As I’ve told you before, we have several tame robins at the rescue. They are all born wild, but have got so used to people that they will often flutter into the hoghouse and sit on the table, merrily twittering for a titbit, so of course we put a little seed out for them.
And, as I’ve told you before, we have several tame rats at the rescue They are all born wild but have got so used to people that they will often sneak into the hoghouse, the wildlife unit AND into the aviary’s on the prowl for a titbit, which in their eyes may be a bird, young hoglet or even a hamster…..and sometimes they succeed!
So, we put traps out to catch the rats; they make the visiting public jump and squeal y’see, and sometimes we catch one, but once one is caught, we rarely catch another in the same location, clever beasties that they are. We do, however, catch robins every night! Thankfully, all our traps are humane so neither rats nor robins are hurt.
When feeding the robins, we attach little feeders to the mesh above the rock in this picture, but the rats climb the mesh, in broad daylight, with people and dogs milling about, and devour the lot. In order to give the robins a chance, we put seed on this rock…..to divert the rats, and little feeders on the mesh for the robins.
But, the robins, instead of dashing straight to the mesh feeders choose to linger around the rock, making the odd dart here and there to gather a measly mouthful in between rat visits.
And the rats come in two’s and three’s…[p.s…sorry about these hazy pics, but I left the beautiful canon at home as I lost the lens cap , one IS now on it’s way, gosh I missed that camera!} Also sorry to have featured two rats in one picture, albeit a blurry twosome….I know how these critters evoke shudders in some of you!
My conclusion? This is why rats have been around for so long, despite the most strenuous attempts to get rid of them. They are wily, intelligent and rarely make the same mistake twice, and they constantly adapt to their environment. They are fierce, calculating and utterly cunning! They really do reign supreme as a species….as does mankind. And pigeons….
A gal came into the rescue today looking to adopt Timmy, the guinea pig. After a rather relaxing grooming session we introduced Timmy to her guinea pig, Whorls….
Initially there was a little shyness but that didn’t last long, and they began to get on like a house on fire….so it was goodbye Timmy, I will miss combing his hair!
In the hoghouse, things are stirring. Previously sleepy hogs are now scratching and snuffling and generally making a lot of noise, soon it will be time to start hardening them off outdoors. Sadly, there is an epidemic of obesity at present, most hogs are sporting huge bellies and boobies, and generally are too fat to curl up properly…..exercise regimes will be put in place as soon as they go outdoors, their food will be left twelve foot away, and if they want it they have no choice but to walk the walk!
I never show injured animals on my blog as a rule, but just this once I wanted to show how a strimmer can injure and kill a hog. This guy is healing well now, but when he came in, two inches of his flesh had been cut off. This is around the time that the strimmers come out…..so keep an eye out in the long grass guys, hogs love to nestle in it, especially after coming out of hibernation, and sadly we see this, and worse far too often.
I was surprised to find the vet had prescribed a cream, to be applied daily, that is…..manuka honey! Only in comes in a tube, not a jar!
Spring is now springing, and all about, delights are bursting forth, I love this Anemone against the Japanese Bloodgrass…
The red Dogwoods are glowing….
How awesome is this?
“Come little bees” they whisper…..
Alight…..
Fragile, yet sturdy…
And Finally….
It has recently come to my attention that a single Snowdrop can cost a fortune.. Galanthus lovers will go to untold lengths to posses a coveted Snowdrop.Wendy’s Gold is a princely £15 per bulb, other, more collectable varieties can cost £150, yes, per bulb!
I seem to have a double variety here…possibly Galanthus nivalis Flore Pleno, whatever it is, I didn’t plant it! Annie obviously loves the honey scent.
And Chloris has just informed me that….
In 2012 Galanthus Elizabeth Harrison sold for £725.10 on eBay. I believe it was bought by Thompson and Morgan and they twinscaled it in order to build up stocks to sell commercially. The twinscaling went wrong and they lost the lot!
