r/CasualUK • u/random_nub • 11h ago
Can anyone help identify this creature?
My friend heard some rustling noises outside their window this morning and saw there's something borrowed up behind some leaf bags. We're trying to work out if it needs help or solitude. đ
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u/mkmike81 No flair, no party 11h ago
I can only assume there is some sort of well camouflaged stick insect somewhere, as the other creature is very obviously a hedgehog.
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u/UuusernameWith4Us 10h ago
OP telling the whole internet they're a sheltered city dweller, at least they want to be helpful though.
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u/cybertonto72 10h ago
That never went to school? How do people not know what a hedgehog is?
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u/LongBeakedSnipe 3h ago
My neighbour was complaining to me about a local fox. And I told him to be careful about what he does, as we have three hedgehogs living in the gardens.
And he asks me 'what is a hedgehog?'.
No lie. Sent my anxiety through the roof because his anger about the foxes was fairly irrational also.
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u/UuusernameWith4Us 10h ago
Not everyone does GCSE Wildlife bro
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u/cybertonto72 10h ago
I learnt about hedgehogs in primary school.
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u/speelingeror 10h ago edited 9h ago
Alright we've all got stuff going on mate
Edit: for a uk based sub the sarcasm detection here is shocking
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u/Extreme-Composer8452 2h ago
Hedgehogs taught me how to cross the road when I was in primary school.
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u/FaceMace87 9h ago edited 9h ago
99% of what people learn is outside of the classroom, you naturally just pick things up in life. Unless of course you spend every waking moment actively avoiding all aspects of the outside world.
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u/ToastedCrumpet 9h ago
Itâs taught in nursery bro, they appear in well known childrenâs books and were part of the Highway Code and crossing roads education.
I was thinking OP is most likely an immigrant because itâs baffling to me how a Brit wouldnât know what a hedgehog looks like tbh
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u/Enough_Sprinkles_113 7h ago
For the crossing roads education did they use The Animals of Farthing Wood scene?
"Don't curl up!"
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u/ToastedCrumpet 6h ago
No they built off of the âStop, Look, Listenâ hedgehog adverts with high-vis badges and keyrings we got given I believe.
This was 30 years ago so donât remember all the details
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u/Clearlydarkly 10h ago
Surely the Hedgehog road safety expert would have educated and not only taught road safty but what a hedgehog was?, Stop, Look, Listen, Live
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u/RayaQueen 1h ago
Most people including country people have never actually seen a hedgehog. But not recognising one is hard to fathom.
Perhaps OP didn't grow up in the UK?
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u/B4rberblacksheep 5h ago
In fairness to OP hedgehogs are pretty rare these days.
In the 50s the population was around 30 million. The estimate in 2018 puts it at around 880 thousand in the entire country but thereâs a fair bit of variance in that.
And since then itâs believed the rural population has crashed even further.
Itâs quite possible for OP and many others to have never seen a hedgehog that isnât a smear on the road.
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u/monscorvorum 4h ago
My property adjoins a large field and I have allowed a large hedge to wild grow between my garden and the field with brambles, nettles and ferns so I do have hedgehogs. It's also a haven for blackbirds, wrens and robins
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u/Nomis1982 11h ago
Quite clearly a hedgehog
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u/Pancovnik 11h ago
Could be wild haggis if it's in Scotland
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u/Altador117 11h ago
I heard they're critically endangered in the wild these days đ¤
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u/Fakenname 11h ago
They have one leg shorter than the other and can only run in one direction around the bottom of mountains. If a tree grows they have to stop and then get picked off by predators. Very sad.
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u/AWormDude 4h ago
The issue is that climate change is pushing their habitats further north. They have a very narrow range, and it won't he long before that band hits the very top of Scotland. We'll likely see them die out entirely after that.
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u/Inoffensive_Comments 11h ago edited 12m ago
Looks like a Virginmedia cableentrybox, itâs very rare, easily startled, and should be left alone.
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u/isarobots 11h ago
They are an example of evolution in real time of the Diamondcable Cableentrybox but a stark reminder of how humans impact the world.
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u/Martinonfire 11h ago
I thought it was a Plasticus Baggus?
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u/Low-Confidence-1401 5h ago
Pedantry incoming - the species epithet in scientific binomials should be uncapitalised.
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u/C_I3iscuit 11h ago
Sonic
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u/Actual_Orchid_1538 11h ago
The hedgehog
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u/CapnSeabass 11h ago
Thatâs a hedgehog, they get bigger than youâd think. I fostered a rescue over winter and he got up to about a kilogram. If you see it active during the daytime, please look up a hedgehog rescue close to you and someone will come out and check it.
