# Dogs and hedgehog not getting on!!!



## Stacie_and_Jed (16 December 2008)

How do i keep my dogs away from the hedgehogs which keep roaming into my garden?

They have had killed one already and last night the got another one. It lived but had a piece of its insides pertruding (sp?) so i took it to the vets at 9:30pm and they kept it to see if there was anything they could do to save it. I think they may have put it to sleep as it was the kindest thing. They spotted one a few nights ago but luckily we managed to get them inside before they hurt it.

It breaks my heart that this keeps happening to the poor little things. I would have thought the spikes would stop my dogs getting to them but obviously not. 
	
	
		
		
	


	





Is there anything i can do?


----------



## Ravenwood (16 December 2008)

Earlier this year YO's dogs were digging, as they do, and then started running around with a whole family of hedgehogs - it was heartbreaking 
	
	
		
		
	


	





Some we rescued and put back into their nest which was under a large pile of rotting sleepers, and set up some electric fence around it, high enough the hedgehogs to get under and low enough to stop the dogs digging it out.

I realise this doesn't help you situation too much but can you find out where the hedgehogs are sleeping, or if all else fails you will have to accompany the dogs outside each night.


----------



## severnmiles (16 December 2008)

Ideally you want to stop them from coming into your garden, they carry fleas and live on a diet consisting of alot of slugs which the ingestion of can and does cause lungworm.

Not had this problem, too many badgers around here to ever see a hedgehog (they eat them) but have you tried taking a bottle with small stones in, as soon as you see them going for one shake it hard.


----------



## Stacie_and_Jed (16 December 2008)

[ QUOTE ]
Ideally you want to stop them from coming into your garden, they carry fleas and live on a diet consisting of alot of slugs which the ingestion of can and does cause lungworm.

Not had this problem, too many badgers around here to ever see a hedgehog (they eat them) but have you tried taking a bottle with small stones in, as soon as you see them going for one shake it hard. 

[/ QUOTE ]

Oh dear! 

We never see them going for them as its when they go out to the toilet. We have managed to save one which was a few nights ago when we heard the dogs barking like mad but unfortunately last night we heard them too late.


----------



## kerilli (16 December 2008)

hedgehogs are good climbers, it is almost impossible to keep them out. i had a golden retriever who used to kill hedgehogs, and after a few awful upsetting slaughters (he would NOT let them go, and they screamed, it was awful) i resorted to taking him out in the garden on his leash if it was dark. hedgehogs aren't around in daylight so i'd do this for a while if you want to avoid the slaughter - and avoid your dogs getting fleas every time.
i'm surprised the hogs are up and about, they should be hibernating, must still be hungry, poor things. i guess you could put food (dogfood is best, not milk!) out in the front garden, or somewhere the dogs can't get to, to try to keep the hogs out of your garden that way.


----------



## Stacie_and_Jed (16 December 2008)

[ QUOTE ]

i'm surprised the hogs are up and about, they should be hibernating, must still be hungry, poor things. i guess you could put food (dogfood is best, not milk!) out in the front garden, or somewhere the dogs can't get to, to try to keep the hogs out of your garden that way. 

[/ QUOTE ]

The vet said they will only hibernate if they have enough body fat to keep them going whilst sleeping! I thought these buggers were right porkers!!! 
	
	
		
		
	


	





I do have a fenced off area in the garden near the shed, maybe i could put food down there for them! But wont they just keep coming back if you feed them? 
	
	
		
		
	


	




 A bit like cats maybe?


----------



## LindaW (18 December 2008)

My house is surrounded by fields and hedge etc, and the bottom of my garden is left wild, so I get plenty of wildlife.  My cats are fed outside (because the dogs pinch their food inside) and I have some regular spikey visitors for any leftovers - luckily my dogs don't seem to harm them.

The hogs seem to have their routes to and from places through the garden, just wondering if you could pop out some cat food or milk for them in a place out side the garden as someone suggested - not sure though, it might enourage them to come more...


----------