Yes, those rats always remind me of human beings… and there’s a few humans I’ve run into that remind me of rats. But getting all your beautiful animals to live in peace without stealing each other’s food, sounds a bit like waiting for the second coming. You might be in need of more frequent holidays from the shelter, just to get your perspective back. But I love you all the same. Took a while to get to this blog, and I think there are some I still haven’t visited…
Y’know, I think you’re right Shimon…..getting total co-operation amongst the creatures is like waiting for the second coming! I laughed out loud at your comment re me needing to take a break from the shelter, I think you may be onto something there! Glad you love me all the same, I suppose I sound quite insane at times!!!xxxx
I have a sneaky admiration for those rats – fancy them not being caught in a trap placed in the same position a second time; so clever. Love the robin photos and that hedgehog is adorable; I’m so glad he’s healing well. Interesting about the honey too. x
Yes, I must say I have a great deal of respect for rats too, they don’t bother me, but then I see a lot of them and they have become as common as garden birds to me…I do admire there ability to survive and their intelligence.
This is the first time that the vet has prescribed manuka honey, it’s doing a grand job too. Thanks Veggie Mummy.xxx
Heartwarming to see that Timmy and Whorls are soul mates. As for rats, as a city-dweller I cannot think of feeding them without a shudder. They are too clever by half. Someone should give the robins assertiveness training!
Lol….It was lovely seeing how well the guinea pigs got on, they do so much better with a companion. Rats certainly freak many people out for sure, I think it is because of their intelligence and utter cunning…..and they seem to be able to survive anywhere. Oh…how I agree about the robins! Thanks Jason.xxx
Blimey, where to start….logical, beginning! Sorry peeps but I have a strange admiration and soft spot for rats so I was ooooing and aarrring at those first photos!
I thought that was a wig being combed at first, that little thing has a better head of hair than I do! 🙂
The flowers and THAT Dogwood are just gorgeous.
What a kick in the butt for Thompson and Morgan with the snowdrop and what a crazy price!! I suppose like any collection, if you want it that badly you’ll pay the price…..I love snowdrops, but not at that price!
Suzy xo
Lol….I tip my hat at you for liking rats, you are certainly in the minority, although I rather like them too, unless they are in a trap and lunging whilst I try to release them! Hahahaha…..that piggy has better hair than I do as well!!!
I am a huge fan of dogwood, I just love the red ones in the winter.
Yes, you and me both re the snowdrops, imagine paying a fortune for one and a mouse getting it or something!!! Thanks Sizy.xxx
My robins here are very tame. They follow me round the garden.
I used to keep chickens and realised that I had inadvertently tamed rats one day, when 2 of them came running to meet me when I went to feed the chickens. They give me the horrors, I don’ t know why, but they do. I put traps down with some grain inside but they never went in the traps, as you say they are very intelligent.
You don’ t have to pay hundreds of pounds for a nice snowdrop, you can get some nice ones much cheaper.
Ahhh….bless the robins eh, all gardeners seem to have tame ones. Oh my, I can imagine how unnerving it must have been for you to have inadvertently tamed rats!!!! But…..I secretly thinking how sweet it must have looked, them running up to you like that! That’s the problem at the rescue in a nutshell….the rats think they are our pets!!!
Yes….there are reasonably priced snowdrops out there that I must buy, but I was rather stunned at some of the prices…..talk about shock and awe! Thanks Chloris.xxx
Rats, no sorry, they are not welcome here, even though I know they must be around! But robins, yes, they are very welcome, following us round as soon as we step outside to do some gardening.
You have so many lovely spring flowers, your garden must look very pretty at the moment.
Love the guinea pig with the long hair, it reminds me of the 2 that our children had when they were little.
Lol….rats are not the best liked critter for sure! I have lot’s of tame robins in the garden too, they really are the gardeners friend aren’t they, I also love how they sing night and day all year round, the only bird to do this!
