, your old baking trays - anything that is shallow and wide and not easily tipped. It doesn't matter what it looks like, this is an emergency. Put them out at dusk, front and back garden. Your local charity shop will have loads of suitable water dishes - so with one simple act of kindness you can benefit so many.🥰 Keep them clean. Keep them full. Keep them coming. Please share this to save a life today.

As we enter yet another week of drought conditions please, I beg you, put out water for the animals. Our nocturnal wildlife is dying of thirst. A terrible, painful way to die. And you hold the solution, the cure. A turn of the tap will save a life.🚰 So get out your casserole pot lids, your flan dishes, your old baking trays - anything that is shallow and wide and not easily tipped. It doesn't matter what it looks like, this is an emergency. Put them out at dusk, front and back garden. Your local charity shop will have loads of suitable water dishes - so with one simple act of kindness you can benefit so many.🥰 Keep them clean. Keep them full. Keep them coming. Please share this to save a life today.

43,312 views • 1 month ago

We had a little rain yesterday here in Hampshire, the first serious shower for over 50 days, and already the life it brings has made a difference. Worms are back on the menu again, as this dear fox so beautifully demonstrates. Catching worms without snapping them takes practice, and a technique this juvenile has been forced to master. The fact he is actively hunting them, when earthworms normally provide such a small part of a fox's diet, illustrates just how hard any other food is to find. So please continue providing food, especially for your visiting hedgehogs, as your good safe balanced nutrition is a life saver.

We had a little rain yesterday here in Hampshire, the first serious shower for over 50 days, and already the life it brings has made a difference. Worms are back on the menu again, as this dear fox so beautifully demonstrates. Catching worms without snapping them takes practice, and a technique this juvenile has been forced to master. The fact he is actively hunting them, when earthworms normally provide such a small part of a fox's diet, illustrates just how hard any other food is to find. So please continue providing food, especially for your visiting hedgehogs, as your good safe balanced nutrition is a life saver.

13,028 views • 11 days ago

I really have seen every make and model of bird enjoy this water. Some so surprising, like this buzzard and jays. Yet through them all, the squirrel still photobombs.😁

I really have seen every make and model of bird enjoy this water. Some so surprising, like this buzzard and jays. Yet through them all, the squirrel still photobombs.😁

66,839 views • 2 months ago

Hedgehogs can live as long as dogs. But the sad reality is, very few are lucky enough to see their third birthday. Vinnie is a rare exception. Although it's impossible to accurately age a hedgehog, I would say he's close to 10 years old. This clever, resourceful old boy has managed to survive the odds. But now he needs help. Sweet old Vinnie has every ailment a hedgehog can suffer from. Aside from having roundworm and lungworm, his skin is in a dreadful state, so I'm spraying him daily with a cooling, moisturing medication, and bathing him every 3rd day in a treatment for his ringworm and scabies. This bath is warm and slightly oily, so it soothes his itching and relieves his tight dry skin.

Hedgehogs can live as long as dogs. But the sad reality is, very few are lucky enough to see their third birthday. Vinnie is a rare exception. Although it's impossible to accurately age a hedgehog, I would say he's close to 10 years old. This clever, resourceful old boy has managed to survive the odds. But now he needs help. Sweet old Vinnie has every ailment a hedgehog can suffer from. Aside from having roundworm and lungworm, his skin is in a dreadful state, so I'm spraying him daily with a cooling, moisturing medication, and bathing him every 3rd day in a treatment for his ringworm and scabies. This bath is warm and slightly oily, so it soothes his itching and relieves his tight dry skin.

409,521 views • 1 year ago

My original water tub was always so busy, with animals queuing up to use it, that I put out a second tub on the other side of the dried out stream. That too was quickly mobbed by thirsty wildlife. And of course my little squirrel photobomber found me.🥰 Please provide water for wildlife.

My original water tub was always so busy, with animals queuing up to use it, that I put out a second tub on the other side of the dried out stream. That too was quickly mobbed by thirsty wildlife. And of course my little squirrel photobomber found me.🥰 Please provide water for wildlife.

49,102 views • 2 months ago

The ground has been baked so dry and rock hard that the Red Kites are coming down in my garden to eat the leftover cat food I put out for the foxes. Earthworms and beetles make up a major part of a red kite's diet and, just like our hedgehogs, they can starve in prolonged hot dry weather. Their natural prey is inaccessible, as it has burrowed deep down into the earth, where the soil is still moist. Our hedgehogs are now starving too, so as well as clean water, please put out a dish of dry cat/kitten food each evening. Any type or flavour, as long as meat is the first listed ingredient. Thank you.❤️

The ground has been baked so dry and rock hard that the Red Kites are coming down in my garden to eat the leftover cat food I put out for the foxes. Earthworms and beetles make up a major part of a red kite's diet and, just like our hedgehogs, they can starve in prolonged hot dry weather. Their natural prey is inaccessible, as it has burrowed deep down into the earth, where the soil is still moist. Our hedgehogs are now starving too, so as well as clean water, please put out a dish of dry cat/kitten food each evening. Any type or flavour, as long as meat is the first listed ingredient. Thank you.❤️

40,969 views • 1 month ago

If anyone knows these boys, who stole a tub of water (labelled "Water for Wildlife, Please Do Not Remove") from the dehydrated desperate wildlife in the Phoenix Green woods on Dilly Lane, Hartley Wintney, at 7pm last night, and stole the small bird's water dish, and destroyed the safety ramp from the tub, please explain to them that this isn't a game. This water is the difference between life and death to these poor animals. It broke my heart this morning to watch footage of these desperate animals searching the ground where the life saving water was. And watching small birds, whose own water dish had been stolen, trying and failing to get to the water left in the tub - seeing it but unable to safely reach it. Please share this on other social media platforms. Please don't be angry or rude to these children, we all did bad stuff when we were kids. But they need to understand the consequences of their thoughtless actions. We must teach kindness and tolerance to animals.

