I've fed wild birds for years, and although I only rarely get more exotic visitors, I love watching the sparrows, robins, blue tits and occasional finch snacking on the offerings, the starlings squabbling between themselves, jackdaws working out how to get food out of the feeders designed to stop them, and even the doves and wood pigeons scoffing food down and bringing their growing families to visit.
In 2019, after reading an article about the decline in hedgehog numbers, I decided to follow one of the 'top tips' on how to help.
Physiological - Food and shelter
According to the article, all that was needed was to leave out kitten food for hedgehogs during the month of October which is the main fattening up period before hibernation. Seemed simple enough I thought, commit to one month of a bit of faff, with the benefit that I would have cute visitors dropping by in the evenings.
Three years later I realise I had no idea what I was letting myself in for. In that first year, yes, the hedgehogs began to visit, and it was all very exciting. The first sign that things wouldn't be that simple was that cats and foxes began visiting to eat the food, much to the disgust of my resident cats, so I followed instructions to build a hedgehog feeding station to sit outside my back door - not pretty but I regarded the issue as sorted. Next followed the realisation that not all hedgehogs hibernate, particularly the smaller ones, so I wouldn't be able to stop for the winter. Still not quite realising the slippery slope I was on, next came a hedgehog house for hibernation. In the middle of this gradual escalation came the pandemic bringing supply chain issues with the hedgehogs favourite foods - another type of food to search for on empty shelves! But hey, it was still great to see the little guys visit. As spring came, the numbers grew, so that I was now supporting what felt like a whole village of hedgehogs.
Safety and Health
Alongside the feeding came the growing responsibility for their wellbeing and, as for any community, after ensuring that there is food and shelter comes the need for safety and health. I started noticing that not all of the hedgehogs looked bright and healthy. Amongst the crowds were creatures who couldn't walk properly, looked sad, or had terrible tummy troubles (with the evidence left all over my patio to tread in each morning). So, I became an ambulance service, regularly collecting poorly creatures, keeping in a box till the morning and depositing at various vets. I got a bit less keen on this duty when I realised that I was more hedgehog grim reaper than saviour. I channelled Terry Pratchett's Death with my frequent mutterings of 'SORRY' as I carted them off in their cardboard boxes for yet another gloomy prognosis.
Belonging
A couple of years along, and I now have a second hedgehog house, and a wildlife camera that I can check each morning to see who has visited overnight. Hedgehogs are very noisy in their courtship so I knew that the 'love' side of things was working well. But until I got the camera I didn't understand how much hedgehogs squabble amongst themselves, and particularly the way that they barge at each other and fight. Then I noticed that the same hedgehogs were being picked on each night and so would wander off without any food after a few attempts at getting a snack. So, a second set of bowls have now been added to save some of the squabbling. And I now have whole families (or so it appears) feeding together, large and tiny, side by side.
Esteem- Recognition, strength, freedom
On the morning of the Queen's funeral I discovered a huge hedgehog laying motionless in the feeding station. At first, I thought it was dead, lying across the half empty food bowl, but then I noticed it was breathing. After trying and failing to disturb it sufficiently to move, I rang the local wildlife rescue, and to my amazement, someone picked up, and so I did a mercy dash to get him checked out. Watching through the window into the consulting room as crowds of volunteers began to gather to take a look, I was worried that I was the ferryman yet again, but then I began to realise that there was a lot of laughter, which didn't really feel appropriate at the bedside of a poorly patient. Instead, the volunteers were being brought in to look at a great example of a large strong healthy male hedgehog in perfect condition. Rather than being at death's door, this hedgehog was full of confidence, such that he thought he would claim the supply of food for himself and sleep right by it.
Self actualisation - full expression of your best self
After his big adventure to the wildlife hospital, my prime specimen hedgehog was put back in the garden and, after a snack and a rest, he wandered off to make the most of his freedom and live his best life elsewhere. Possibly, I like to think, spreading his wisdom and tales of adventure and derring do as he goes.
I an a bit worried I might be taking this a bit too seriously.
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