Purrs In Our Hearts - Cat Forum UK
Cat General => General Cat Chat => Topic started by: reneemaaa on August 01, 2007, 18:59:41 PM
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I've been feeding a stray, Claus, for about 2 months. During that time my OH was becoming worried as he seemed to be getting the food EVERYWHERE! Well, today we mowed the lawn (long over due!) and shortly afterwards we watch as a little hedgehog made straight for the shed and cat food, getting it EVERYWHERE! :rofl: Obviously we're feeding two, not one animal :)
Just wondering if Graham (for that is the hedgehogs name) is ok eating dry cat food? He must have been doing it for a few weeks and seems ok, but I don't want to think that it might be hurting him.
ren
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Not sure ... give Tiggywinkles Wildlife hospital a call they are very up on hedgehogs 24 hr phoneline help 01844 292 292
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ask mark :)
but yes i'm pretty sure, infact certain they actually recommend it for their teeth although wet food should also be given. (and water NO milk)
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Hedgeogs eat cat food? Blimey you learn something new everyday :)
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We have a resident hedgehog and it eats most things although have not tried dried food. It ate a dead bird one of the cats left, not a pleasent sound. We now leave it wet cat food and have had to get someone in to feed it as well as our visiting cats when we are away as Archie is going to the cattery. :evillaugh:
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I had a google and found out that cat food (dry, quality cat food) is recommended for them! Well then Graham has stumbled on a gold mine! :rofl:
We put out JamesWellbeloved for Claus (stray) and I think Graham is enjoying it too!
I have a bad photo of him:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v93/reneemaaa/hedgehog.jpg)
I just hope cat (Claus) and hedgehog (Graham) can co-exist in peace.
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Not sure ... give Tiggywinkles Wildlife hospital a call they are very up on hedgehogs 24 hr phoneline help 01844 292 292
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My quote from the other thread - fawt I'm sure I didn't post it on here :Crazy: (came in useful in the end then :evillaugh:)
yes they do eat dry food, cat biscuits are fine. I once bought some proper hedgehog biscuits and they were cat biscuits acherley!
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yes thats what i thought although dog food can be given aswell i'm sure cat food is preferable.
I'd give a mixture of wet and dry (dry must be very abnormal for an indomesticated animal) and of course plenty fresh water...that shouldnt be too hard given the current weather :evillaugh:
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I read up on it last year. light cat food is the best as they could gain too much weight on regular (sure regular is fine if thats all you have). I only give them regular late summer/early winter to help them build their fat store up as they need to weigh at least 600grams before hibernating. I always give them a pouch of wet and some dry. Also a bowl of water. It has to be a shallow bowl and one that can't be tipped over easily as they put both fron paws on the edge of the bowl when drinking.
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The hedgehog rescue lady I help out recommends chicken/turkey cat food - wet and dry. She reckons should just be food from white meat.
The ones I transport for her always get some of the cats chicken biscuits and they love them!
She also says they can have digestives and fruit and nut (as in the loose ones, not the ones covered in healthyfood!)
I hope Graham and Claus can live happily together.
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One thing I read said never give them any catfood with fish in - although at times I have if its all I have.
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Freya and Ivan (my babies, who the food is mainly for) don't like fish, so that's good! So far Claus and Graham seem to be living in harmony. Graham had definitely been in the shed before, he headed straight for it! Saying that, I suppose he might be a she... is it baby hedgehog season? *pictures a litter in her shed*
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I read that you should not feed hedgehogs food with fish in as well. Perhaps one of you can help. My small hedgehog lives in an old broken terracotta pot in bushes in the garden. Will it be alright to hibenate in this or should I be providing something else. Thanks Alison :-:
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Reneemaaa,
If you go onto the Tiggywinkles site it tells you on there exactly what foods you can and can't feed them.
