Foxes : Why are they seen as a pest?

Hi everyone, now I know it has been a while since my last blog post, so sorry about that, but today we are going to be looking at foxes. Now foxes get a bit of a bad rap really, everyone sees them as bin destroying, noisy, pests, but let’s take a closer look at foxes, and maybe then we can try and understand why they do the things they do.

Behaviour: Bin destroying

Have you ever woken up to see the contents of you’re bin strewn across the pavement. I bet you have, or at least seen it happen to someone else, and often foxes get the blame.

So why do foxes destroy and eat out of bins. First of all foxes often get the blame even when its not them, cats and dogs can also destroy bins to get at food. Secondly as Spring is approaching food will be plentiful and foxes won’t scavenge so much. Eating out of bins, usually comes about due to a lack of other alternatives, most animals hibernate or migrate during the winter, so foxes are often left a little high and dry when it gets colder. Forcing them to turn to less savoury alternatives such as your bin.

You can stop foxes from getting at you’re bin by recycling your food waste, that way there aren’t any opportunities for foxes to get at the food, and its good for the environment. Also if you are throwing away packaging that once contained food, for example a tin can, try to wash it out as well as you can (it is tricky with some things), this will remove the smell and stop foxes getting interested in the first place.

Behaviour: Calling and barking at night

Foxes usually do this between the months of December to February to attract a mate, you will often hear vixens “screaming” which can be quite disconcerting and unnerving to hear.

Now there aren’t many things you can do to stop the screaming, so your best course of action would be to try and move the fox on. There are some strong smelling repellent easily available so try that, it will hopefully courage the foxes to avoid your garden, you could also put up an external light that will also deter them from you’re garden, but do remember the noises will only be for a few weeks.

Behaviour : Digging holes

Foxes, a little like dogs actually, love to dig holes, in bowling greens, country parks and mostly annoyingly gardens. They reason they do this is to hunt for earthworms, grubs and larvae. Foxes will only do this in wet periods however, do if there are holes appearing in your garden during warm, sunny spells foxes probably aren’t the culprits. Fox will dig up the garden because during during rainy seasons the bugs and beetles all come to the surface of the ground, and so foxes, well they dig in. Yum! Yum!

Unfortunately there isn’t much you can do to stop this behaviour, just wait for the rain to pass and then repair the lawn. There probably won’t be too much damage.

So there you have it a little more information on why the foxes do the things they do, and some way you can try to stop them from doing it. If you want more infomation on foxes then visit

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I hoped you enjoyed the blog post and I will see you again next week. Bye for now!!

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Getting ready for Spring

The air is getting warmer, albeit tantalisingly slowly, plants are starting to bud and animals are slowly coming back to life. Yes everyone, Spring is finally here and it is well known as the time of new life and a fresh start, so here are a few things you can do to help young animals find their feet in this big ol’ world.

Firstly, I keep saying this because it is so important!! Leaving food out, it really helps young animals trying to put on as much weight as possible before the the winter comes. Although it may seem a little early to be thinking about the winter again for these animals it is a matter of life and death, if they can’t get big and strong enough quickly enough then they will die. So, bird feeders, hedgehog food, even you’re own waste scraps of food, can really help. A great thing to do is start a compost heap, this will attract animals like worms which are great fodder for birds!

tasty food for our prickly friends – also how much you should put out each night

Building houses. Haha, not in the literal sense of the word, but have you ever thought of building a bird box, of how about a hedgehog house. You can buy bird houses that you can build yourself, or pre-made ones on websites such as amazon, and trust me there are some particularly awesome ones on there. You could also build a bug hotel (instruction can found on the RSPB website) or once again buy (also on amazon). Hedgehog houses sound hard, but they really don’t have to be. Instruction on how to build one can be found on the British hedgehog Preservation Society, but you can also buy them on amazon!

our hedgehog house camouflaged in leaves

One last thing you can do is leave an area of you’re garden to grow wild! This will encourage all kinds of wildlife into your garden, butterflies, bees, birds, hedgehogs. Leaving an area of garden to nature, can make for a brilliant spot for wildlife all around and you’ll find yourself surrounded by beautiful creatures.

