Hedgehogs on camera
30th April 2019
Have you captured a hedgehog on film? Send us your photos and videos!
If you have regular spiny visitors to your garden, photographing and filming them is a great way of seeing what your hogs are up to.
You can set up a night vision camera, or keep an eye on your hogs’ schedules and try your hand at wildlife photography. All it takes is patience and practice.
Once you do get a photo you like, you can upload it to our image gallery. Your fellow Hedgehog Champions have already caught hedgehogs feeding, fighting, exploring and making nests.
Credit: Louise Hines, Hedgehog Champion
Tips for photographing hedgehogs
- Hedgehogs can be shy, so be patient! Try to track their schedules and pick a time to keep watch when they are likely to be feeding or roaming. You can also leave food and water out for them, to encourage them into your garden.
- Stay quiet. Don’t use a bright flash or noisy shutter. Hedgehogs will act more naturally if they don’t notice you’re there.
- Get down on their level. If you can, lie down on the ground at a safe distance to capture your hog’s best side.
- Wait until the evening. Hedgehogs are nocturnal so they sleep during the day. You’re more likely to see them as they wake up during the evening.
- Pick your time. Hedgehogs are more active from April through to September. You’re unlikely to see many when they are hibernating during the winter.
- Practice makes perfect. You might not get a clear shot right away.
- Night-time trail cameras are very useful for monitoring hedgehog comings and goings. You can get candid images or videos of night-time visitors without disturbing their adventures. There are some great affordable ones on Nature Spy.
A note on hedgehog welfare
Hedgehogs make great subjects in a photo, but make sure they don’t know you’re watching them.
Always keep a respectful distance away, and never pick up or try to move a hog. Hedgehogs are wild animals and can get easily stressed by human contact. They are happiest when they can explore in peace.
Be especially quiet and careful if you spot a female hedgehog with hoglets. And please avoid opening hedgehog nest boxes to take a picture, as this could disturb a nursing mother.
Make sure you don’t shine bright lights in a hedgehog’s face, and avoid sudden movements and noise. Hedgehogs require stealth mode!
Explore the gallery
Browse our photo galleries for the latest images sent in by our Hedgehog Champions.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Our YouTube channel is a great place to watch hedgehogs doing all sorts of fascinating, funny and downright bizarre things. There are hundreds of videos, from hedgehog fights and foraging adventures, to dinner with foxes.
Send your videos to hedgehog@ptes.org, using https://free.mailbigfile.com/ for large files, and we will add the best ones to the channel. Don’t forget to include your name so that we can credit you properly!
