A prickly visitor calls by (From Gazette & Herald)

A prickly visitor calls by

A YOUNG hedgehog appeared in our garden this week and it did not seem at all worried or alarmed at our presence.

My wife and I were busy with our gardening chores when we noticed him.

He was snuffling around among some vegetation near a flight of steps and it was only when I started the lawnmower that he showed real concern.

The noise alarmed him and he tried to hide, but when the mower ceased, he resumed his foraging.

Even though we were working only a few feet away from him, he continued his hunt for food and we had no wish for him to leave our garden.

On the contrary, it is in our interests that he remains because hedgehogs are wonderful pest controllers, eating a range of creatures like slugs,

snails, beetles, caterpillars and other garden nuisances.

As we worked, he pottered around the borders and we could hear him snuffling and disturbing the vegetation as he explored our little patch of England.

Eventually, having finished my lawn mowing, I moved to another part of the garden and, as I stood on a path, I noticed my new friend heading towards me.

I thought my presence would alert him and cause him to dash for cover, but it didn't.

He came straight towards me, so I stood very still and eventually his flexible nose touched the toe of my shoe.

I must admit, I wondered about the strength of his eyesight because he seemed very interested in my old gardening shoe.

The eyesight of hedgehogs is not particularly good but I decided to test his and so I twitched my toes - the tip of the shoe moved, whereupon he

curled into a semi-ball state, remaining immobile until this new danger had passed.

I walked away from him and he remained as still as a stone for about ten minutes and, then, deciding it was safe to continue, he moved

away.

The last I saw of him was when he was trotting quite quickly along the path towards the compost heap. Since then, I have not seen him and have no idea whether or not he remains a guest in our garden.

The sight of a hedgehog in broad daylight is rather unusual because most of their activities are nocturnal, but young ones can often be spotted

during daylight hours. Likewise, sickly ones can also venture out during the day, but I don't think ours was ill.

I am sure it was a youngster because it was much smaller than some of those I've encountered

from time to time. Young ones are usually born in early summer although some litters may be born as late as September, but I must admit it was difficult to estimate the age of our visitor.

If a hedgehog does show an interest in your garden, he should be encouraged to remain. Putting out food is one method of making him feel

welcome, but bread and milk in a saucer is not recommended. Many people believe this will encourage hedgehogs and they might appear to enjoy it,

but cows' milk can cause illness or even death to them.

Bowls of muesli, cat food and dog food or merely a saucer of water will all be enjoyed by a hedgehog and if food is presented on regular occasions, a hedgehog can become surprisingly tame. I've heard of some who would refuse to leave after being fed on good quality dog food.

If you feed them too well, of course, they will not deal with your pests, but bearing in mind a hedgehog's natural diet of worms, slugs, snails

and so forth, one of the greatest risks at the present time comes from the amount of pesticide and slug pellets used in gardens.

If hedgehogs eat large quantities of pests which have been affected by these killers, the hedgehogs are then put in danger. The message is simple - if you want hedgehogs to help in your garden, don't use pesticides or slug pellets.

Other garden dangers include the use of strimmers which can kill or maim hedgehogs, and uncovered drains, swimming pools, ponds or other places in which a hedgehog can be trapped. In the winter, there is added risk that garden bonfires can burn them to death when hibernating.

In addition to problems in our gardens, it is estimated that around 100,000 hedgehogs are killed each year by motor vehicles on our roads.

Such is the concern at the number of deaths that it is now feared the hedgehog is in danger of becoming extinct. Certainly, there has been a dramatic fall in their numbers in this country, with some figures showing that only about a million of them are now living wild.

Some people do not like to handle hedgehogs, not only due to their prickly coats but because they are notoriously flea-ridden. Their fleas only affect hedgehogs, but you should not use cat or dog flea-sprays on them. These are too powerful and will cause harm.

In fact, you should not handle baby hedgehogs at all because the mother will scent the strange smell left by your hands and may desert them or even eat them.

Leave them alone and she will attend to them when she considers the time is right. Even in the hedgehog world, mother knows best.

Updated: 12:16 Wednesday, May 26, 2004