Well that’s it for today. I hope you enjoyed my post, and will do some of the things that I have written about! Don’t forget to like, subscribe and comment below!!! See you all next week!

Ways to see AMAZING wildlife without even leaving your living room

Have you ever wanted to see an elephant, how about a chimpanzee, or even a pangolin. I’m willing to bet the answer is yes, I have wanted to see these animals ever since I can remember. However, especially with the lockdown, seeing these incredible creatures is harder than ever. So today I’m going to tell two different ways you can see these awesome animals.

The first one is my personal favourite, Zooniverse; Chimp and see. Now let me explain. Zooniverse is a website on which you can do online volunteering for organisations, they have everything under the sun, from transcribing bird nest sites, to mapping out galaxies, and you guessed it recording wildlife.

Chimp and See, is one such organisation, trying to both boost biodiversity especially in our all too rare cousins, chimps, but also to try and learn more about humans own evolution from the chimpanzees. I myself have spent several hours, identifying wildlife on this site, and can confirm its incredible. I have seen all the things mentioned above, from elephants, to chimpanzees, baboons, pangolins, mongooses, civets, duikers and antelopes. It’s amazing to see the extraordinary biodiversity of the rainforest. So definitely go and check it out !

Photo by Ishara Kasthuriarachchi on Pexels.com

Secondly online zoos. During the lockdown many zoos put up cameras, so that people could still enjoy wildlife from home. They are an amazing chance to see animals acting naturally, without thousands of people gawking in and disturbing them. Zoos such as, Edinburgh, Chester, Paignton, and London have all put cameras up in their enclosures and you can see, pandas, flamingos, meerkats and even giraffes. Chester zoo, also do ‘virtual guided tour’ type things where the tour guide, tells you all about the animals. It’s really fascinating and i loved watching them! Just serch up Chester zoo online, and it should come straight up!

Photo by Laura The Explaura on Pexels.com

I hope you enjoyed this post and found it useful. I really loved watching the virtual tours, and particpating in chimp and see, and I hope you will too. Bye for now!

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Five of the Most Endangered Species In The World

Hi everyone! Today I am writing about the most endangered species in the world. Now I know this isn’t exactly a jolly topic, however it is an important one, so let’s go!

Vaquita – The vaquita is a small marine mammal, there are about ten left in the wild. They live solely in the gulf of California, Mexico. The reason for their critically endangered status is getting caught in fishing nets; pesticides being prayed and falling in the water; as well as inbreeding. This animal is the rarest marine mammal in the world.

Javan Rhinoceros – this breed of rhinoceros was once one of the most numerous rhinos in Asia, however due to poaching for their horns and loss of habitat, the Javan Rhino numbers have fallen to around 60. They now only live in Ujung Kulon National Park, Indonesia.

Hector’s Dolphin – This dolphin is not only the smallest species of dolphin, but also the rarest, the Maui dolphin a subspecies of Hector’s dolphin, has a population of just 55. They are found in shallow waters of the coast of New Zealand.

Tigers – Yes that’s right, not even a specific breed either, the entire population numbers at around 3 900, with most tigers concentrated in south and eastern Asia. However there is some good news, tiger population are actually on the rise. In 2010 there were around 3, 200 left, although it only a small rise, it still counts!

Snowleopard – The snowleopard is admittedly one of the most beautiful animals in the world, however this unfortunately makes it a target. Poachers attack and kill the leopards for their coats, as well as herders, who kill the big cats to protect their flock from becoming lunch! Their numbers are now between sadly 4080 – 6590, however there is some good numbers, these animals who have been declining for so long are now back on the rise!

So that’s it for today everyone, I hope you enjoyed the post! Have a good a week and I will see you all next week. Don’t forget, to like comment and subscribe!!!

Top Five cool but unknown animals

Hey everyone and welcome back to Hedgehog Heaven. Today we are going to be looking at my top five cool but unknown animals. There are so many animals in this world, many of which everyone knows about, but what about the unknown ones? Today I’m going to be talking to you about my favourite cool but unknown animals.

