Late night visitors

[palms1]

WE could hear a funny noise in the garden and found this pair, (not to sure what they were doing and didn't ask ) so took there photo rather hastily, hopefully they will be back

palms

[Kraellin]

beavers or porcupines? cant quite make them out.

nice job

Craig

[palms1]

Craig

not sure if you have them in your neck of the woods but they are hedgehogs if i get a better photo will post it

(Like baby porcupines)

thanks
palms

[Gary Richardson]

Sometimes known as Urchins.

[Kraellin]

ah, ok... i think. not groundhogs, not beavers, and not true porcupines? mini-porcs?

Craig

[Mike]

Don't see many of them around here, but some of the local 4H kids raise them for their projects. Which leads me to a funny story.....

Was at the local farm and feed store, shooting Santa Claus and Pets. So in comes a family, 3 kids each with 2 of them critters, and Mom had 3 of them. So I get them all to sit down, holding their critters on their chests, then Santa stands behind them with his arm outstretched.

When we took the photo, we found out a couple of facts that are not really widely known. First of all, they are not very big, but they are mostly bladder. When the flash goes off, they empty said bladder in a very short period of time. It really smells BAD......

Santa was very glad he was not holding one of them. I have never seen that family with the hedge hogs come back for another photo with Santa.

Mike

[Kraellin]

lol.

Craig

[Gary Richardson]

They also have lots and lots of fleas, so apart from the prickles when you pick them up, you'll probably pick something else up as well. (OK I know hedgehog fleas aren't supposed to like human blood, but are you sure that they know that).

We regularly see one or two of them in the back garden. One of the dogs I used to have often brought them into the house, still rolled up in her mouth. Got so we had to check there were none about before we let the dogs out (she still managed to find them in the bushes though). The 2 dogs we have now don't seem to like them, so problem solved.

[palms1]

Hey very funny Mike will have to remember that if i need to "get" someone

And Gary "urchins " is a new one on me, you also forgot to mention that they are quite cute. They were also on the endangered list, not sure wether they still are,
Mind you i think this was mainly down to there bad road sense, and hedgehog flavored crisps ! ! ! !

palms

[Gary Richardson]

Yeh, I forgot about the crisps, haven't seen them around in a long while.

I think Urchins is a West Country word for them (Cornwall, Devon) though some of the old gamekeepers round here call them it as well.

There may be a shortage of them elsewhere, but there's no shortage of them where I live, (see them most nights when walking the dogs) but have to agree their road sense leaves a great deal to be desired.

[JustChecking]

i haven't seen these lil' fellas around here for some time until recently, when i went for a short walk, and met like 4 or 5 of them you just gotta love them... even though i'm always a bit scared when i hear in the dark their breathing, or more like gasping or "snuffling and snorting" ... and of course, their famous stomping...

[Jeff L]

That is so cool. I used to have one as a pet. Or visa versa....
Dear old Hadley. I just showed this to my lil guy and the expression said it all and then he blurted out, "Hadley!" He has no concept of these guys being wild animals.....

[palms1]

Hey Just checking that's how we knew they where in our garden was snuffling thought we had a unfit burgalar
And Jeff a pet ? did you ever stroke Hadley i bet it was a bit hard

mind you i never thought that hedgehogs were world wide ! ! ! !

palms

[Kraellin]

and then there were 8...

Craig

[palms1]

If they keep breeding at that rate will have a garden full soon