Scratchy's back on Sunday night...

...and so is her friend:

Two hogs on Saturday night

Here's Scratchy and another hog quite happily eating together, with no headbutting or nasty behaviour going on. In fact, halfway through the video they seem to be getting rather friendly!

Elsa watches the birdies

Thankfully, the local birds seem to have realised that we have a cat again and are giving our garden a miss. I do miss watching them, but on the upside they aren't getting killed!

RSPCA: Hedgehog numbers may be at risk from rat poison

Wednesday, 26, Aug 2009 12:00

New scientific research aided by the RSPCA has for the first time found that rat and mice poison may be having an effect on the welfare of hedgehogs.

The new study shows that anticoagulants, which are a group of chemicals used to kill rodents by preventing the blood from clotting, have shown up in significant levels in the hedgehogs studied. This could have an impact on their survival, breeding success or mobility.

RSPCA’s Wildlife Scientific Officer Sophie Adwick said “All four of the RSPCA’s Wildlife Centres, along with other establishments, supplied scientists at the University of Bristol with the carcasses of 120 hedgehogs that had died or were put to sleep due to illness or injury. The findings of this study are a great surprise and may have a significant impact on how these poisons are used in the future, so I’m pleased that our RSPCA Centres were able to contribute to this important study.”

Dr Claire Dowding, from the University of Bristol, who carried out the research said “the number of hedgehogs affected is quite worrying. It’s difficult to tell exactly how these animals are exposed to the chemicals. They may be eating them directly, scavenging on dead rodents that have been killed by the poison or eating their favourite diet of slugs and snails that have fed on the poison bait. Slugs and snails are not affected by anticoagulants because their blood is different, but they will retain poisonous residues.”

Out of the 120 hedgehogs sampled, 80 of them had been exposed to these poisons, Claire said “this high figure really is of concern and might be one of the reasons why the British hedgehog population is thought to be declining”.

Sophie added “The findings of this study mean that we must ensure these poisons are used with even greater care. Because they are widely available and the most common form of rodent control, we would urge people to bear in mind the wider problems these are now thought to cause, and use them responsibly.”

Hundreds of hedgehogs are admitted to RSPCA Wildlife Centres every year, usually because youngsters born late in the season will not have had enough time to build up sufficient fat reserves to survive hibernation. Once their weight has been increased they are released back into the wild. Sadly some are too ill to rescue or have suffered some sort of injury, only in these cases are the animals are put to sleep.

Information regarding the rescue and rehabilitation work that RSPCA Wildlife Centres carry out can be found online at www.rspca.org.uk/wildlife where you can also listen to the monthly wildlife podcast.

http://www.politics.co.uk/opinion-formers/press-releases/animal-welfare/rspca-hedgehog-numbers-may-be-at-risk-from-rat-poison-$1321465$366366.htm

The return of the Hog videos!

The laptop is working again which means more Hog videos! For tonight's videos I set up the camera facing the shrub from where the little hog has been appearing for the last couple of weeks.

Except, this footage reveals two small-ish hedgehogs. The one in the clips following the first fade out has markings on its back and a bit of an itch. This little hog is a frequent visitor who I call Scratchy!

Elsa watches the hogs

Elsa has been out in the garden after dark again. I think she enjoys watching the hedgehogs as much as I do. Trouble is, she tends to follow them, and I don't think the hogs know what to make of her. The hog in the above photos was hiding by the courgettes. (And I wish I'd seen those slugs at the time!)

Look who's back, same time, same place

Sleeping hedgehog in the feeding station

I wasn't going to post again tonight, but I have just found something that worries me. At 11:30pm I went outside to check the levels of food in the feeding station before locking up and going to bed, and I noticed a large hedgehog in the feeding station. At first I thought it was eating, then I realised it was facing the doorway in the box and was very still. Looking closely, the hedgehog appears to be sleeping. I touched it gently and it lowered its brow protectively, as hedgehogs do, but I don't think it was really aware of me.

This isn't the first time I have found a hedgehog motionless in the feeding station, but at least last time the hog seemed to be awake.

I confess that I am concerned and not sure what to do. I'm thinking perhaps I should put something into the box to make it warmer for the hog. I'll wait up a little while longer and keep an eye on it. Fingers crossed that it's going to be OK.

UPDATE: I just checked again, approximately 10 minutes later, and the hedgehog is now awake and eating. I shall check again a little later.

Has anyone else out there ever experienced anything like this?

UPDATE #2: 00:08am - OK... good news. The hedgehog has left the feeding station, which implies that it is feeling alright now. Hopefully it'll find somewhere warmer next time it fancies a sleep.

Little hog by the back door again tonight

It's funny how hedgehogs get into their little routines for a few days at a time and then drift out of them. This little hog, pictured above, has been appearing in the same place near the back door shortly after 9:00pm every night now since early last week.

I leave you tonight with the following news item from The Telegraph:

The funniest joke at this year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe has been picked by a panel of critics.

"Hedgehogs. Why can't they just share the hedge?" won the accolade for London comic Dan Antopolski, 36, who is known for his surreal stand up routines.

Nine comedy critics sifted through more than 3,600 minutes of material to find the winner of the Dave Award for the Funniest Joke of the Fringe.

They each had a pool of around 7,200 different jokes to choose from, based on estimates of the average comedian telling two jokes per minute, organisers said.

Shortlisted jokes were put up for the public vote, with more than 3,000 comedy fans choosing the funniest.

With nearly 18 per cent of votes, Antopolski took top spot and walked away with a trophy from TV channel Dave and a £1,000 cash prize.

The joke was taken from the Perrier Award-nominee's show Silent But Deadly.

(Telegraph.co.uk)

I can only comment that if that was the funniest joke, I'm glad I missed the rest of it.

There was a noisy munching on Sunday night...

...here's the culprit!