The Genet – I had never ever heard of this animal until yesterday. The Genet has a fur coat that looks a little like a leopard, but a body that is more like a mink or weasel but bigger. The only species of Genet that can be found in Europe is the common Genet which lives in France.

The Tasmanian Devil – A fairly large four legged marsupial. The Tasmanian Devil is carnivorous and fairly dangerous. When people started settling in Tasmania from Europe, they heard strange screams, coughs and grunts in the night, and decided to go searching for the cause. They found a creature with long fangs, sharp claws, and black fur, so they called it a Devil. So it is now called a Tasmanian Devil.

Coati – This unusual animal looks a little like a cross between a lemur and a raccoon, and dwell mainly in South America. Coati also enjoy climbing trees where their sharp claws allowing them to climb down trees headfirst, and their long tails him them balance so that they can climb with speed and agility.

Axolotl – The Axolotl or walking fish, is not actually a fish but an amphibian found in Mexico. It is a carnivore and can grow up to three inches long. It has a long fish like body, and looks a little like a cat fish however it also has legs for manoeuvring on land. They are also able to regenerate body parts.

Echidna – The Echidna is a little bit like a cross between a hedgehog and a ant eater. With a back of prickly spikes and a long nose. They are mammals, but the only mammal other than the platypus to lay eggs. These animals are only found in Australia and New Guinea, but they have the largest distribution of all the native mammals in Australia, liking both forests, coasts and deserts.

Well everyone that’s it for today, I hope you enjoyed my post. If you did, don’t forget to leave a like. I you have any comments, suggestions or ideas, please comment them down below. And if you want to see more of this, subscribe!! Bye for now.

How have animals adapted to living in woodlands?

Hello everyone and welcome back to Hedgehog Heaven. Today I am going to be exploring how animals are adapted to their environment. I know often people talk about the crazy adaptations of other more exotic animals, and it often leaves you thinking that our hedgehogs and squirrels haven’t adapted at all, but this isn’t true. In fact all animals have adapted to their environment to some extent. So here’s some examples

Squirrels – Have you ever wondered what those cute, adorable busy tails are for? Well I’ll tell you, they’re actually for balancing, a little like monkeys, squirrels use their tail to help them balance when running along the trees. Another example of their adaption to woodland life is their unique technique for storing food. I’m sure you’ve all heard of how squirrels store their food in the ground in order to save up for Winter, however this is actually an adaption formed over countless generations of squirrels, not just a cool fact eh.

Hedgehogs – well one of the most obvious adaptions for the hedgehog is the incredibly prickly spikes it has covering the entirety of its back. These are to protect from predators. They actually work really well with the hedgehog having no known predators in the wild. Another adaptation is their widely varied and diverse diet. Hedgehogs will consume just about everything, from berries on a bush to frogs and even snakes! Although a much more usual source of food would be a good old slug.

Swallow – Now a swallow is a very clever bird. They have camouflage, but in an cool way. You see, their belly’s and the undersides of their wing’s are white with a little blue, this means any predators looking up from the ground won’t see the bird as they will be looking at the white/blue belly in a white/ blue sky. Swallows also have a dark blue colour on top, this means that any predators looking down on them will only see dark blue in amongst all the other dark greens, greys and blues of the earth.

Fox – The Fox much like the squirrel has also adapted a cunning use for its tail. The tail provides balance for the Fox whilst sprinting, this means it can twist and turn at full pelt and not lose balance, enabling it to catch more food. On the topic of food the Fox also has a highly varied diet. I’m sure we’ve all heard the horror stories about Foxes eating out of people’s bins etc. However this is actually an adaptation for survival, a varied diet means more opportunity to eat and more chance of surviving the winter.

