i recently had a ready made bathroom fitted onto the back of my house and it has a gap underneath as its set on four concrete corners i have now seen a family of three hedgehogs going in and out but i also have a field and railwayline on two sides of my house so we naturaly have rats what i advice with is do i feed the hedgehogs (catfood ) or will it encourage the rats and if i see any rats should i not put poison down any help would be helpful
2007-09-12 02:24:34 · 9 answers · asked by JANET C 2 in Home & Garden ➔ Other - Home & Garden
Hi
Don't put poison down anywhere, continue to feed the hedgehogs put the food in the open then you can watch them feed anytime between dusk and dawn, don't give them milk it's too rich for them and it will curdle in their stomachs, the hedgehogs will continue to feed right through winter that's when they'll need you most, keep the rat story to yourself or other numpty's will start putting poison down killing everything that moves, some time ago I warned of the dangers of slug pellets, I was informed that 'it says on the tube, its not harmful to pets and small creatures, I'm sure the hedgehogs appreciate that when they try to find worms,slugs and snails to eat and there aren't any, we've damaged our environment so much with farming and "pretty gardens" that hedgehogs have just been put on the endangered species list, not bad for a nation of animal lovers as we like to think of ourselves eh.
Ray. West York's. U.K.
2007-09-13 00:57:08 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Hello you will kill the hedgehogs with poison. stop feeding the "hogs" they will go and find natural food. Clear yard of all rubbish where rats can hide under any hole in the ground pour cresote down and fill in i had the same problem and found this a cure.
2007-09-13 04:09:07 · answer #2 · answered by Beau 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Whatever you do, DO NOT feed milk to hedgehogs, they cannot digest it and it will kill them! Water is what they drink.
Any food you put out for hedgehogs is likely to attract rats, and likewise, any poison for rats will kill hedgehogs. I suggest that you keep the area free of food & other debris so as to discourage rats which will soon find an easier source. The hedgehogs will continue to seek their natural food of slugs, snails, and earthworms.
2007-09-12 10:49:14 · answer #3 · answered by Duffer 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Go for a trap for the rats as poison could be very harmful to your hedgehogs but they will soon hibernate and then you can have a real good go at the rat population in safety.
2007-09-12 09:28:58 · answer #4 · answered by SYJ 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would refrain from feeding the hedgehogs, and let them do it for themselves, unless they look thin. Hedgehog mommy will look after her babies needs herself, and she knows best what to feed her young. you will probably find that by putting food down you are going to encourage the rats. However, if you are compelled to offer food, never give them milk, as it upsets their stomaches, and could cause diahorrea, they need to maintain their body weight for hibernation.
2007-09-12 16:00:45 · answer #5 · answered by 'Er indoors!! 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
you cant have one without the other in this situation ..whatever you put down for the hogs the rats will eat too ....the best you can do is stop feed ing all of them
2007-09-12 15:00:21 · answer #6 · answered by boy boy 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
maybe you should leave the hedgehogs alone if your worried about encouraging rats and stuff there wild animals theyd leave if there werent enuff food
2007-09-12 09:29:01 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Catfood and milk. On separate dishes obviously.
2007-09-12 09:37:10 · answer #8 · answered by Ruby Tuesday 2 · 0⤊ 3⤋
i think cat food is bad for them.
to rich.
i know they eat worms and snails
2007-09-12 09:32:30 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