Hedgehog Memories!

Posted: Friday 21st August 2015 by Community

Hedgehogs are one of the UK's most loved animals, but they are sadly in rapid decline. Only 1 in 5 people have seen a hedgehog in their garden, although most people have a childhood memory of seeing a hedgehog, so here are some of our favourite memories! If you have a hedgehog memory, we would love to hear from you!

I saw one of the most amusing wildlife sights I've seen - it involved a hedgehog and a MarsBar.

“One very vivid memory of a hedgehog I have was just a few years ago when I was living in Tewkesbury. I was minding my own business whilst walking my dog one spring evening and I saw one of the most amusing wildlife sights I've seen. It involved a hedgehog and a MarsBar.

At first I just saw a hedgehog bumbling down the road, evidently on a foraging mission, so I stopped to watch. When it went to cross the road it abruptly stopped. It had found a Mars Bar, a flattened but still mostly intact and packaged Mars Bar.

After a second of sniffing, and probably a sneaky taste, you could see hedgehog’s demeanour change, and in a very excited and speedy fashion it dragged this Mars Bar across road, struggled up a high curb, down a garden path and under a gate – where the Mars Bar, being quite an awkward shape, got a little wedged and had to be yanked through – quite noisily!

I remember thinking that the chocolate definitely wasn’t good for the hedgehog, but the pure joy and the speed and excitement that the hedgehog showed was hilarious, and the memory still brings a smile to my face today.

I can just imagine a little pile of sweet wrappers forming under someone’s garden shrubs and a gardener with a confused face finding the wrappers of the hedgehog’s little sweetie finds!”

- Cat Catlin-Groves

“Coming in late one damp November night, I heard a large hedgehog snorting around in the long grass of my city front garden. I couldn’t resist providing the visitor with some hospitality, so I relieved my housemate’s ham joint of its outer layer of rind.

Gently offering the large bit of fat to the hog made it raise its spines ready to curl, but I retreated a few feet and out whiffled a long nose. The next twenty minutes were extremely loud as the hedgehog lived up to its name and noisily guzzled down a heroic amount of the fat. I had a good view of it stood on one end of the rind as it chewed its way enthusiastically through, eyes bright.

Although late at night, a small crowd was attracted by the racket and came to watch. Eventually the hog had enough and waddled off into the dark, rather more tubby but hopefully with a good chance of making it through what proved to be a tough winter.”

- Ellen Winter

"I remember driving home from a party at night, about 10 years ago. My husband suddenly stopped the car and we looked at a little ‘Mc Icecream’ pot (from a popular fast food restaurant) waddling around, apparently of its own accord, in the middle of the road. We would have flattened it a second later.

We saw an ice cream pot waddling around, apparently of its own accord.

He pulled over, jumped out and went to investigate, only to find a very forlorn looking little hedgehog with his head fully inserted into the plastic, funnelled end of the ice-cream litter. He was wondering around completely blind and was obviously exhausted, distressed and malnourished.

We were able to free him and set him free into a nice little slug filled area nearby. It really highlighted to me the power of the ‘keep Britain tidy’ message – it’s vital to our urban wildlife, as well as the more publicised stories of marine wildlife litter problems. Poor little guy."

- Lucy England

"When I was a child, I didn't like eating the crusts on my toast so I would just cut out the middle part and eat that. I distinctly remember one amusing time my parents threw my crusts out (still all in one piece) for the birds.

It was late one evening when a very inquisitive hedgehog came exploring. He started sniffing the crusts and pushing them around with his nose. However, while busy trying to decide whether my leftover crusts would be a tasty snack, he put his little head right through the middle!

Luckily, he decided he didn't want any, but as he went to scamper away, the toast was still around his head!

The hedgehog then started moving around in the strangest manner to get the toast off his head - he looked like he was dancing!

After a moment, the toast fell off and he scurried away looking for some food to eat rather than wear. It had been a very amusing sight to see, but I was glad the hedgehog was now free - even if it had made a rather fetching necklace!"

- Sabina Grosch

"My sister and I shared a bedroom when we were little and must have been about 5 (me) and 10 on this occasion.

It turned out to be two very much in love hedgehogs outside our window!

We were lying in bed trying to get asleep after our chatting and such, but she was keeping me awake with her scratching. It sounded like her knees must have been really itchy - she was scratching for ages! Now she thought it was me doing the same.

When we called our mum to investigate, it turned out to be two very much in love hedgehogs in the garden outside our window!!! Who knew they could be so noisy? We still laugh about it now sometimes."

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