Hedgehogs are one of the most popular visitors to our gardens; these spiky animals are beloved throughout the country. These animals can be seen throughout the British Isles. And, they can also be seen throughout the World in different countries such as Australia. But, for this list, we shall look at the British Hedgehog.
There are many interesting hedgehog facts. We are going to look at the top five most interesting hedgehog facts about one of our favourite garden visitors. Let's start with number five!
#5 Cats And Hedgehogs
Cats don't usually attack Hedgehogs. These cute prickly animals have done something very few animals; they make sure that cats don't attack them, or eat them. This is one of our top five interesting hedgehog facts because cats usually kill and eat anything smaller than them.
Hedgehogs though are one of the rare exceptions for cats. Cats seem to leave hedgehogs alone. This is likely due to the Hedgehogs spikes, which are a defence mechanism that has evolved in Hedgehogs to stop animals such as cats attacking them.
Therefore, not only is the Hedgehog cute, and adorable, they have evolved to be smart at outsmarting their opponents.
#4 Dogs And Hedgehogs
On the other hand, Dogs are quite notorious for attacking Hedgehogs. So, if you have a dog, don't let them go near a Hedgehog, as they will attack the Hedgehog. Dogs will kill hedgehogs if you leave them with them.
It is not quite clear 'why' dogs attack Hedgehogs.
Surprisingly, Foxes don't seem to attack hedgehogs. It is surprising Foxes, and not dogs avoid, and refuse to attack Hedgehogs, given that Foxes are wild, and dogs are domesticated. It just goes to show, even though animals are 'domesticated', they always have that wild part in them too.
#3 Hedgehogs And Roads
The biggest threat to Hedgehogs is roads. This is one of the reasons which have caused the Hedgehog to decline massively over the past 50 years.
With more roads being built, and more 'development' destroying the green land, habitat erosion, and road building becomes deadly for Hedgehogs.
#2 Hedgehogs Shouldn't Be Out In Daylight
One of the top interesting hedgehog facts is that a hedgehog out during daylight hours is not a good sign. This is because these wild animals are nocturnal, meaning that they only come out during nighttime. If hedgehogs are out during daylight, it most likely means that they are ill.
Injured Hedgehogs are sometimes easy to spot. If you see a Hedgehog out during daylight hours, then he or she is likely to be sick or injured. If this is the case, then either care for the hedgehog or take the Hedgehog to your nearest vet/animal shelter.
If you wouldn't like to see the Hedgehog put down, then look after the Hedgehog yourself, and take him or her to the vet. Or, a no-kill shelter. The bigger shelters and charities often will kill injured wild animals, if they cannot release them back into the wild. But, smaller charities will usually look after the animals; these are no-kill charities and shelters.
To ensure your Hedgehog doesn't become sick or injured in your garden, keep the following in mind. Don't have any nets in the garden, because they can entangle Hedgehogs. Don't give Hedgehogs any milk or bread, as this can make them sick. And, don't use any chemicals in the garden which are often harmful to wildlife, such as, slug repellent.
#1 Decline In Hedgehogs
The last fact about Hedgehogs is their population.
Hedgehogs have declined massively in the British Isles, and in such a short period of time. In the 1950s, the Hedgehog population was around 50 to 55 million. Today their numbers are slightly below one million.
They have declined so much for a number of reasons. Habitat destruction. Development over farmland. Poor farming methods. Gardens becoming less like gardens, I.e. no grass, plants, trees etc.
The decline of Hedgehogs is sadly a reflection of our natural world. It has diminished so much, and wild animals are suffering because of it. We can do our own part, by making our gardens as wildlife friendly as possible.