Pumpkins are frightfully bad for hedgehogs
HEDGEHOGS may love the sight of a spooky pumpkin just as much as humans, but the Halloween staple can be frightfully bad for their digestive systems.
With the celebrations now over, pumpkins will likely still be dotted around on doorsteps for a while.
GSPCA manager Steve Byrne has reminded islanders that as we get closer to winter, hedgehogs will be hungry and looking for any food they can find, even if it is not good for them.
‘They are very hungry this time of year and are out and about foraging for food in the cold and dark nights, when it is harder to find their normal food,’ he said.
‘We have a large number being rescued and being brought in, we call them autumn clangers, which means they are born way too late to survive the winter.’
Eating pumpkin can cause a hedgehog to lose weight, become dehydrated, leading to struggle surviving hibernation.
‘Pumpkins are a tradition we have adopted and they are a bit of fun,’ said Mr Byrne.
‘I suggest putting them in places that a hedgehog can’t get to, or maybe put food out so they decide to go to that instead. If you can dispose of a pumpkin straight away, make sure you are composting them somewhere hedgehogs can’t get to.’
Guernsey Waste has suggested using food caddies as an option as well, and encouraged islanders to try to keep waste to a minimum over Halloween.
‘A scary amount of waste is produced over Halloween,’ said waste prevention and recycling officer Tina Norman-Ross.
‘Thousands of pumpkins, costumes and sweet packaging are thrown away every year. And while it’s been a time for us to come together and have fun, there are things that we can all do to limit any negative impacts on the environment, ourselves and tackle plastic pollution.’
She advised people to look online for easy pumpkin recipes.
‘It’s all about trying to reduce, reuse and recycle as much as we can,' said Mrs Norman-Ross.
n Subsidised home composting kits can be purchased for £10 from Earlswood Garden Centre, R H Gaudion & Sons Ltd, Guernsey Gardens, Le Friquet Garden Centre and Queux Patio Plants.
n Tea light casings can be recycled in blue bags if there is no wax residue in them.