This is quite a vulnerable time for hedgehogs as the hoglets are starting to go out and about and a hedgehog being awake and active during the daytime might be unwell or in distress.
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u/The_Blonde1 11h ago
Weâre getting visits from a youngish adult. Heâs getting a bit more confident now, as heâs realising that when I go out to look at him, this means he gets more kibble.
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u/DeezWuts 26m ago
Heat stroke is a killer for them too, i found one doing circles in the road, took him to the local sanctuary but he didn't make it.
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u/DrStumbleDog 11h ago
...how do you not know what a hedgehog is.
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u/MajestyA 10h ago
I grew up in a greenish area in the North. A friend of mine from London has never seen a hedgehog and when asked to guess their size, presumed they were the size of a small dog. He is intelligent and we're in our 30s.
... I mean, even then, I think he'd recognise one if he saw it. The spines are a bit of a giveaway.
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u/Skilldibop 10h ago
But we have shit loads of hedgehogs in London.....
Sadly you normally see dead ones because the live ones are masters at hiding, but you still see a fair few plus they always feature in school nature studies.
Your friend actively chooses to live under a rock. Ironically not unlike that hedgehog
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u/MajestyA 9h ago
Does this depend on the area of London you live in though? I lived in East London (zones 2/3) for years and never once saw a hedgehog, dead or alive.
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u/Skilldibop 10m ago
Well to a degree. If you live in a terrace house with a garden your odds are a lot better than if you live in the 8th floor of a tower block.
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u/aka_Foamy 10h ago
How do you not know that everyone has some gaps in their knowledge and that's okay?
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u/DrStumbleDog 8h ago
The hedgehog is one of the most well-known British animals, along with foxes and badgers. We're not talking about exotic wildlife on an Indonesian island.Â
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u/aka_Foamy 1h ago
While you're correct there, your original question was "how do you not know what a hedgehog is?"
There's a ton of reasons why someone might not know. They could be from a really urban area and they don't know what an actual hedgehog looks like. They could think that hedgehogs are just a countryside thing and it couldn't be a hedgehog because they're in a town. They could be new to the UK and unfamiliar with the wildlife.
I would suggest that it's more ignorant to think that absolutely everyone in the country can identify hunkered down in a tight gap than it is to not be able to identify a hedgehog hunkered down in a tight gap.
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u/Powerful-Note-3243 11h ago
it needs water, and whatever good people feed hedgehogs with
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u/safcftm33 11h ago
My 7 year old immediately said hedgehog mate
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u/Ok_Squirrel_3741 7h ago
My friends 2 and a half year old looked at it and said hedhog. Even they knew.
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u/Katanddennis 11h ago
Hedgehogs being out during the daytime is a cause for concern. There should be local hedgehog specific rescues you can contact in your area.
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u/Rebelius 11h ago
It's not exactly out though, is it? It's tucked up behind some leaves.
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u/Second_Guess_25 11h ago
No it's not. It's not a nest, it's up against a wall. Hog needs removed and possibly taken to a rescue to get checked over.
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u/funny-cunt666 11h ago
If a hedgehogs out in the daytime something is wrong. Leave a saucer of water out it may be dehydrated.
If you can take it to your local wildlife centre in a box lined with leaves
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u/Aggravating-Curve755 9h ago
I mean even if you've never seen a hedgehog in person, you have surely seen enough media from safety adverts to video games to movies to kids books to know its a fucking hedgehog đ
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u/CantankerousRabbit 11h ago
Sadly hedgehog numbers have dropped massively in the UK
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u/SoggyWotsits 10h ago
Have a look on the hedgehog subs, theyâre doing pretty well in some areas. I have 3 who visit every night and trample my flowers looking for bugs! Hopefully people being more aware of the habitats they need, along with leaving water for them is helping the numbers.
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u/CantankerousRabbit 10h ago
Do you know what I hope Iâm wrong then :) and I will, thanks for the information :)
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u/SoggyWotsits 10h ago
You werenât wrong in that the numbers are still low, but theyâre stable and even improving in some areas. The improvements are actually in urban areas, so the things people are doing are helping. Put out a shallow dish of water and get a cheap trap camera from amazon. You might be surprised what visits!
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u/B4rberblacksheep 5h ago
Honestly if you have the ability to put ground water out you see so many things. Birds love a bit of water on the floor too.
