Dear Editor

With the arrival of Spring hedgehogs are coming out of hibernation and are looking for food. They can lose up to half their body weight over the winter and now is a good time to start leaving food out for them.

If you see droppings in the garden they look like inch-long pieces of liquorice and that is a sure sign that you have a hedgehog in your garden. You can feed them dried cat food, sunflower seeds (husked), raisins and occasionally meal worms. Leave the food in a low dish and in a safe, secluded place to deter cats – a brick either side of the dish with a slate on top works - and also provide water

The first hedgehog appeared in our garden last week after it’s long winter sleep. There is a possibility that this is one of the four that we released in the garden last spring. He or she will be hungry, having eaten very little over the past five or six months

If you see a hedgehog out in the day time this could indicate a health problem as this is not normal. Contact the nearest carer or vet and keep it in a warm, dry box with food and water until you can obtain advice. The following are useful contacts: British Hedgehog Preservation Society (www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk), The Vale Wildlife Hospital (www.valewildlife.org.uk) or Mary Harries ([email protected]).

Mary Harries

Ross-on-Wye