Spring has begun for sure now hasn’t it, everything seems to pop up at once…..bring it on I say! The piggy is a sweetie isn’t it, sure takes some grooming though, thankfully that lady seems to enjoy it. Thanks Pauline.xxx
Oh, I reallllly like that photo of just barely opening crocus blooms. Like they’re going to move before my eyes 🙂 The colors in your hellebores are so elegant. I tried growing galanthus but they just don’t naturalize in our climate. So I shan’t try those really expensive collectibles!
I didn’t know just how cheeky those robins can get — seeing them so close to the rats snarfing away. And neither care a whit as you stand by snapping away with your camera! By the way, I’ve lost my lens cap many moons ago. And have survived. Get a good UV filter and skip the lens cap. Much easier to whip out your Canon and take that photo!
Thanks Anne, it’s always lovely to see the first of the crocus open, now we just need the bees. I can imagine the snowdrops sulking during your warm winters….so good move re not wasting money on them.
Robins are notoriously tame, they will sit on your spade and forage in the ground right next to you….
Lol….the rats and robins at the rescue behave more like pets, it’s a little disconcerting when rats do that, especially when they shadow you across the farm in the dark!
Oh…..says I dashing off to google UV filters, do they stay on all the time? Do they get scratched? So little time and SO many questions!xxx
I was completely flummoxed about your hogs, until I realized you weren’t talking at all about feral hogs, which is what I’d assumed. We don’t have hedgehogs here, so I never think about them as a possibility. In fact, I don’t think I’d seen a photo of a hedgehog in someone’s garden until the last year or two.
I’m wondering, too, if the robin you show is the English robin, or our American robin with the silly scientific name of turdus migratorius. It looks like you have a different bird — I see the red isn’t so prominent. In any case, I grew up with robins, and they were THE harbingers of spring. I found a twelve-hour video on youtube of our robins singing. I crank it up every now and then, just to enjoy those nostalgic sounds of spring!
I’m ever so sorry, I see so much of hedgehogs that I naturally shorten the word, I have a special needs one at home and do the grand weigh in every week at the rescue, some fifty plus hogs…hedgehogs here are often called hedgepigs too….In your shoes I would have thought feral hogs too!!!
We only have the English robin, they are about six inches long and are probably our tamest bird. They are renown for hanging out with gardeners looking to snaffle any worms or insects. They are the only bird here that sing night and day,throughout the year, it’s unsure why, and they have an incredible range of song and even practice it quietly before letting rip.
I do like your robins, they are huge compared to ours……how lovely that you listen to birdsong! Thanks Shoreacres.xxx
Ah! “…[Rats are] wily, intelligent and rarely make the same mistake twice, and they constantly adapt to their environment. They are fierce, calculating and utterly cunning!” I believe you’ve identified the species of our current state governor: Thank you for confirming this, Dina!
I love English robins, and it makes me happy to see how tenderly they’re cared for at your Rescue, which I would have imagined, anyway…but the photos are a treat.
And the spring bulbs: wow…our high today is 2 F (-17 C), so you can get a handle on how magnificently inspiring and breathtaking your photos of these are. It will be quite a while till we see our spring blooms. It’s always about this time of winter we begin to think spring is a myth, a fantastical memory, so thanks, again, for the reminder it’s truly coming. 🙂
So sad to see the little hog’s injury! What is a strimmer? Poor dear! I’m glad to hear he’s healing well.
Thank you for all the magic and joy you offer every time you post, Dina! It really brightens and warms my heart!
Ha! That description fits many of our politicians too, especially now during the run up to the election….it makes my skin crawl to listen to some of them!!! Why are there so many corrupt politicians in power?
I love the robins too, they are the gardener’s friend and will follow people in the hope of finding a worm, they really are such tame little birds.
Oh my goodness……your temperatures are awesome…..here’s to a little warmth and signs of spring, I can imagine how distant a memory it must be! Your seasons are so contrasting, from extreme heat to extreme cold….how do you adapt to that!!!
