Hi Cheryl
Yes, hedgehogs could be attacked at night, by badgers, dogs and possibly foxes.
However there is also the possibility that it was the hedgehog doing the attacking. They will on occasion eat birds if they come across them on the ground. I have heard a hedgehog killing a fledgling. It’s possible there was something wrong with the fledgling, as it shouldn’t have been on the ground. I heard a terrible noise and thought something was attacking a hedgehog, only to find it was a hedgehog killing a fledgling. Or I should probably say killed, by the time I saw it. I can only assume that it was the fledgling making the terrible noise. But I can completely understand how distressing the sound could have been to your Mum.
I also recall someone reporting in the past on the Forum that a hedgehog killed a pigeon. Whilst this may seem unlikely, if there was something wrong with it, it may not have been in a fit state to move away. Again that person was apparently alerted by a terrible noise.
It is never nice to hear an animal being killed, but in the two circumstances mentioned it may have saved the two birds from a slow death and may have been natures way of ensuring that didn’t happen.
Is it possible you could ask your neighbour whether they could throw any more light on the matter?
I hope your visiting hedgehog returned safe and sound.
