A hedgehog question, very sad though

Up on the green this morning, Georgie discovered something right out in the middle, so I went over to investigate, and saw that he'd found a little dead hedgehog It's legs were all spayed out, and one of the front legs had been "got at" and it's little tongue was sticking out Bit graphic I know, but it might help with the answer. What do you think killed it then??? It had only eaten the middle half of one of it's front legs and in all my years of living here and walking this green I have never, ever seen a dead hedgehog up there like that. These are one of my favourite creatures (along with the doormouse!)and I can't for the life of me think what could have wanted to eat a sweet little prickly like him? The rest of him was fine too, apart from this front leg being half eaten Poor little thing, I was kind of hoping when I gently prodded it with Georgie's lead that it was only playing dead coz Georgie had found it, but sadly not. Maybe it was a rat, and he ran off coz he didn't like the taste? I won't sleep tonight now until I know! Lol!

Well H I have no scientific knowledge on this subject but around here the farmers say that pole cats will take the head of a chicken and leave the rest.

Other possibilities are foxes (Very hungry ones) and like you say rats (Which fill me with horror)

A builder we had here last week said his dog ate a hedgehog, I asked him if the dogs mouth was damaged and he said 'No' but I do find that hard to believe.

Four times this year I've rescued a hedgy from being a football for Bara & Rianna but they don't try to kill it, they just throw it around I put it in a plastic bag and walk a half mile down the road and release him under a small bridge where there's water.

I have to go that far else the silly things will come back into our property

One thing wiping out hedgehogs is slug pellets, the hedgehogs eat the slugs and the chemicals build up in the blood. This then kills the poor hog.

Maybe a rat had a go at the foot but noticed the posion and left it? I know rats are very clever when it comes to posion . . .

No idea H but poor wee hedgey

I remember you taking them there H from previous posts!! That's really sweet of you, but then I wouldn't expect any different either!

I think you might have hit on it their Razcox, because it was like just one small mouthful of it's leg was missing, and the way it had died with it's legs all splayed out like that.. I'm sure you're right. A fox would have mutilated a lot more of it I think, coz apparently that's what they do, they leave a blood bath, whereas this wasn't.

Now I know we have a mole man who goes up there and gasses the poor bl@@dy moles around this time of year, or poisons them (he has a licence to do that!)so maybe that's a thought too, and then, like you say a rat took a bite or something did. You just wait till I see that mole man up there, I'll be having words with him!!! I've tried to get that stopped, but the local Parish Council say he's been doing it for years and the moles have to be controlled Doesn't mean little hoglets do though does it!

Ah poor little thing, same here love Hedgehogs and Doormice.

I wonder if it was dead before anything got at it... because they usually keep themselves tightly curled up.

We have a hedgehog run through out garden, and Millie the little monkey will (if she catches one ) will toss them around like ball.... but they do stay curled up , millie on the other hand comes in with a blooded mouth.

I usually pick them up and pop them over the next door neighbors fence (no animals there) and check them later.. to see if they have moved on (and they usually have

But we have a wild life sanctuary about 5 miles away... that will take any form of injured wildlife... so it is easy to to take them if we feel they need it...just leave a small donation for them... as they do a wonderful job.

Aw shame, poor little hog It's a horrible thought, but could it perhaps have been caught in a trap? I've heard of traps pretty much amputating victims legs as they struggle

I think it was Jackbox, coz of the way it's body was all stiff and splayed out like that, and it's little tongue was sticking out, poor little mite must have had a bit of a horrendous death, but I don't like to think about that!

Lol! YOu saying about your Millie reminded me of one night when Dave let Georgie out the back for a wee about 3.00 am. He said there was a hedgehog sitting right by the back door and as Georgie sniffed it, it must have curled up and pricked him coz Dave said he leaped in the air with all four legs off the ground like a cat, and he thought it was soooooo funny! Thank goodness though he left it alone after that!

I will investigate in the morning with my fellow dog walkers and see if that mole man has been up there with his gas!

No Angel, it couldn't have been because this was right in the middle of our village green where they couldn't possibly put any traps. Having said that, however, I suppose he might have been injured in one and tried to make his way back home, awwwww

It could well have been a crow or magpie - they love eating hedgehogs