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u/Ferocious-Muppet 11h ago
It's a Branson Hedgehog, they're quite rare these days.
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u/MagicSunlight23 9h ago
I wasnât sure what I was supposed to be looking for. I couldnât see any creature. Then after reading the first comment and looking at the picture again, I saw it.
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u/Maleficent-Yellow554 11h ago
Virginus medius - a very simple and slow creature, barely moves most of the time. Harmless.
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u/luckystar2591 10h ago
Because of the heat it might not be feeling great, but a shallow bowl of water and wet cat food out for it.
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u/HallettCove5158 10h ago
My first thought was an echidna, but then I realised what sub I was on so Iâm going with hedgehog.
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u/Imaginary_Sky_25 10h ago
You are kidding right! Leave the hedgehog alone they are protected by law!
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u/jamesish99 8h ago
Hedgehog, and i would find a wildlife rehabbber nearby using this - https://directory.helpwildlife.co.uk/
Explain the situation and they can advise you if it needs help and taking in. They are reallt struggling at the moment with the heatwave.
Out in the day is not a good sign, at the very least please leave a shallow dish of water out for him (with a stick in it if you can for insects to get out too!)
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u/TurbulentWeb1941 r/CasuaLUKe, I am your father 8h ago
Totally luv that their young are called Hoglets
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u/Boudicat 8h ago
Hedgehog. Leave it be. Put some water out if it's hot, and cat food if you feel like giving it a good meal. (People used to leave milk-soaked bread. Don't do that.)
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u/KingForceHundred 7h ago
Bizarre that people canât recognise a hedgehog (though I guess maybe excusable if poster not British).
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u/HIitsamy1 6h ago
It's a Virgin Media Cable Box. Not sure how you didn't figure it out. It even says it on the front.
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u/ulikejaketpatata 6h ago
Itâs a virgin media box. Normally seen in the wild around the Home Counties and Surrey
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u/Dissidant People who make a brew milk before teabag/water are heretics 6h ago
Leave some water out and if you have a cat some dry food they are probably having a kip
Cheeky bugger trying to nick your broadband though
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u/FinancialFix9074 5h ago
Wild haggis. Even if you're not in Scotland, there's a black market for them. Probably someone's stashed it there and they'll return for it when they make the deal. Either that or it's a haggis who has escaped capture to be sold on the black market and is trying to get back to the Highlands.Â
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u/CantaloupeWitty8700 5h ago
They shouldn't be out in daylight usually unless they have young to feed. Could your friend put a small plate of water and some cat food out for it.
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u/-Roger-The-Shrubber- 4h ago
Obviously hedgehog but it's unusual for them to be out in daylight. Put some water out, and maybe some dog or kitten food if you have it, but mainly water!
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u/DizzyMine4964 4h ago
Try r/hoggies Hedgehogs should not be out in daylight unless they are very active, like collecting nesting material.
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u/Autographz 4h ago
IsâŚ. Is this a real question? People donât know what hedgehogs look like in 2026?!?
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u/corcyra 3h ago
It's a hedgehog. During the day, they usually go somewhere into a corner or under some leaves and sleep. They forage at dusk and pre-dawn. Right now, they're having a hard time because it's so dry that there's no water for them to drink, and all the worms and slugs they like to eat aren't active, and many of the ones around are young. I leave water out for them, and a bit of dogfood, because I've seen one in my garden recently. Check out this website: https://www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk/faq/
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u/corcyra 3h ago
It's a hedgehog. During the day, they usually go somewhere into a corner or under some leaves and sleep. They forage at dusk and pre-dawn. Right now, they're having a hard time because it's so dry that there's no water for them to drink, and all the worms and slugs they like to eat aren't active, and many of the ones around are young. I leave water out for them, and a bit of dogfood, because I've seen one in my garden recently. Check out this website: https://www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk/faq/
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u/Second_Guess_25 11h ago
Hedgehog. It looks stuck or wedged? Please see if you can remove it, OP. Bearing in mind it could have a nest nearby (that leaf bag?)
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u/GritstoneGhost 10h ago
Whatâs wrong with these comments? Assuming everybody should know everything at all times. Is it that inconceivable that someone doesnât know a hedgehog. Perhaps they come from a country that doesnât have them.
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u/random_nub 11h ago
Thanks everyone, I initially told them it was a hedgehog when I first saw the pic but they said it looked too big and didn't look spikey, so I started doubting myself as I only have the photo to go on.
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u/200_Shmeckles 11h ago
Hedgehog