COLD DARK ROOM

[JoesMum]

There seems to be lots of young hedgehogs about at the moment who are underweight so wouldn't survive the winter. My sister has 2 who seem to be making good progress, a 3rd has gone to someone else and another sister found one in a park today. He was only 247g and is at a vets being treated. So sad that so many more won't be found so won't survive ?

Rescues are overrun

I read an interesting scientific paper that found that humans feeding hedgehogs are affecting hibernation behaviours. It seems they’re staying awake, and breeding, into colder weather due to the non natural food supply. This may not be in their best interests.

I feed mine, but not a huge amount. They packed up for the winter in early November. Some people still have hedgehogs visiting ; totally reliant on human food sources.

 

[Lyn W]

Rescues are overrun

I read an interesting scientific paper that found that humans feeding hedgehogs are affecting hibernation behaviours. It seems they’re staying awake, and breeding, into colder weather due to the non natural food supply. This may not be in their best interests.

I feed mine, but not a huge amount. They packed up for the winter in early November. Some people still have hedgehogs visiting ; totally reliant on human food sources.

I will tell my sister about that, she is still putting food out in case there are any more young hedgehogs in her garden. I did wonder if they would become too reliant. Maybe just a woodpile and piles of leaves etc would be a better idea.
The 3 she found all have lungworm and she was told that because of pesticides and so many people having manicured gardens or they are covering them in paving or that awful artificial grass, then the grubs and beetles are in short supply throughout the year, so they are eating more slugs which pass on the lungworm.
I'm just glad there are people out there who are happy to help our hedgehogs because they really are in trouble.

 

[Ray--Opo]

Sooooo, to make a short story longer..... we like to burn incense in our house/kitchen living room, etc, but lo & behold it seems like we never have the right holder. Sooooooo, long time readers here will recall that last year I picked up some discarded Cherry logs & branches that someone dumped on the road near our house. I still have some of this left & we knocked out a little incense holder.

Here’s a quick 30 sec video for those interested.

The grain and finish are beautiful!

 

[Ray--Opo]

Im just back from the vets and they say that my girl IS 119 lbs.!!!!!! And she is a Sulcata!
Tom said they don’t go beyond 80lbs?
Maybe she just fat? ?

Wow 119lbs that's amazing!

 

[Ray--Opo]

Opo looks wonderful! At 3-1/2, I would think his weight is perfect. I’m not at all surprised that his growth slowed down this month with all the cold spells.. there have been plenty of days that none of mine came out of their house . Toretto has a full year on OPO and they weigh almost the same.. pickles is a year behind OPO and he is 10lbs lighter... Crusher is the same age as pickles and he’s 15lbs less than that... Healthy growth!! That’s what matters.

Yes I agree with healthy growth. I also cut back on Opo's mazuri this summer to promote more grass eating. This was his first year of really taking a liking to grass. Before he would pick thru the lawn just for certain weeds.

 

[Ray--Opo]

Good morning... it’s hard for me to say that lately. I had Dad picked up by ambulance yesterday and he is positive for Covid.. he had been pretty ill following his last session of Chemo and we kept hoping it was just the after effects but he continued to get worse. I didn’t see him for Christmas and it became harder to get him on the phone. I had tried to go by Christmas Eve but he had already had a friend bring him some groceries and meds. I woke up yesterday with a really bad feeling in my gut and when I couldn’t get him on the phone, I sent someone that lived close by to check on him until I could get there. It was pretty bad so I called the ambulance and met them at the hospital. They wouldn’t let me see him but the dr’s did call me several times. I ask yet again for your prayers.. I can’t believe that he could beat cancer just for the Covid to grab him. I have to believe that he will fight through this and this is the final bad straw to kick 2020 out the damn door...

We will pray for your Dad. If you give me his name. Rose will put him on the pray list at our church and churches in the Philippines. God Bless and hand in there.

 

[Ray--Opo]

Rose was at Walmart yesterday and they were giving poinsettias away for free. She got 8 of them.

 

[Yvonne G]

I'm sitting here pigging out on black Jelly Bellys

 

[Maro2Bear]

Rescues are overrun

I read an interesting scientific paper that found that humans feeding hedgehogs are affecting hibernation behaviours. It seems they’re staying awake, and breeding, into colder weather due to the non natural food supply. This may not be in their best interests.

I feed mine, but not a huge amount. They packed up for the winter in early November. Some people still have hedgehogs visiting ; totally reliant on human food sources.

Wonder if this is the same with Badgers? I follow one UK-based person who nightly feeds tons of food to badgers, foxes and hedgehogs. I often wonder if this nightly smorgasbord of not natural food is unhealthy & deleterious to the overall well-being of her little den of badgers, fox & hedgehogs.

I found a recent posting....

