🐾 Maybe the reason I love animals so much, is because the only time they have broken my heart is when theirs has stopped beating.
Friday, 27 March 2009
"Hedgehog" in Other Languages
Interested in Hedgehogs? Here are some translations of what Hedgehogs are called in other languages.
Afrikaans: krimpvarkie (S.A.)
Tswana : sethlong (S.A.)
Anglo-Saxon: igil or il
Arabic: qunfud
Bengali: kata chua (spikey mouse)
Bulgarian: taralej
Chinese: ci-wei (needle animal)
Cornish: sort
Croatian: jez
Czech: jezek
Danish: pindsvin
Dutch: egel
English: hedgehog, hedge-pig, herichun, urchin
Finnish: siili
French: herisson
Gaelic: crainneag
German: igel
Greek: skandzohoiros
Hebrew: kipod
Hindi: aik parkar ka jangli chuha ("a spikey sort of mouse")
Hungarian: sün, süni, sündisznó
Irish: grainneog
Korean: kosŭmdoch’i
Italian: riccio
Japanese: hejjihoggu or harinezumi
Latin: erinaceus
Maltese: Qanfud
Mandarin Chinese: Cìweì
Norwegian: piggsvin
Persian: kharpusht
Polish: jez
Portuguese: ourico
Punjabi: kanderala ("thorned animal")
Russian: ezh
Slovenian: jez.
Spanish: erizo
Swahili: kalunguyeye
Turkish: kirpi
Swedish: igelkott
Welsh: draenog
FROM Hedgehog Central. Our many thanks go out to all those who have contributed to this growing list of translations - Bryan
Sunday, 1 February 2009
Farm Talk - Winter 2008

A cycle has been completed once again - June, and another Winter on our doorsteps. Winter 2006, as the picture shows, was quite severe for us in South Africa, as snow is something we rarely experience and therefore always creates great excitement as well as hard-ship. Especially in the farming community, as livestock is always at risk because of the vast sizes of our farms and the large numbers of livestock we farm with - no barns really big enough to house all of them. No protection against the freezing temperatures and also a great problem with feed supplies.
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Another Winter special is the lovely temperatures we can enjoy at the Coast - no blistering heat or searing sun and a lovely ocean to boot!
On farms and smallholdings though, Winter does also bring a special set of circumstances - exposed pipes from boreholes and water tanks often freeze up and then water is a problem until the sun has defrosted things sufficiently for water to flow freely again. Staff handling livestock outside have to be warmly clothed, wrapped in scarves and gloves and often having their 'konka' (a fire made in a drum) placed close-by to supply some warmth.
Luckily our Winters are short-lived, with our Autumn months being warm, calm and serene. In March the most beautiful colours start emerging as trees put on their Autumn outfits, getting ready for their long-earned rest. April brings all the dropping leaves, ensuing in a great garden clean-up as leaves are gathered for the compost heap ready for use in Spring.

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May is one of the most beautiful months, warm enough outside to sit at the garden table and enjoy the birds frolicking around. The bird baths are still in full use and the lesser foliage on the trees allows the birds to sit and bask in the sun, drying out before the flit off on the next adventure. In June winter starts seriously setting in and by August/September we're ready for Spring again!
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Posted by
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at
12:42:00
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Friday, 16 January 2009
Hedgehog Behaviour 🐾
I came upon this wonderful article on HEDGEHOG BEHAVIOUR at 'Hedgehog Central' and hope they don't mind my publishing it here.
Since your hedgehog cannot talk, he will communicate his likes and dislikes to you through his body language and a few quiet vocalizations.
Here is a list of some things he or she is trying to say:
SOUNDS
Soft Purring and Whistling: This is a sign of pure contentment.
Puffing: Displeasure, uncertainty
Snorting or "Sneezing": Usually accompanies puffing and means the same thing
Hissing and Clicking: This means "get away from me, I’m scared or tired of you".
Snuffling: Happily checking things out
Chirping: Usually done by males while breeding and by nursing hoglets (babies)
Screaming: Physical pain, fear and sometime anger
Sounds Heard During Sleep: Believe it or not, some hedgehogs actually snore! Like dogs and cats, they also appear to dream and will sniff, snort and chirp quietly all the while.