So there you have it four very different animals, all with incredible adaptation helping them to survive in the wild, right on your very doorstep. I hope you enjoyed the post, if you did leave a like. Got any ideas or suggestion comment them down below, and if you want to see more content like this subscribe! Bye for now:)

Spring Babies

With spring almost here many of us will have felt the rising temperatures and lengthening day, but spring also means one thing. Babies! Yes that’s right spring is the season of cute adorable babies, so in this post I will be telling you; when each baby animal first starts to appear, how many there are in a litter, along with fun facts, to help you know more about these adorable creatures. So let’s jump right in!

Hedgehogs – May, June or even July. Some hedgehogs also have a second litter in September, but these hoglets rarely make it through the winter. A hedgehog will have 4-5 hoglets in a litter
Foxes – Foxes are much simpler, they give birth in March, and only have one litter of 4-5 cubs per year. So watch out for them now, in a few days Fox cubs will be running around your garden!
Badgers – boy, these badgers are early birds, they give birth usually in the first half of February, and their litter can differ between 1-5 cubs! So be on the lookout now!
Squirrels – squirrels could give birth in many different months, march, April or June and July are the most common times of the year
Deer – Deer are much more simple, they give birth in May or June to around 1, 2 or even 3 kids
Owls – now owls are very interesting, although they are able to give birth in almost any month of the year, most pairs only lay eggs in the spring, with the most popular day being April 17th! It was May 9th, but has moved forward, scientists believe this to be because of climate change.

That’s it for today, I hope you enjoyed the post, and now know when you can look out of these adorable babies so get outside and find some! If you liked the post please, leave a like. Any ideas or suggestions? Comment them below. And if you like my content, subscribe!! Have good week and bye for now!!!

The best place in the UK to find wildlife

Hey everyone, today I’m going to be talking to you about the best place in the UK to find wildlife. David Attenborough has said that this place is the best place in the UK, to discover nature and wild animals, and it is of course Northumberland, but why is it so good for finding wildlife?

Well partly the reason is because it is on the coast meaning it not only has access to land animals, but also sea creatures. Animals such as seals and dolphins pop up everywhere, which is incredible!

It also has a huge national park which covers 405 square miles! There are loads of areas of outstanding natural beauty, rolling hills, thick forests, and good old sea air. The forests are filled with incredibly cute deer, just take a look at this footage

https://www.facebook.com/discovernland/videos/719252175629381/

But other animals including stoats, bats, wildcats, mountain hares, polecats, beavers and minks to name just a few, but you can get the full list at

https://www.nwt.org.uk/wildlife-explorer/mammals?page=1

They also run a number of projects such as

restoring ratty – which is a project focused on bringing the water vole back in larger numbers
Red Squirrels – Red Squirrels Northern England is an organisation working to help bring back red squirrels back!!
Wildwood – a project focused on replanting forests and brining woods back to the area

All of these efforts brought together create one of the most naturally diverse place in the UK, and as David Attenborough says the best place in the UK to find wildlife, which is my holiday this year is already booked and I’m headed straight for Northumberland.

Ten ‘facts’ about animals that are NOT true!

Hello everyone and welcome back to Hedgehog heaven, today I will writing about facts that pretty much everyone thinks are true, but aren’t. So let’s get right into, there are some surprising ones in here!

Camels don’t store water in their humps! They actually store fat there, they don’t actually store water anywhere, but have simply adapted to not being able to drink for long periods of time
Did you know chameleons don’t change colour in order to camouflage themselves. They actually change colour due to their mood and the temperature.
Goldfish are intelligent! Yes goldfish are in actual fact quite clever, they can remember things weeks after it has happened and can even be trained.
Bulls don’t get angry by seeing red. Bulls can’t actually distinguish colours, and so it wouldn’t matter if you waved a green, blue or pink flag at them. They react to the movement.
Bees can sting more than once. The one bee that can only sting once is the honey bee, but bumblebees can sting you as much as they like. Yikes!!
Bats can see. Although they also use echolocation, bats aren’t blind and some studies have shown, that they prefer to use sight when hunting prey.
Owls can’t actually spin their head 360 degrees. It’s more like 270, but that’s still pretty impressive and far more than a human.
The T-Rex has pretty good vision. Some scientists now believe that the T-Rex had better vision than eagles and hawks. And you don’t get the name Hawkeye for nothing!
Turkeys can fly. Yes although they can’t get very far they can and do fly! (domestic turkeys can’t as they have been breed to have a larger breast)
Wolves do not howl at the moon. Yes disappointing though this may be, they do not howl at the moon, the misconception comes because wolves often howl at night.

