Hedgehog Friendly Campus UoB

T he University of Birmingham is taking part in the Hog-Friendly lockdown litter pick challenge! From 2nd November until 18th December 2020, the Hedgehog Friendly Campus campaign are holding a UK-wide competition to find out which university can collect the most litter in and around the local community.  The winning university receives a free Hedgehog House complete with a bag of hedgehog food for their campus! All participants (whether from the winning team or not) will also receive a digital certificate from us in recognition of their efforts. Why is litter bad for hedgehogs? The RSPCA receives over 5000 calls a year regarding litter  That’s an average of roughly 14 calls every day!   Everyday objects that seem perfectly safe, can sadly become hazardous when found accidentally by animals. By disposing our rubbish safely instead of littering, we are making choices that could save many lives . Hedgehogs are covered in thousands of spines which makes them vulnerable to bec...

Recycle and grow at the same time with this cress hedgehog! Tools: A small plastic drinking bottle Scissors (ADULT SUPERVISION) Sellotape Googly eyes, buttons or you could use a sharpie pen Kitchen paper or soil/compost if you have any S eeds- cress is easy and quick to grow Water Step 1: ·         Lay the plastic bottle on its side and remove label        Step 2:     Cut out the top side of it. Keep the plastic near the front of the bottle opening intact.     Step 3:     Tape over the edges with sellotape to make smooth       Step 4: ·     Apply PVA glue to neck of the bottle and wrap wound string to make the head. If you don't have any string, you could paint or colour in. Leave to dry. Step 5: ·     Stick some googly eyes on near the bottle opening. You could use buttons or draw on the he...

Here's a great hedgehog craft that you and the kids can make together! Adult supervision is required, but it's ideal for older kids and younger children will love to help paint. You can make use of any old cardboard boxes you have, and the colour scheme is up to you! I just used whatever paint colours I had in the shed. Tools: Cardboard-  you want it to be quite sturdy so that your hog doesn't flop over! Paint- choose any colours you have available Scissors- ADULT SUPERVISION REQUIRED Hoops/Pipe cleaners/florist wire/twine Step 1: Draw a rough outline of your hedgehog onto the card. Mine was approximately two ft by two ft. Step 2: Once you are happy with your hog's shape, cut out the body and feet. This can be a bit tricky, especially around the spikes, so you may want to ask an adult for help. Step 3: Cut out slots in the middle of both feet and at the bottom of the body. The slots are approximately two and a half inches long- you ...

This is a great, easy hedgehog craft for the kids! It only requires a few crafty items and these can easily be substituted for things you do have! Pine cone (you could use teasel or if you can't find any pine cones) Piece of felt or other fabric (you could even try paper or card if you don't have any fabric) Googly eyes (easily substituted for buttons, beads or you could draw on eyes with a pen) Glue Scissors (ask an adult to supervise) Step 1: Choose your hog! You could see if you can find any on your daily exercise! Step 2: Cut out a piece of felt in the shape of a diamond for the hedgehog's face.  Step 3: Cut out a small triangle in a different colour felt for the hedgehog's nose. Don't worry if you don't have different colours! Step 4: Assemble the hedgehog's face! Add googly eyes, and glue nose to complete your hog's face. This is easier done before attaching the face to the pine...

Strange times are upon us! The UK has been in lockdown since last Monday and we are still getting used to not being able to go out whenever we like and the supermarket shelves being bare. But nature is carrying on business as usual! Birds flitting about foraging for nesting materials for impending eggs, lolling queen bumblebees looking for nest sites and hibernating hedgehogs are waking up as the temperatures rise, looking to fatten up after winter.  An easy way to help hedgehogs post winter sleep, is to feed them cat/dog food and provide plenty of water. In order to stop hungry foxes and pesky cats from stealing your hedgehog's food, you can build a feeding station. It doesn't have to be anything fancy and can be made with things you may already have in your garden or shed.  1. You can use old bricks to make a base. Just make sure it's big enough for a hog to get in and out of, and ensure that the entrance is 13cm x 13cm. 2. You can make a lid ou...

On 25 th July 2019 (the hottest day of the year!) four hoglets were found out in the sun by the Overbury construction site compound outside the Medical School (where we had seen ‘Shelley’ the hedgehog’s footprints during our survey). At first only two were seen by a member of staff. Around an hour later the Overbury workers found two more hoglets in their compound. They were taken to the Orchard Veterinary Centre in Harbourne, one recommended by BHPS. Two of the hoglets were named Branston and Pickle by the member of staff who had found them, and the other two were named Michelle and Sheldon by the Overbury workers. We had received reports of a dead hedgehog on the road by Vincent Drive a week prior to the hoglet rescue. We thought this might be ‘Shelley’ the Overbury works hedgehog, so we put out the survey tunnels and a trail camera but had no sightings. So we believe that these were Shelley’s litter of babies, and when the temperature had become incredibly hot, they ca...