Feed the hedgehogs, and cats, and slugs, and birds..., the law fo unintened consequences Options

[Andy Capp]

A while back we had a resident hedgehog that was under weight for the time of year. We started to leave out cat food in an attempt to fatten it for the winter. We cannot be sure that it worked, but of course, an act of apparent kindness can come with its penalties.

Naturally we started to see other cats come to help themselves, which is rather undesirable from their owners point of view, although the local ferals might appreciate the easy access to food - not to mention their prey: various small mammals.

After a while we started to notice the local snail and slug population took an interest too. What a tremendous sense of smell they have! I happen to think slugs and snails are kind of cute in a fascinating kind of way.

We recently saw a mother thrush feeding its young adults (thrushes are lazy hunters) from the same bowl! So now we see a group of regular thrushes coming to help themselves too, despite the bowl being up against the back door.


I don't advocate any of this (its difficult to get Mrs AC to stop doing it) as wild life shouldn't really eat shared processed food, but I find it fascinating nevertheless.

[Biker1]

A while back we had a resident hedgehog that was under weight for the time of year. We started to leave out cat food in an attempt to fatten it for the winter. We cannot be sure that it worked, but of course, an act of apparent kindness can come with its penalties.

Naturally we started to see other cats come to help themselves, which is rather undesirable from their owners point of view, although the local ferals might appreciate the easy access to food - not to mention their prey: various small mammals.

After a while we started to notice the local snail and slug population took an interest too. What a tremendous sense of smell they have! I happen think slugs and snails are kind of cute in a fascinating kind of way.

We recently saw a mother thrush feeding its young adults (thrushes are lazy hunters) from the same bowl! So now we see a group of regular thrushes coming to help themselves too, despite the bowl being up against the back door.


I don't advocate any of this (its difficult to get Mrs AC to stop doing it) as wild life shouldn't really eat shared processed food, but I find it fascinating nevertheless.

Is this the new, alternative "Country Matters" column then Andy?
Glad to see some take an interest in what's going on around them nature wise.
The garden, even a small one, can be a fascinating place.

[Nothing Much]

(This is not a post from me) ... Some time ago I was tidying leaves and picked up a sleeping hedgehog.
It was the weight of Sainsbury's finest Maris Pipers. I was so surprised that I dropped it.

Birds are odd too put out some niger seeds and woosh. You have a flock Redwings in an instant.

As for slugs, there was one that had escaped from my garden refuse bag.I threw it onto the street tree nearby.
A half day later it had managed to scale half way up my house. Determined critter.
ce

[Dodgys smarter b...]

Some years ago we had a fox turn up through a hole in the fence at the back of the garden, it was not in a good state.(actually, that applies to both the fox and the fence) It turned up three or four days in a row, and stood around just looking hungry.

I bought some cans of dog-food for it. Put it down in a bowl and waited. Sure enough, the fox wouldn't touch it. Just stood around looking hungry.

Popped in to local Vet to ask what I should do for the best. He said, (and I kid you not) stick it in a sandwich, the cereal makes all the difference. So, off back home to make dog food sandwiches.

Couldn't help but feel that the Vet may have been having a laugh.

But No.

Pile of sandwiches demolished, followed by the fox bringing, one by one, various members of it's family for a meal.

Still have no idea how it all works. But work it did.

[Nothing Much]

On topic ce. There is a website that identifies fox poo and no one picks it up.

Strangely being both urban and rural I am more troubled with urban. Actually I am not that bothered.
I was surprised with a quite nice looking one looking through the glass back door.One evening.
Luckily I am not a goat.
ce

[On the edge]

It all goes broadly un noticed - but quite amazing when you look. Even rats, I know no one wants them around etc. etc, but when I see a sleek young one caught by the trap, always a pang of regret. Very sleek looking animals.

[Penelope]

I find peanuts bring in the badgers, particularly after a long dry spell. We feed the hedgehog the odd bit of cat food and sometimes the bashers eat the hedgehogs. We find that Niger seed brings in the goldfinches mainly.

[Andy Capp]

The thrush was quite interesting. The mother would land with her brood (usually a pair it would seem). The young would stand under the hedge at the far end of the patio, and the mother would bounce up to the bowl by our back door, collect some food, then go back and stuff it down their throats. It is amusing because the young look almost fully grown.

