The Pikers Pit

Okay then, on (sadly) very rare occasions and always at night after some rain earlier in the day, I can see I get the rare visit from the local hedge-pigs. Twitching the curtains at about 11pm last night and there was a right big fatty' slowly trundling about the front grassed area, must have been on a slug hunt I guess. No idea where my rare visitors come from, I'm in a built up semi-urban area with the nearest green area about 100 mtrs' away.

What foods could I maybe leave out, without attracting rats of course? Been told milk is a no-no.

Cat food - the pellety stuff. Or 'hedgehog food' (which is probably rebagged cat food).

When we had the dry summer in the '90's young hedgies could be found looking for food during the day, often struggling along roadside gutters unable to climb out. NE ask if they could be collected and fed with tinned cat food until they gained sufficient weight to hibernate through the winter. Cannot remember the release weight but some of those picked up were almost skin and bone.
My local hedgie blundered into my rat cage, my wife fed it on worms until it went to sleep then left it beside its stickpile home, it trundled off when it got dark.
Its why I have a wormery, no good looking if you have a resident hedgie.

Whatever you do dont contact the Tiddywinkle idiots.

davelumb wrote: ↑Mon Aug 12 2019 08:50 -

Cat food - the pellety stuff. Or 'hedgehog food' (which is probably rebagged cat food).

Mmmm.............wouldn't I just be attracting/feeding the neighbourhood feline bird killers that way?

alan behenna wrote: ↑Mon Aug 12 2019 09:31 -

davelumb wrote: ↑Mon Aug 12 2019 08:50 -

Cat food - the pellety stuff. Or 'hedgehog food' (which is probably rebagged cat food).

Mmmm.............wouldn't I just be attracting/feeding the neighbourhood feline bird killers that way?

It's what hedgehog rescue places feed and recommend.

Hedgehogs will eat ANYTHING
My old gal used to chuck all the waste /leftover food in a heap down on the wormery compost heap. Some nights there would be more than a dozen of them grunting away stuffing themselves.
We had a load of rabbits in an outside enclosure, the feckers would sometimes climb over and steal the babies from the nests.
Eggs---they love em.

davelumb wrote: ↑Mon Aug 12 2019 08:50 -

Cat food - the pellety stuff. Or 'hedgehog food' (which is probably rebagged cat food).

Non fish cat or dog food.

Mealworms. Crushed / blended peanuts.

To keep cats away I have a made a feeding station from an old wine bottle case with some interior tunneling.

It's extremely important that you do not feed them mealworms. They will definitely scoff them but they cause some leg problem with the hedgehogs and as such are potentially deadly. I cant remember the exact problem tbh but I do know they are considered dangerous to hedgehogs. You can check it out via Google.

I feed mine, 'Spike's Dinner' from the pet shop/garden centre. They will eat cat food but, as you say, you have to contend with the local cat population. They will eat a variety of other stuff though. (Just not mealworms.)

Chris Hammond wrote: ↑Mon Aug 12 2019 17:57 -

It's extremely important that you do not feed them mealworms. They will definitely scoff them but they cause some leg problem with the hedgehogs and as such are potentially deadly. I cant remember the exact problem tbh but I do know they are considered dangerous to hedgehogs. You can check it out via Google.

I feed mine, 'Spike's Dinner' from the pet shop/garden centre. They will eat cat food but, as you say, you have to contend with the local cat population. They will eat a variety of other stuff though. (Just not mealworms.)

Will try putting out some "Spikes" for it/them and see what gives, should it be covered (getting wet?).

Definitely no milk or fish cat food

Chicken or beef cat or dog food dry or canned

If you have regular hogs at night feed them and when they have finished bring it in but I have seen a big hog scare off a cat

All the homes near me are putting holes in the concrete baces of wavy-lap fencing so they can wonder from garden to garden

Grant

alan behenna wrote: ↑Tue Aug 13 2019 09:53 -

Chris Hammond wrote: ↑Mon Aug 12 2019 17:57 -

It's extremely important that you do not feed them mealworms. They will definitely scoff them but they cause some leg problem with the hedgehogs and as such are potentially deadly. I cant remember the exact problem tbh but I do know they are considered dangerous to hedgehogs. You can check it out via Google.

I feed mine, 'Spike's Dinner' from the pet shop/garden centre. They will eat cat food but, as you say, you have to contend with the local cat population. They will eat a variety of other stuff though. (Just not mealworms.)

Will try putting out some "Spikes" for it/them and see what gives, should it be covered (getting wet?).

I made a sort of tapering box (with a hinged lid) about 900mm long, 150mm tall and about 150mm down to 50mm in width to put the feed in because I wasnt entirely sure that the local cats were not tucking into the hedgehog food as well Alan. I out the food in the middle and the hogs can reach it but the cats cannot. This also keeps the food relatively dry but I dont think it being wet would stop the hogs from eating it. It is semi moist to start with anyway. Wet cat food just attracts flies and eventually maggots. I guess dry catfood would be fine if you cobble together a cat proof feeder. Curiously if the hogs dont eat it on any particular night there are always slugs in my feeder next morning. I guess that just adds a meat course for the hogs. By their nature there will be nights when the food goes untouched. I just leave it where it is and it always disappears within a couple of nights.

Btw I also provide them with a bowl of water which I think can be every bit as important as food at times.

I haven't seen a hedgehog for a few years. The last time was when I was walking home from the pub one night and one was walking towards me along the pavement . I stopped , it stopped about 2 foot from my feet, looked up with an oh f**k expression on its face and shot into the nearest gateway. I'll never forget it ,it made me chuckle for a fair while.

Quite often used to see them in our garden but have not seen any for several years now although strangely we regularly still have their droppings on the lawn.

Chris Hammond wrote: ↑Tue Aug 13 2019 13:19 -

Btw I also provide them with a bowl of water which I think can be every bit as important as food at times.

My resident drinks from my bird trough which stands on a metal manhole cover, I always know when he's been as there is water splashed around.
My get a Dave cam and see if he climbs in for a swim??

Bird trough, nothing elaborate, just a £1.50 tray from a propagator, quality plastic. frost proof and lasts forever.

Mike J wrote: ↑Wed Aug 14 2019 08:54 -

Chris Hammond wrote: ↑Tue Aug 13 2019 13:19 -

Btw I also provide them with a bowl of water which I think can be every bit as important as food at times.

My resident drinks from my bird trough which stands on a metal manhole cover, I always know when he's been as there is water splashed around.
My get a Dave cam and see if he climbs in for a swim??

Bird trough, nothing elaborate, just a £1.50 tray from a propagator, quality plastic. frost proof and lasts forever.

The hogs in my garden use my little bird-bath/pond too Mike. My garden is terraced with two levels though so I put a terracotta plant-pot saucer of water out with the food on the bottom terrace as well. I've seen the resident hog that has bred in my hedgehog house using both to drink from. Any visiting hedgehog finds food and water as soon as it enters that way and I have noticed other visiting hogs too.

Saw one last night in garden