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How can i befriend a hedgehog?
A few days ago a hedgehog sneacked into my garage and was eating cat food. (There is a stray cat that comes to us when we are in the garage. That is why there was cat food there). Since then he kept visiting and eating cat food. At first i wanted to get rid of him but i am starting to like him. He is really scared of me and my parents so whenever we make a slight noise he runs out of there. How can i befriend him or convince him that we are not a threat?
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Don’t. They’re prey and you’re a predator. It’s good it’s scared of you, since it will have a better chance of surviving in the wild
Fear is good in a hedgehog because lots of things will kill them and lots of humans are assholes , if you feed it regularly it will pop by more often and may let you get closer but we are talking it may eat with you sat in the garden if you stay quiet and don't move too quickly. Out of curiosity why did you want to get rid of him , they are harmless and eat garden pests ( and occasionally strawberries as I found out a few years back).
I did not like him at first becouse the cat that comes to the gatage is scared of him. Everytime he comes the cat leaves. What changed my mind was the how he didn't attempt to get the cat to leave or attempt to claim the garage as his own. He just wanted food.
Hedgehog is one of the animals that I am afraid of because of its appearance, some cute and docile animals like cats and dogs
Hedgehogs are naturally shy and honestly that is a good thing because there are some really terrible people out there.
That being said, leaving out food for them is really great because Hedgehogs really do need a lot of help these days with survival (especially if you are in the UK).
If you leave out food they should make it a part of their night to stop by at some point, so I would suggest staying quiet to watch him.
If you are a hedgehog enthusiast and don't have a dog, you could set up a Hedgehog hotel in your garden. (Like a nest box for hedgehogs).
I used to see a Hedgehog every morning on my walk to work, got kinda attached to him as he was there everyday for a month. Then one morning I found him dead in the road. I was beyond upset.