 

[Cathie G]

Good morning... it’s hard for me to say that lately. I had Dad picked up by ambulance yesterday and he is positive for Covid.. he had been pretty ill following his last session of Chemo and we kept hoping it was just the after effects but he continued to get worse. I didn’t see him for Christmas and it became harder to get him on the phone. I had tried to go by Christmas Eve but he had already had a friend bring him some groceries and meds. I woke up yesterday with a really bad feeling in my gut and when I couldn’t get him on the phone, I sent someone that lived close by to check on him until I could get there. It was pretty bad so I called the ambulance and met them at the hospital. They wouldn’t let me see him but the dr’s did call me several times. I ask yet again for your prayers.. I can’t believe that he could beat cancer just for the Covid to grab him. I have to believe that he will fight through this and this is the final bad straw to kick 2020 out the damn door...

Yes praying.?

 

[Lyn W]

Wonder if this is the same with Badgers? I follow one UK-based person who nightly feeds tons of food to badgers, foxes and hedgehogs. I often wonder if this nightly smorgasbord of not natural food is unhealthy & deleterious to the overall well-being of her little den of badgers, fox & hedgehogs.

I found a recent posting....

View attachment 314137

How fantastic to see them like that, but I don't think it should replace their natural food.
Although it's much better to hear about people caring for badgers than those who trap and kill them.
The badgers in the woods that are being destroyed for the HS2 railway are being blocked into and out of their setts and thugs are employed to deal with anyone who tries to help them. Very sad to see

 

[Lyn W]

Time for me to hit the hay.
I hope I have a better start tomorrow.
This morning when I woke up I ate my alarm clock,
- it was very time consuming

Nos da all, take care.

 

[CarolM]

Good Mornooning all.
Today looks like a cloudy morning. Hopefully the sun comes out to play later this afternoon. Anyway I hope you all have a great day. And Heather I am thinking of your Dad and praying for the best and quickest recovery.

 

[JoesMum]

I will tell my sister about that, she is still putting food out in case there are any more young hedgehogs in her garden. I did wonder if they would become too reliant. Maybe just a woodpile and piles of leaves etc would be a better idea.
The 3 she found all have lungworm and she was told that because of pesticides and so many people having manicured gardens or they are covering them in paving or that awful artificial grass, then the grubs and beetles are in short supply throughout the year, so they are eating more slugs which pass on the lungworm.
I'm just glad there are people out there who are happy to help our hedgehogs because they really are in trouble.

Tell her not to stop this winter. That will cause even more problems.

Everyone needs to think carefully about the balance berween supplementing feed and hedgehogs becoming wholly reliant on them for feed in the future though.

And yes, it is much better that we encourage natural food to be present by rewilding our gardens

 

[JoesMum]

How fantastic to see them like that, but I don't think it should replace their natural food.
Although it's much better to hear about people caring for badgers than those who trap and kill them.
The badgers in the woods that are being destroyed for the HS2 railway are being blocked into and out of their setts and thugs are employed to deal with anyone who tries to help them. Very sad to see
View attachment 314140

It’s not just HS2. Badger sets get blocked illegally anyway

Daughter was out surveying a couple of years ago and found a sett where concrete had recent been poured into the holes.

After contacting her office they decided it was an emergency. She and her colleague went to the nearest B&Q, bought spades and spent the day digging out concrete.

 

[Blackdog1714]

Wow 119lbs that's amazing!

How much do the turds weigh?

 

[Chefdenoel10]

How much do the turds weigh?

‘bout the same....?

 

[Maggie3fan]

Good morning all. Every week or so we drop a piece of blanched cucumber or zucchini (courgette) into our aquarium as a treat. Our pleco keeps things very ckean and really enjoys this treat. As do the catfish x6 and goldfish.

A Pix
View attachment 314108

and a Video

I freakin LOVE Plecos. About 5 years ago I noticed a pleco in my 50 gallon tank was not as active as normal. So I started really looking at stuff. So he went from a 50 gal to a 75 gallon, then 100 then 150 gallons. He was 2 feet long, then he died. Without knowing much about them at first, they are the best for eating turtle poop and I think that's one thing that helps them grow. The are so pretty when they fan everything out and swim to the top for a gulp of sir. Beautiful fish

 

[CarolM]

I freakin LOVE Plecos. About 5 years ago I noticed a pleco in my 50 gallon tank was not as active as normal. So I started really looking at stuff. So he went from a 50 gal to a 75 gallon, then 100 then 150 gallons. He was 2 feet long, then he died. Without knowing much about them at first, they are the best for eating turtle poop and I think that's one thing that helps them grow. The are so pretty when they fan everything out and swim to the top for a gulp of sir. Beautiful fish

So it is not only tortoises that like to eat poop.!!!

 

[Maro2Bear]

So it is not only tortoises that like to eat poop.!!!

Our pleco definitely loves gulping up any bits of green algae in our one tank. Up & down the walls, along every nook & cranny in the plastic plants, inside the decorative shells, and along the substrate. Now that it has all that tended to, it will glide to the surface when i feed the fish & lap in flakes & pellets too. Loves the blanched cucumber & zucchini bits too. Very graceful.