This morning I found a hole dug in my lawn, about two inches deep and
obviously made by paws and claws. Next to the hole was the remains of
a hedgehog - prickles only the rest had gone (eaten?) Can anybody
suggest what the predator might have been?

In article 9d17783a-dd8d-4cee-872c-
,
says...
This morning I found a hole dug in my lawn, about two inches deep and
obviously made by paws and claws. Next to the hole was the remains of
a hedgehog - prickles only the rest had gone (eaten?) Can anybody
suggest what the predator might have been?

Badger,
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea

The message

from moghouse contains these words:

This morning I found a hole dug in my lawn, about two inches deep and
obviously made by paws and claws. Next to the hole was the remains of
a hedgehog - prickles only the rest had gone (eaten?) Can anybody
suggest what the predator might have been?

Fox.

--
Rusty
Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk
Separator in search of a sig

[quote='Charlie Pridham[_2_];828313']In article 9d17783a-dd8d-4cee-872c-
,
says...
This morning I found a hole dug in my lawn, about two inches deep and
obviously made by paws and claws. Next to the hole was the remains of
a hedgehog - prickles only the rest had gone (eaten?) Can anybody
suggest what the predator might have been?

If the hedgehog was "turned inside out" it was definitely a badger. You should also be able to see the claw marks in the holes in the lawn as well.

On Jan 26, 2:53*pm, Rusty_Hinge
wrote:
The message

from moghouse contains these words:

This morning I found a hole dug in my lawn, about two inches deep and
obviously made by paws and claws. Next to the hole was the remains of
a hedgehog - prickles only the rest had gone (eaten?) Can anybody
suggest what the predator might have been?

Fox.

It looked like too clean a job for a fox to me. My cats usually keep
them away. What was the purpose of the scrape? Would that indicate
badger rather than fox or vice versa?

"Rusty_Hinge" wrote in message
. uk...
The message

from moghouse contains these words:

This morning I found a hole dug in my lawn, about two inches deep and
obviously made by paws and claws. Next to the hole was the remains of
a hedgehog - prickles only the rest had gone (eaten?) Can anybody
suggest what the predator might have been?

Fox.

No, badger.

On 26/1/09 14:53, in article
, "Rusty_Hinge"
wrote:

The message

from moghouse contains these words:

This morning I found a hole dug in my lawn, about two inches deep and
obviously made by paws and claws. Next to the hole was the remains of
a hedgehog - prickles only the rest had gone (eaten?) Can anybody
suggest what the predator might have been?

Fox.

Badger.
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
(new website online)

The message
from "Christina Websell" contains
these words:
"Rusty_Hinge" wrote in message
. uk...
The message

from moghouse contains these words:

This morning I found a hole dug in my lawn, about two inches deep and
obviously made by paws and claws. Next to the hole was the remains of
a hedgehog - prickles only the rest had gone (eaten?) Can anybody
suggest what the predator might have been?

Fox.

No, badger.

Scrape? Obviously a rabbit. Wererabbit?

--
Rusty
Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk
Separator in search of a sig

On Jan 27, 12:38*am, Rusty_Hinge
wrote:

Fox.
No, badger.

Scrape? Obviously a rabbit. Wererabbit?

Yes, I suppose I should have asked Grommit in the first place!

Seriously though despite what some bigots say, thanks to my two cats I
do not suffer from rats, rabbits or moles despite the proximity of my
garden to a wide expanse of meadow/ marshland. But squirrels and wood
pigeons that is something else!

On Jan 27, 12:09*pm, Martin wrote:
On Tue, 27 Jan 2009 02:31:25 -0800 (PST), moghouse
wrote:

On Jan 27, 12:38*am, Rusty_Hinge
wrote:

Fox.
No, badger.

Scrape? Obviously a rabbit. Wererabbit?

Yes, I suppose I should have asked Grommit in the first place!

Seriously though despite what some bigots say, thanks to my two cats I
do not suffer from rats, rabbits or moles despite the proximity of my
garden to a wide expanse of meadow/ marshland. But squirrels and wood
pigeons that is something else!

There was a wood pigeon in our garden yesterday that was so big that it's body
had insufficient ground clearance. At first I thought it walked in an odd way
because it had a broken leg.

Don't tell us you tried to clog it to death!

In message
,
moghouse writes
On Jan 26, 2:53*pm, Rusty_Hinge
wrote:
The message

from moghouse contains these words:

This morning I found a hole dug in my lawn, about two inches deep and
obviously made by paws and claws. Next to the hole was the remains of
a hedgehog - prickles only the rest had gone (eaten?) Can anybody
suggest what the predator might have been?

Fox.

It looked like too clean a job for a fox to me. My cats usually keep
them away. What was the purpose of the scrape? Would that indicate
badger rather than fox or vice versa?

Definitely a badger - very difficult for a fox to open up a curled up
hedgehog but no problem for a badger. The scrape at this time of year
is more than likely an indication of digging for earthworms which make
up the majority of a badgers diet. The only sightings of foxes with a
hedgehog carcass that I am aware of is where there is also known badger
activity and the foxes have been after the left overs.

--
Robert

The message
from Martin contains these words:
On Tue, 27 Jan 2009 00:38:50 GMT, Rusty_Hinge

wrote:
The message
from "Christina Websell" contains
these words:
"Rusty_Hinge" wrote in message
. uk...
The message

from moghouse contains these words:

This morning I found a hole dug in my lawn, about two inches deep and
obviously made by paws and claws. Next to the hole was the remains of
a hedgehog - prickles only the rest had gone (eaten?) Can anybody
suggest what the predator might have been?

Fox.

No, badger.

Scrape? Obviously a rabbit. Wererabbit?

Welsh rabbit?

As our Polish onetime au-pair used to call it - 'Cheese off toast' - and
my, was she right!

--
Rusty
Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk
Separator in search of a sig

In message , Christina Websell
writes

"Rusty_Hinge" wrote in message
.uk...
The message

from moghouse contains these words:

This morning I found a hole dug in my lawn, about two inches deep and
obviously made by paws and claws. Next to the hole was the remains of
a hedgehog - prickles only the rest had gone (eaten?) Can anybody
suggest what the predator might have been?

Fox.

No, badger.

Those badgers can drive you crazy!

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=MMeLFEq58QU
--
Gordon H
Remove "invalid" to reply

The message
from Martin contains these words:
On Tue, 27 Jan 2009 15:33:51 GMT, Rusty_Hinge

wrote:


Welsh rabbit?

As our Polish onetime au-pair used to call it - 'Cheese off toast' - and
my, was she right!

LOL

She wouldn't be persuaded to put a baking tray under it, so you can
imagine the billows of smoke as she opened the door of the Aga's top
oven...

and a German friend's merging of Penguin Cookery Book's recipes "Toad in the
Shepherd's Hole"

I think I'll pass that one.

--
Rusty
Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk
Separator in search of a sig

"Rusty_Hinge" wrote in message
. uk...
The message
from "Christina Websell" contains
these words:
"Rusty_Hinge" wrote in message
. uk...
The message

from moghouse contains these words:

This morning I found a hole dug in my lawn, about two inches deep and
obviously made by paws and claws. Next to the hole was the remains of
a hedgehog - prickles only the rest had gone (eaten?) Can anybody
suggest what the predator might have been?

Fox.

No, badger.

Scrape? Obviously a rabbit. Wererabbit?

The scrape is probably where the badger was digging for earthworms.
Lawn-digger-uppering ;-) is the main complaint from householders about
surburban badgers IIRC.

Badgers are easily able to unroll live hedgehogs but a fox is only likely to
have eaten it if was dead already i.e. unfurled so to speak.