A strimmer is a single-bladed tool used to cut the edges of long grass, they inflict terrible injuries on small animals…..hopefully that little hog will pull through. Thanks so much Kitty.xxx
Such a lot going on here. So, there is ‘cellier’ of bulbs. I thought Kew had the monopoly on those. If they went commercial on some species, assuming they have not, they might make lots of dosh.
The animal food chain is a very complicated one. The ethics of it being interfered with by man, who is also an able predator of another type, are complex. Xxxx
I was astonished at the price of some of the more collectible snowdrops….just imagine paying £150 for one bulb, or even £15! I would be worried sick about them!
Yes…..the food chain is complex and we do interfere far too often….and I suppose we are the most successful predator ever! Thanks Menhir.xxx
When I kept hens the runs were besieged with rats – they used to live under the hen huts – they are quite disgusting but the baby rats are rather cute (for a while anyway). Nice to see spring is springing in your garden – not many signs of life here yet although I did spot one or two crocus yesterday shining in the sunlight. That poor old hog – looks like it was a nasty wound – thank goodness for the healing properties on honey. I love guinea pigs and the coat on that one is gorgeous. As for the price of snowdrop bulbs – you have to be very keen to pay those sort of prices – I’ll just stick to the bog-standard ones I think.
Baby rats are really cute I must say, the ones in these pics are quite young. I suppose the rats under your hen houses were after their food, they certainly don’t miss a trick…..
Here the buds are everywhere, I think spring is on time this year…..hopefully it will all erupt for you soon!
The hog was in a really bad way when it first came in, I felt awful having to put the honey on such a painful wound, but it is healing well now.
Lol, I’m sticking to reasonably priced snowdrops too! Thanks Elaine.xxx
My snowdrops were purchased in a bag from a discount store! Spring is sound asleep and snoring here. We have about a month to go before she lifts her head. As for the rats, they don’t bother me and can teach humans a thing or two about adapting. But the big city rats in NYC and DC are so gross! Ick! So glad that little hog is doing ok. Honey was used on all wounds at the turtle hospital I visited in Florida this past Christmas. 🙂
Lol, you and me both re the snowdrops….I couldn’t imagine paying a huge amount for one, what if it died???? You’d have them in cages or something wouldn’t you?
Another month to go….sighs….
Rats have been reported worldwide as growing ever bigger….maybe they are evolving size wise, some of ours are easily larger than cats! They are quite capable of killing a large rabbit…
How interesting to hear that honey is used on the turtle wounds…..it’s so thick it probably doesn’t wash off, it’s certainly healing the hog’s wound. I may even try it myself! Thanks Casa.xxx
Oh my….the rats and rob story is fascinating and yes, as clever as robins are…rats do, as you say rule supreme. I read once that after an atomic blast the one thing that would survive are the rats!…….
Oh the poor little hog…and such good advice to all gardeners….and I love the guinea pig story….they are going to have so much fun together…maybe they will make lots more guinea pigs???
I was in Hampton Court Palace today with a visitor from the States, and yes spring is definitely springing…lovely flowers all over the place, and buds everywhere…don’t you just love it.
Keep up all the good work, Dina and continue to enjoy the garden, and the furies. Janet. xxxxx
I heard that about rats too, and cockroaches! Odd to think what will inherit the earth!
It is sad to see so many hogs with strimmer and mower injuries, this is a particularly dangerous time for them.
We neuter all our animals before they are re-homed so sadly, no long haired guinea pigs!
You can certainly see spring is ready to burst forth for sure now, as you say buds are everywhere, hopefully it will be on time this year. Thanks Janet.xxx
I suppose you must get used to the rats especially if they become tame and you get to know their cunning little ways. They would freak me out so I’m averting my eyes and enjoying your garden plants and flowers especially the snowdrops.
Lol….sorry about the rats Linda, you’re right though, because I see them all the time I barely notice them, sometimes when I go across the farm in the dark they can be a little intimidating as they skulk past VERY close, and some of them are huge!