I feel guilty of course, because I fear the thrushes have not leaned about woms and slugs, etc. But it is amusing seeing them bounce past the slugs, straight to the cat food under our patio door!


Incidentally, we have house martins nested in the gable too. It is cute hearing them chatter, even at night.

[On the edge]

Suspect any help they get is all to the good - their numbers are declining.

[Nothing Much]

In Norfolk ,a long way from Newbury. there used to be hundreds of sparrows making a fuss.
In London during the same time. They have all gone.

Thrushes are a delight, Blackbirds are daft. We often have 3 broods of swallows.
The swifts are fine.
ce

[Penelope]

We have shedloads of sparrers as well as blackbirds but very few thrushes.

[Penelope]

Suspect any help they get is all to the good - their numbers are declining.

Quite right, however it is important to maintain high hygiene standards when feeding. Did you know that when starlings incorporate rosemary into their nests the chicks have a higher survival rate?

[lordtup]

This is one of those posts that literally starts in our own back garden but the ripples of concern resonate across the globe. The local fauna and flora has been decimated in my life time which is a blink in evolutionary terms but emphasises the very dire position nature finds herself in. The fact that the presence of a hedgehog ,undernourished or not ,in someones garden is in itself quite rare ( one sees more on the road...flat ).
We are all aware that we have had 5 mass extinctions in the four and a half billion years that we have been whizzing round the sun and one must conclude that number 6 is long overdue.
Though the cause is variable from volcanic activity in the Ordovician to the Yucatan asteroid in the Cretaceous ( bye bye dinosaur ),the catalyst appears to be an increase in CO2 ( global warming credence ?).
Now I am not suggesting the world is going to end tomorrow or in the next 500 years but the writing is on the wall and end it will ( well life as we know it ).Some species will survive and evolve into new ones that will be adaptable to the new world and probably form local debating groups....
Incidentally the reason the fox wouldn't touch the raw meat is that they are extremely wary of fresh meat preferring to bury their "kill" and digging it up a few days later. By putting it in bread it had the effect of masking the smell. Yum yum

[spartacus]

I don't advocate any of this as wild life shouldn't really eat shared processed food, but I find it fascinating nevertheless.

Think of the salt content... (Not to mention the E numbers.................)
All this well-meaning stuff is not really doing much for ensuring Mr & Mrs Tiddlywinks the hedgehog spawns the next 'better and best' version of the hedgehog genus either and is throwing the whole 'survival of the fittest' theory into the bin really...
It's just developing a hedgehog version of our human TV generation of fat slobs who want dinner presented on a plate.....

[JeffG]

I'm in two minds about this. On the one hand it's admirable to be helping a hedgehog through a rough patch, but my thoughts are mainly with cat owners who may be worried that their cats are off their food, or who may be on special diets.

You need to put a big label on it: Hedgehogs only!

[Penelope]

Think of the salt content... (Not to mention the E numbers.................)
All this well-meaning stuff is not really doing much for ensuring Mr & Mrs Tiddlywinks the hedgehog spawns the next 'better and best' version of the hedgehog genus either and is throwing the whole 'survival of the fittest' theory into the bin really...
It's just developing a hedgehog version of our human TV generation of fat slobs who want dinner presented on a plate.....

As most of the problems wildlife currently suffer are (in the main) man made it does not do any harm to try to redress the balance, if only in a small way.

[Andy Capp]

I agree with all the above. We should use hedgehog food if anything, but Mrs AC has a weak heart when it comes to scrounging animals. I am, however, still fascinated by the slugs and snails being able to detect the food.

[Baffers100]

I agree with all the above. We should use hedgehog food if anything, but Mrs AC has a weak heart when it comes to scrounging animals. I am, however, still fascinated by the slugs and snails being able to detect the food.

I find the slugs appreciate a nice glass of beer. Doesn't help their survival, but keps them off my Dahlias!

[dannyboy]

I find the slugs appreciate a nice glass of beer. Doesn't help their survival, but keps them off my Dahlias!

it is the yeast they are attracted to.

[Jayjay]

I agree with all the above. We should use hedgehog food if anything, but Mrs AC has a weak heart when it comes to scrounging animals. I am, however, still fascinated by the slugs and snails being able to detect the food.

I have hedgehogs living behind the garden shed. Since they moved in three years ago, I have not seen a snail in the garden. I have never fed them as they seem healthy.