Keeping Hedgehogs as Pets vs Leaving Them Wild in the UK/Europe
Hedgehogs have a special place in UK and European gardens—but that also creates confusion. If you find a hedgehog outside, should you “rescue” it and keep it? And if you’ve seen pet hedgehogs online, is it the same animal you see in your garden?In most of the UK and Europe, the hedgehogs you enc...
How to Build a Safe Outdoor Enclosure for Rabbits, Guinea Pigs or Tortoises
An outdoor enclosure can be a fantastic quality-of-life upgrade for rabbits, guinea pigs, and tortoises—more space, fresh air, and natural enrichment. But “letting them out in a pen” is also one of the easiest ways for small pets to get injured, stressed, overheated, or attacked by predators. A t...
Garden Dormouse (Eliomys quercinus): Identification, Habitat, Diet, Hibernation, Breeding & Cons
The garden dormouse (Eliomys quercinus) is one of Europe’s most distinctive small mammals. In Spain it’s relatively well known, and across parts of Europe it has long been considered a “common” woodland creature. But in many regions, numbers have fallen sharply in recent decades, and some local...
Keeping Hedgehogs as Pets vs Leaving Them Wild in the UK/Europe
In the UK and many parts of Europe, hedgehogs are a much-loved symbol of wild gardens. People put out food, build “hedgehog highways” between fences and celebrate each spiky visitor on their wildlife cameras. At the same time, social media shows cute “pet hedgehogs” in small cages indoors. It’s...
Backyard Toxins: Common Plants, Foods and Chemicals That Are Poisonous to Pets
A garden or backyard should be a safe place for your dog or cat to explore, nap in the sun and sniff everything. But many typical European and North American yards are full of hidden dangers: toxic plants, spilled chemicals, compost, slug pellets, cocoa mulch and more. Most owners never plan to put...
Foxes in European Cities: How to Protect Chickens, Rabbits and Small Pets
Urban foxes are now a normal sight in many European cities – from London and Berlin to Paris, Amsterdam and beyond. They trot along pavements at night, slip through back gardens, and sometimes stare straight into your windows. For many people, they’re exciting to see. But if you keep chickens, rab...
Is the Big-bellied Garden Spider poisonous?
Araneus cavaticus is a common garden spider mainly found in North America. Generally speaking, giant garden spiders are not venomous enough to cause serious harm to humans. They generally do not actively attack humans, and their venom usually does not pose a serious threat to humans....