It’s marvelous to see the beginnings of spring isn’t it? Thanks Linda.xxx
Excellent post…as always…
Rats vs Robins? The latter can be quite aggressive though I don’t think robins will take too many chances with ‘Ratters’….I’m afraid I’m no ‘rat fan’…if there are any around.
Most fascinating news….Those Snowdrops!!!! We have a goodly number in our garden and they have increased naturally…..Must explore the species…
Thanks for a lovely post. Hugs!
Thanks Bushka, yes, robins are aggressive and terribly territorial too, but they are no match for the intelligent rats, they outwit them every which way. You would think the robins would learn not to go in the rat traps, it’s odd seeing them in there each day!
Oh yes….please check your snowdrops, you could be sitting on a goldmine! hugs to you too.xxx
Ho ho ho, now you know how to make a fortune … sell your snowdrops!!
I don’t like rats – they are an absolute plague on the South Atlantic islands because they eat the seabirds’ eggs and young which are in danger of dying out. There has had to be a concerted effort to destroy the rats in order to preserve other wildlife.
If I had a snowdrop worth a fortune it would be on ebay tomorrow, I couldn’t cope with the stress of looking after the expensive ones, and no doubt the dogs would flatten it or the cat would dig it up!
Rats do pose a problem in many areas, they seem to outwit man at every turn which makes them so difficult to catch. Thanks Gilly.xxx
It’s not the rats as animals that I object to. They are quite cute – it’s the damage they can cause and the disease that they carry that worries me. Weil’s disease is serious issue. A timely warning – poor little hog
L
Yes, the disease that rats carry can be worrying….I like them too though, it’s hard not to admire their intelligence.
It’s always worth checking long grass, so many hogs lose legs and worse, it’s surprising how little grass they can actually hide in. Thanks Sue.xxx
Imagine if I paid £150 for a snowdrop bulb, let alone any more. What would the mice think of that, huh? Meecy caviar is what I’m thinking.
Lol…..just imagine how awful it would be if they did actually devour a really expensive snowdrop!Thanks Jess.xxx
Awesome post, I feel like I’ve had a day in your world. Yikes for the hedgehog – my dog goes bonkers with them, just sits there and whimpers (she snuffled one once on a dusk walk, and I think got prickles up her nose, so now she’s very wary). I think the rats are gorgeous, but you’re right to try to deter them from making themselves too comfortable with all the other critters to care for.
Thanks Mel. I have a dog who loves hogs too and is expert at sniffing them out, because he lives with one he seems to be immune to the prickles and can roll them towards me! Strange but true!
I rather admire rats too but we do have a problem with them in the rescue, we re-locate them to country areas once we’ve caught them. The problem is actually catching them.xxx
An enjoyable post and mostly lovely photos. I don’t like rats. Nice to see Timmy has now got a lady friend.
That hedgehog wound looks and sounds nasty, so a reminder to look out for them in gardens and on plots is timely.
I’m rather thankful that I’m not a galanthus collector! xx
Rats certainly aren’t popular are they? In traps they are utterly ferocious! It’s rather scary releasing them, I always wear gloves as they will bite…..
The hog was in a bad way when it came in, hopefully it’s on the mend now. Yes, we all have to keep a keen eye on the long grass.
Yes, it’s good to see Timmy off to such a good home, with such a nice little friend.
I’m glad I’m not a Galanthus collector too! Thanks Flighty.xxx
Eeek, not sure I’d be brave enough to have rats running around my feet. Glad the piggy has found a mate, they do like to have friends, don’t they? Poor little hog, there must be many casualties in gardens or on allotments at this time of year. It’s amazing how much snowdrops sell for. It would be a fun hobby to collect them but I’m afraid my purse wouldn’t take the strain.
No matter what we do the rats remain…..too clever by far they are! It was lovely to see Timmy finding a friend, he is a sweet little pig.
It is awful seeing so many mutilated hogs, it’s upsetting for the people who do it accidentally too, it’s always worth swishing around in long grass.
My purse wouldn’t take the strain either! Thanks Jo.xxx