So that’s it for today everyone, I hope you enjoyed the post! And I will see you all next week.

(Don’t forget to like, comment and subscribe!!)

Hedgehog Rescue!!!!

Animal rescue centres are incredible places, they are huge part of ensuring wildlife continue to thrive in this increasingly harsh and human world. Thousands of people up and down the country give up their time to assist animals in need, and today I’m talking to Hedgehog Bottom Rescue Centre, an amazing charity which cares 24/7 for hedgehogs in need. So, enough of my rattling on, let’s find out about rescuing hedgehogs!

So first off, how do you receive your patients, is it more common to be called out to pick up a hedgehog or have one brought to the clinic?

At Hedgehog Bottom, almost everything is brought in. Other rescues have volunteers with vans who go out to collect. The big difference is hedgehogs are small, easy to collect and bring in as they don't attack. Rescues taking in larger and more specialised species usually go out to save the finder from serious harm. Badgers, Muntjac deer etc. are not for the feint-hearted!!

Yes I can imagine finding a badger is quite scary. But once you have your patient with you what do you do to look after him/her. How does the day to day running of the rescue centre work? What does a typical day look like?

First we clean out the mountains of poo!!
Then we clean out housing
Refresh food and water
Sort out all the rubbish
Medical checks, vet visits if necessary
Treatments
Answering the phone which often doesn't stop all day long and sometimes through the night
Time online updating websites and media
Stock checks and reordering
Fundraising, that takes a lot of time!

During baby season, feeding neonates every 1-2 hours 24/7, this can go on for several weeks. Sleep becomes rare!!

Wow, yes that does sound very busy! But what if the animals you've rescued has a disease? What is the most common injury or disease found in the hedgehogs you rescue?

Parasite infestations are the main issue. Hedgehogs carry a number of different ones and a microscope is a must to identify which they have and what medications are needed.
After that it depends on the area the rescue is. Centres in large towns are more likely to see pesticide poisoning, rural areas - dog attacks.

That's terrible! So What should people do if they find a sick or injured hedgehog?

DO NOT WALK OFF AND LEAVE IT. They will drag themselves off or get picked up by a dog or fox.
Carefully get it into a box or if none to hand, a carrier bag or similar to get it home. Take it indoors, away from predators and during the summer, flies.
Put it somewhere warm and quiet, somewhere it can't escape from, shallow dish of water but no food, (food for a sick animal will cause further problems) then phone a rescue and speak to somebody
DO NOT email or leave a message on Facebook. Rescues may not see those for many hours when busy. We don't sit online all day waiting.

Thank you that is so useful. So after all that treatment and care what is the process you go through for releasing hedgehogs back into the wild?

First, health checks. The animal must be in full health and able to fend for itself. Failure to do that is a breach of the Animals Act and classed as abandonment!
Second, most rescues that have been running for any length of time will try to return the animal to where it came from as they know the area and they know where their nests are. Obviously if they were found in the middle of the M4 we would look for somewhere a bit safer.
Some animals it's crucial they go back where they came from. Hedgehogs it's not quite so critical but preferred.
Usually if people have bothered to bring the animal in they are willing to do as we ask for release. Here we insist on a temporary house, food and water available so the hog has something to run back to in case its nests have been destroyed or previous food source gone. Gardens must have ways in and out so anyone having replaced all their fencing would be required to cut holes or pass the hedgehog to a neighbour for example.

Wow, thank you so much, all that of that information is so useful and it is incredible to know how much work goes into running a rescue centre! If you liked this post make sure to leave a like, and if you want to see more content like this, subscribe. If you have any thought, questions or ideas make sure to comment them below. And I will see you all next week.