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Reply: Hi Alice, Hedgehogs usually cover areas of several square miles and will return to the same nest for the summer/autumn season. Therefore it's very likely that they are finding a way out of your garden - either over or under walls. If they are indeed trapped then they definitely don't have enough space, however I would be very surprised if that was the case.

Reply: My guess would be that the mother has unfortunately been killed while out foraging for food, and so the babies have gone hungry. They themselves are probably still too young to leave the nest so would likely starve if not cared for. You have done well bringing the babies in and feeding them as I doubt they would have a chance of surviving if left alone. However I would again strongly advise you to seek professional advice as the surviving babies will need regular care and attention.

Reply: It's certainly not a good sign that it was out in daylight. Perhaps implies that it was having trouble finding food or had some nutrition-related illness. If I had to guess I'd say that it was coincidental that it died on a particularly wet day.

Reply: My thinking would be to leave the baby hedgehogs alone unless you notice them looking particularly thin, weak or they don't move around much. It's most likely that the mother just isn't around. If it does look like they have been abandoned (it should be obvious as they will suffer if they're not fed their mother's milk every day) then they will need to be taken in. At that point I would strongly recommend you seek professional help as they need quite a specialised diet at such a young age. Good luck!

Reply: Oops that page does need fixing - sorry! As far as I know (not being a lawyer, policeman etc.) it's still illegal to sell European hedgehogs as pets as they are endangered. However you are right in that some species suh as the African pigmy hedgehog are legitimately sold as pets here. Notice how I'm resisting having a rant about that...

Reply: Sounds like you're already doing a great job! It's fascinating to hear that they've come back for a second year as they'll have built a new nest, and I don't think that hedgehogs are territorial.

Reply: That's great to hear!

Reply: My handy reference guide (The Natural Hedgehog) says it's anything between 1 and 8 per litter, and the female may have two litters in a summer.

Reply: That's unusual but not unheard of. The hedgehog probably thinks of your cat bed as its summer nest and so will probably stay around until winter sets in. I'd be particularly keen for you to leave him/her alone if you notice babies.

Reply: They certainly can!

Reply: There's no specific word defined in the dictionary, however they're commonly called "hoglets"

Reply: It's an instinctive reaction to curl up when scared so it implies he feels safe when you pick him up. I've seen it before that they curl up when you first handle them then realise you're not hurting them. As far as food goes, either collect some insects from the garden, feed it chunks of cooked meat or put some dog/cat food out (not fish flavour though).

Reply: If you're looking at keeping one as a pet (which you should know I strongly disapprove of) I'd recommend a look at www.hedgehogcentral.com

Reply: They should survive those 2 nights! Not sure how they'll take to the apples though as I think they'd prefer meat. Would be interesting to know though.

Reply: Can't think of any websites I'm afraid but I would recommend "The Natural Hedgehog" by Lenni Sykes with Jane Durrant.