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Alison is there anything else in the pot? If you could fill something with straw and leaves it would probably be better.
http://www.sttiggywinkles.org.uk/ (http://www.sttiggywinkles.org.uk/) they have fact sheets which may help you ;D
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The British Hedgehog Preservation Society also have a very useful website (can't remember exactly what it is tho)
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Thank you very much for your help, have just got back from holiday and read the replies.
The hedghog has dragged some leaves into the pot, its very sweet. After looking at Tiggtwinkles I will get a better structure sorted out in time for spiky to hibenate. Thanks again Alison
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Thank you very much for your help, have just got back from holiday and read the replies.
The hedghog has dragged some leaves into the pot, its very sweet. After looking at Tiggtwinkles I will get a better structure sorted out in time for spiky to hibenate. Thanks again Alison
ooooh Alson you are lucky having a hedgepig .... any pics of "spiky".
BTW if you need any snails for the little fella let me know I seem to be overrun with the slimy so and so's at the moment and they are all HUGE!!! :rofl:
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Oh No Sam! I am a big snail lover! Buy them a hosta to eat so they leave the rest of your garden alone......
My neighbours think I'm mad enough as it is but when they see me rescuing snails from the middle of the pavement to stop them being stood on I think they must despair!
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Buy them a hosta!!!!!! They've already had my foxgloves, sweet peas, polianthes and all my sunflowers ... I don't think they deserve a hosta as well! :rofl:
I have to admit I also save all the snails as well which is probably why I am over run with em! :rofl: :rofl:
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That's so generous giving them all those nice plants! They must know you're a softy for em and that's why they come to live with you. I just think they're fab ;D
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I found one of the babies in my bedroom last night. It seems every time I leave the back door open, they come in! :evillaugh:
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Will try and get a pic ture of spiky. I am overun with snails in my garden thats probably why I get quite a few hedgehog visitors! I have given up trying to grow certain plants.However spiky turns its nose up at snails as it much prefers catfood. :evillaugh:
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We do pick original names.
Mine is spike - although maybe should have been spikette as we have spikerella and spikina running around :evillaugh:
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Mark I think it's great the babies like to come into your house!
The last little hoodgeheg I collected had been named Harry by the kids
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I don't mind too much as I have the wood floor now. I am scared that one will get in and get stuck under the bed or something. After last week, I keep listening out for snuffling sounds. I am used to picking them up without gloves now as I can handle them more gently like that. If we do have a late summer, I am going to keep a close eye out for a 2nd litter this year and get them off to Lord Whisky sanctuary before it gets cold. Anyway, going by the sounds in the garden last night, they like JWB senior light - just as well as kylie wouldn't eat it! :evillaugh:
Now I have a new camera, I will try to get a pic of the young scrubbing brushes :evillaugh:
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Mark you are very lucky getting the baby spikelets come into your house. i have only picked one hedgehog up with the aid of gloves. it was tucking into a dead bird in the middle of a road near us and it was not very pleased at being parted from its meal. Spikey had a feast last night on sainsbury's chicken and turkey cat food. He steered well clear of the snails again! :evillaugh:
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I always give them clapton's left over food (usually adds up to about 2 or 3 pouches!) + some dry (they like JWB, Hills and PAH own :evillaugh: ) Also give them a bowl of water but has to be one they can't tip over as they stand on the edge ;D. It was only a young one - If you put your hands gently under their belly, you don't get spiked (much :evillaugh: ) I use the disposable paper plates to be on the safe side (46p for 25 in tesco ;D)
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The dogs found one under our back doorstep on Sunday. It think it was quite young but of a good weight. We de-ticked it as there were a couple of big ones on his back and he had one near his face. He was ever so good and after a while of holding him to get the ticks off he uncurled and was having a good sniff of my hand, he was very cute.
We released him over our local park. Very difficult to put him back in our garden with seven dogs on his tail all the time, :)
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I love hedgepigs!
My local one loves dry catfood, I put a bit out for the local waifs and strays and heard it being noisily crunched by the little spiky feller not long after.