Hedgehogs by Pat Morris

Hedgehogs Reviews

• 
  Kerri

  🦔🦔🦔
  For as long as I can recall hedgehogs have been one of my favourite animals, thanks in large part to Beatrix Potter, but it occurred to me recently that I actually know very little about them. This book has been a fascinating read, and I expect it will be a valuable resource that I will refer back to quite often. I have many sticky notes marking pages of particular interest!
  
  I had never given it much thought, but hedgehogs are difficult for study for quite a few reasons - they are small, nocturnal, hard to find, hard to track, they hibernate and it's tricky to observe the hibernation without potentially interrupting it, and there isn't (especially going back a few decades) much money to fund the research, even when people do want to undertake it. With that in mind, I was very impressed at the amount of information Pat Morris had, and also pleased that he was so clear about what they don't know, rather than making suppositions.
  This book primarily focuses on Hedgehogs in Britain, though some studies from Europe and New Zealand are mentioned too. The hedgehogs we have in New Zealand are derived from British specimens. 'The milder climate, especially in North Island, affects the duration of hibernation and extends the breeding season, enabling two and sometimes even three litters per year.' In parts of New Zealand hedgehogs are considered a pest because they eat wetas and other native species, damage or eat eggs of certain protected species and may complete for food with kiwis (the bird).
  
  Hedgehogs eat a varied diet, lots of worms, slugs, beetles, millipedes etc. He talks about
  the practice of giving hedgehogs bread and milk. There were campaigns highlighting the dangers of this, causing many people to worry they may have unintentionally caused harm, though this is apparently not the case. Captive hedgehogs shouldn't have it, but wild ones seem to actively seek it out. '...bread and milk is clearly not poisonous and does not disrupt normal behaviour patterns, nor do discernable harm. Indeed, bread and milk may be a valuable addition to natural food for wild hedgehogs, especially during periods of dry weather.'
  However he reiterates not to give it to those in captivity, especially young hoglets. Goat's milk is better than cow's milk if you have it. They can also benefit from meaty dog food. If you have hedgehogs in your garden (yard to North American readers!) it might be worth finding an appropriate food item for them, as it does seem to help!
  Still on the subject of food: 'Casual observations suggest that hedgehogs are fond of hard-boiled eggs, omelette, cooked chicken, licorice allsorts and mealworms... One was observed eating a squashed Mars bar and another was seen in London licking a discarded car battery.' While I'm sure none of these are recommended (especially the battery!) they seem to eat whatever they can get.
  
  The chapter on hibernation was very interesting, though so much is not known. I had always assumed hibernation was continuous, but they do wake up, sometimes changing nests or eating more food. 'Most wild hedgehogs that hibernate at less than 450 g will probably not survive, although some occasionally do... no specific weight will guarantee survival.' It's is hard to accurately study the hibernation as you risk disturbing the thing you are trying to observe.
  
  A sad but informative chapter was, Death on the Roads and Other Dangers.
  'Hedgehogs do seem rather prone to falling into things, and they may die simply because of their inability to climb out.' We can help combat this by having escape ramps in cattle grids, ponds, pools etc. Also being careful about leaving garden netting lying around, as they easily get entangled and die, thinking about where you are mowing or using a strimmer (I think in New Zealand we call these weed eaters, but regardless, they can cause serious injury or death to the animals), also being careful about bonfires and moving all the wood before you light it to check a hedgehog isn't in there.
  'There is a widespread assumption that weedkillers kill weeds, rat poisons kill rats and insecticides aren't a worry either. Hedgehogs pay the price for this ignorance.'
  
  There is a lot of information here, though I think I digested it all! Pat Morris writes in a way that is clear and easy to follow, and he maintains a sense humour, such as in this section talking about the hedgehogs supposed medicinal properties; '...advocated the use of hedgehog faeces mixed with vinegar and pitch to alleviate hair loss (I have not tried this yet).'
  