If anyone knows these boys, who stole a tub of water (labelled "Water for Wildlife, Please Do Not Remove") from the dehydrated desperate wildlife in the Phoenix Green woods on Dilly Lane, Hartley Wintney, at 7pm last night, and stole the small bird's water dish, and destroyed the safety ramp from the tub, please explain to them that this isn't a game. This water is the difference between life and death to these poor animals. It broke my heart this morning to watch footage of these desperate animals searching the ground where the life saving water was. And watching small birds, whose own water dish had been stolen, trying and failing to get to the water left in the tub - seeing it but unable to safely reach it. Please share this on other social media platforms. Please don't be angry or rude to these children, we all did bad stuff when we were kids. But they need to understand the consequences of their thoughtless actions. We must teach kindness and tolerance to animals.

202,279 views • 1 year ago

Despite claims to the contrary, snap rat traps don't conveniently land on the neck, killing quickly. More often than not they land on the legs, or one paw, or in baby hedgehog Odette's case, across the pelvis. It takes days for the trapped animal to die, in agony, starving, dehydrating. The will to live is strong in all animals and the trapped struggle for their lives, sometimes degloving entire paws or feet. It's a barbaric, utterly inhumane device. Little Odette (named after the crippled swan in Swan Lake), only 320g, was spotted by a lovely lady on her way to work, who called for advice. If not for this compassionate woman's swift actions this poor animal would have suffered a slow, torturous, agonising death. Once here, I saw the rat trap was not legal, the apertures were too big (the maximum for a tunnel type trap is 51cm, and this was 65cm), and my keys didn't fit so I called the company and they kindly sent someone over from Surrey. There's no sound on this camera, and my gesticulating is me telling the man to be gentle (he'd assumed the hedgehog was dead, and was shocked she had survived and was still alive), and that the size of the entry hole is a legislative violation - making the harm done to Odette a wildlife crime. Miraculously I couldn't feel any breaks, and her circulation is intact. There's a lot of bruising, swelling and tenderness, but although it's only been one full day, I'm cautiously optimistic for dear baby Odette's recovery.

Despite claims to the contrary, snap rat traps don't conveniently land on the neck, killing quickly. More often than not they land on the legs, or one paw, or in baby hedgehog Odette's case, across the pelvis. It takes days for the trapped animal to die, in agony, starving, dehydrating. The will to live is strong in all animals and the trapped struggle for their lives, sometimes degloving entire paws or feet. It's a barbaric, utterly inhumane device. Little Odette (named after the crippled swan in Swan Lake), only 320g, was spotted by a lovely lady on her way to work, who called for advice. If not for this compassionate woman's swift actions this poor animal would have suffered a slow, torturous, agonising death. Once here, I saw the rat trap was not legal, the apertures were too big (the maximum for a tunnel type trap is 51cm, and this was 65cm), and my keys didn't fit so I called the company and they kindly sent someone over from Surrey. There's no sound on this camera, and my gesticulating is me telling the man to be gentle (he'd assumed the hedgehog was dead, and was shocked she had survived and was still alive), and that the size of the entry hole is a legislative violation - making the harm done to Odette a wildlife crime. Miraculously I couldn't feel any breaks, and her circulation is intact. There's a lot of bruising, swelling and tenderness, but although it's only been one full day, I'm cautiously optimistic for dear baby Odette's recovery.

32,521 views • 1 month ago

This is the importance of hedges. If you have them, please keep them. Unlike fences they won't blow down, won't ever need painting or mending, and they protect and sustain our precious wildlife. This is Arthur at dawn, leaving Hedgehog Cabin where there are over 20 houses and pens, all warm and dry and safe with food nearby, to sleep away the day in my neighbour's hedge. Even though they have a dog. That's how important they are. Under that hedge, where the sun never reaches, the air is cool and dry, but fresh. Nature's rare and perfect atmosphere we can never imitate.

This is the importance of hedges. If you have them, please keep them. Unlike fences they won't blow down, won't ever need painting or mending, and they protect and sustain our precious wildlife. This is Arthur at dawn, leaving Hedgehog Cabin where there are over 20 houses and pens, all warm and dry and safe with food nearby, to sleep away the day in my neighbour's hedge. Even though they have a dog. That's how important they are. Under that hedge, where the sun never reaches, the air is cool and dry, but fresh. Nature's rare and perfect atmosphere we can never imitate.

285,834 views • 2 years ago

Orphaned baby Keto has a family!🥰 I'm delighted to say that dear little Keto responded very well to treatment and is now more than double his admission weight. This poor little scrap is now well nourished, his skin has recovered, and he's grown new spines and fur. Isn't that amazing? His broken leg is well on the mend too, and Keto hardly limps at all now. But best of all, this poor orphaned baby has a family. I released him into the winter cabin where he first self admitted, and where Anya and her babies still live. Anya ignored him, as all good mums of weaned babies would, and her boys accepted him as a long lost brother, sharing their food and bed with him. Keto's history:

Orphaned baby Keto has a family!🥰 I'm delighted to say that dear little Keto responded very well to treatment and is now more than double his admission weight. This poor little scrap is now well nourished, his skin has recovered, and he's grown new spines and fur. Isn't that amazing? His broken leg is well on the mend too, and Keto hardly limps at all now. But best of all, this poor orphaned baby has a family. I released him into the winter cabin where he first self admitted, and where Anya and her babies still live. Anya ignored him, as all good mums of weaned babies would, and her boys accepted him as a long lost brother, sharing their food and bed with him. Keto's history:

13,627 views • 26 days ago