Hedgehog nest

Discuss natural history subjects not strictly related to birds. Reports of interesting mammal, reptile, and invertebrate sightings are welcome.
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David Riddell
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Hedgehog nest

Postby David Riddell » Fri Nov 13, 2020 2:26 pm

Annette got the fright of her life this afternoon while weeding the edge of a shrubbery area when she uncovered a hedgehog nest! She was very concerned she may have inflicted some damage with the pointy end of her Japanese Niwashi gardening tool which she was wielding with great vigour against the creeping buttercup, but mother and the three babies all seem fine. The babies' eyes are not open, and they were making high-pitched squeaks, very like riflemen. Have put a clump of weeds back on top of them and are leaving them to it.
Hedgehog nest 20201113.jpg
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David Riddell
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Re: Hedgehog nest

Postby David Riddell » Mon Nov 16, 2020 9:28 am

Just an update - checked on them the following day (Saturday), the mother was gone and there were five babies. Thought they might have been abandoned, but just had another look, and she's constructed a tight little ball of dead leaves and debris under the weed clump. When I gently tried to pick it apart, a hoarse hissing noise issued from within! Not too worried about hedgehog predation here in the central Waikato, where there are no threatened ground nesting birds in the vicinity. The ground nesters we do have on the property (mallards, pukekos, pheasants, spur-winged plovers) are all doing fine.
hedgehog nest rebuilt 20201116_092334.jpg
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Neil Fitzgerald
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Re: Hedgehog nest

Postby Neil Fitzgerald » Wed Nov 18, 2020 9:39 pm

They are very cute. It is a shame they are out of place here.
Colin Miskelly
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Re: Hedgehog nest

Postby Colin Miskelly » Thu Nov 19, 2020 10:21 am

The hoarse hissing sound may have been a result of giving birth to five little bundles of prickles

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Jan
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Re: Hedgehog nest

Postby Jan » Thu Nov 26, 2020 11:15 am

As a kid in UK we used to find hedgehog babies often; when first born the little piglets have rubbery spines so giving birth, apart from the number involved, shouldn't be too traumatic, Colin. When our dorty was small, in our Chch garden we used to feed them dogfood under a sheet of plywood held up on bricks, until I discovered what pests they can be in NZ.
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David Riddell
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Re: Hedgehog nest

Postby David Riddell » Tue Dec 22, 2020 8:58 am

Spotted what I presume was the mother hedgehog last night with one of her babies, who was squeaking loudly as it wandered around on our driveway. Well after sunset hence the blurring on the baby. Have put up a short video on Youtube.
https://youtu.be/MLnmcWBi-Tg
hedgehog and baby 20201220_200940.jpg
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Jan
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Re: Hedgehog nest

Postby Jan » Tue Dec 22, 2020 9:52 am

There's a lovely youtube piece called Hedgehogs in the Garden

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