  Something I wanted to mention in this review, just in case it proves helpful, is to remind people that wild hedgehogs and tame ones you can buy as pets are different. This should seem obvious, but apparently it isn't - photos of pet hedgehogs are often used to illustrate articles about wild ones, which is misleading. Most pet hedgehogs are African pygmy hedgehogs, 'they have been captive-bred for enough generations that tameness has become the normal state... They do not deliver a serious bite and make engaging and interesting companions.'
  It's important to know the difference. While there may be some exceptions (such as couple I read about who had a tame wild hedgehog that had been blinded by some sort of spray) a wild European hedgehog is not a good pet. They are built to roam, often becoming obese while they are kept captive for rehabilitation, before ideally they will be released back into the wild (whereupon they tend to rapidly lose the excess fat). Perhaps more importantly, you CANNOT buy a cute pygmy hedgehog and then release it. This may be intended as a kind solution to an unwanted pet, but 'Pygmy hedgehogs bred for generations in captivity are no better suited for life in the wild than Siamese cats or dachshund dogs. Out of doors, they will be confronted with cold and wet conditions, to which they were never adapted. They will also be required to hibernate during the winter, something that they will not have done before... far from being granted their freedom, (they) are more likely to be condemned to a drawn-out and miserable death... Pet pygmy hedgehogs belong indoors and should stay there.'
  In Britain it would actually be illegal, and this may well be true in other places too. I'll quickly mention in regards to this topic, if you have taken a tame animal into your care, hedgehog or otherwise, and can no longer care for it for whatever reason, I do think you are required, morally and hopefully legally, to find another safe home for them, because as a general rule I think 'setting free' is actually abandonment.
  
  I'm very pleased with this book and have quite the list of books I want to read, thanks to the many mentioned here. I am also interested in reading more in this New Naturalist series - there are 136 listed in the back, and while I think I'll skip The Angler's Entomology, ones like Moths or British Bats, sound good.
  
  I should also mention that this has many beautiful photos -- I especially liked the ones of the blonde hedgehogs of Alderney (which is in the Channel Islands) and the x-ray that shows what the skeleton is like when they have rolled up.
  
  This is quite a long review and I wrote it on my phone so I apologise for any typos or lines that flow oddly -- it's difficult to proofread on this screen!
  🦔🦔🦔
• 
  Julia Stephenson

  It is very concerning that Mr Morris is seen as some kind of expert when he has no expertise with hedgehogs at all.
  His advice is downright dangerous as he promotes the feeding of mealworms which give hedgehogs metabolic bone disease, a painful and terminal condition.
  Wildlife rescues such as the one copied here are in despair at Mr Morris’s dangerous ‘advice’ as they are the ones who must deal with the debilitating results.
  Please get advice from good rescues like Hedgehog Cabin on Twitter and ignore this dreadful book.
• 
  Sophy H

  A lovely and informative book on hedgehogs, the little blundering, shnuffling, munching dudes that occasionally grace us with their presence in the back garden!
  
  We regularly put cat food out for our hogs and have caught them on nature cams fannying around in the garden! They are so funny, and noisy!! Snorting, wheezing, tramping!! I bloody love them!
  
  The book pitches the tone right, informative yet humorous, serious when needed but conversational, all enhanced by Guy Troughton's amusing illustrations.
  
  
• 
  Beanie Burns

  very informative
  
  Very informative concise and easy to read book. New to hedgehog conservation and this book was a good starting point for me to attain basic knowledge on anatomy, habitat, dangers for hedgehogs and risks they face.
  Recommend this little gem of a book
• 
  Evelyn

  Great introduction to the Hedgehog.
  Written in a light manner.
• 
  Sam

  This really is a comprehensive look at hedgehogs by the hedgehog guy himself, covering what we do know, what we maybe know, and what we really don't know. I was and still am rather surprised by how little we really know about hedgehogs given their prevalent they are in our childhoods, culture, myths, and everything else, and this is still true based on the reading I'm doing for my masters...which of course is on hedgehogs. This aside, Morris draws on his decades of first, second, and third hand knowledge and experience to draw together as much information as possible about the delightful little mammal, including what you can do to help them given the decades of population decline they have and continue to suffer. Morris is clearly passionate about this species and that comes through in his writing, which is also easy to follow, even for the more complex aspects of hedgehog life. Not only did I end up highlighting a lot of this book, I suspect I shall be returning to it again and again, both through my studies and after.
• 
  Sam

  This is a great introduction to the west european hedgehog covering its basic appearance and biology to its ecology, behaviour, and where to find them. This is very accessible to all levels including being a handy quick reference for those more familiar with the species. Having read Morris' full text on this species, I can confirm that it is an excellent summary.
• 
  Sally Dark

  A humorous and informative glimpse into the lives and behaviour of hedgehogs, written by a man with an obvious love and a lifetime studying them.