IT is good to read of the large population of hedgehogs in the Horrabridge area and the care given to them by Colin and Annie Tyrrell (Times, December 22). It might be worth informing would-be donors of dog and cat food that, for hedgehogs, this must not contain fish or fish derivatives.

A hedgehog should weigh 600g at least to hibernate successfully. Mild winters do not help hedgehogs. They tend to wake up and wander about, using up their precious fat reserves. A hedgehog seen walking around in the daytime generally has a problem.

A saucer of bread and milk was often put out by well meaning people but this leads to diarrhoea and dehydration. Hedgehogs have surprisingly big appetites! They roam over quite large areas as soon as the light fades.

It is great that now many people welcome them in their gardens and prefer slugs and snails to be eaten by hedgehogs rather than killed by poisonous pellets.

Rosalie Gelling

HarrowbeerLane

Yelverton