Soft Purring and Whistling: This is a sign of pure contentment.
Puffing: Displeasure, uncertainty
Snorting or "Sneezing": Usually accompanies puffing and means the same thing
Hissing and Clicking: This means "get away from me, I’m scared or tired of you".
Snuffling: Happily checking things out
Chirping: Usually done by males while breeding and by nursing hoglets (babies)
Screaming: Physical pain, fear and sometime anger
Sounds Heard During Sleep: Believe it or not, some hedgehogs actually snore! Like dogs and cats, they also appear to dream and will sniff, snort and chirp quietly all the while.
My two Hedgehogs, Hedgie and Sethlong at their first meeting of putting them together
BODY LANGUAGE
Rolled up ball: Fearful
Spines Erect:
All Over: displeasure or fear
On Forehead Only: Cautious, uncertain
Spines Laying Flat All Over: Everything is fine. He feels comfortable and safe.
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Rolled up ball: Fearful
Spines Erect:
All Over: displeasure or fear
On Forehead Only: Cautious, uncertain
Spines Laying Flat All Over: Everything is fine. He feels comfortable and safe.
Self - Anointing:
If your hedgehog smells something he likes or if he simply comes across a smell that he is unfamiliar with, such as leather, perfume, etc., he will foam at the mouth and will then deposit this foamy saliva on his back and shoulders. In an effort to cover as much of their backs as possible with this foam, many hedgehogs will contort their bodies in such a way that they will sometimes fall over. Many hedgehogs become so engrossed with this activity that they become totally oblivious to anything going on around them! No one is really certain why hedgehogs perform this unusual behaviour (more often seen in males than females) but there is no shortage of theories.
If your hedgehog smells something he likes or if he simply comes across a smell that he is unfamiliar with, such as leather, perfume, etc., he will foam at the mouth and will then deposit this foamy saliva on his back and shoulders. In an effort to cover as much of their backs as possible with this foam, many hedgehogs will contort their bodies in such a way that they will sometimes fall over. Many hedgehogs become so engrossed with this activity that they become totally oblivious to anything going on around them! No one is really certain why hedgehogs perform this unusual behaviour (more often seen in males than females) but there is no shortage of theories.
One possible explanation is that they are trying to remember a particular smell by mixing it with the saliva and then depositing it on the spines. Another is that the foam acts as a repellent or toxin to a hedgehog's enemies. Whatever the reason, though, self-anointing is a normal occurrence and is no cause for alarm.
Awake time:
Your hedgehog is diurnal. This means that, like a cat, he will be awake during parts of both the day and night, but will be most active at dawn and after dark until 2 or 3 am. By handling him mostly during the daytime, you can easily change his sleep habits so that he will sleep more during the night and be more active during the day. If you are normally gone during the day, though, his normal sleep habits will most likely suit you just fine.
Your hedgehog is diurnal. This means that, like a cat, he will be awake during parts of both the day and night, but will be most active at dawn and after dark until 2 or 3 am. By handling him mostly during the daytime, you can easily change his sleep habits so that he will sleep more during the night and be more active during the day. If you are normally gone during the day, though, his normal sleep habits will most likely suit you just fine.
Circling:
To be perfectly honest, we don’t understand this behaviour either, but it surely is good exercise! Circling should not, however, be mistaken for pacing - common in animals that are confined in too small an area - since hedgehogs in the wild frequently run circles as well. (Perhaps they know about the Olympics.) Not only do they run in circles, but they often run in figure-eights as well!
To be perfectly honest, we don’t understand this behaviour either, but it surely is good exercise! Circling should not, however, be mistaken for pacing - common in animals that are confined in too small an area - since hedgehogs in the wild frequently run circles as well. (Perhaps they know about the Olympics.) Not only do they run in circles, but they often run in figure-eights as well!
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(NOTE:) I personally have found this to mean that they are checking out their territory and establishing boundaries, going in ever-increasing larger circles until they encounter a fence or wall - my hedgies would sometimes do this every night for weeks on end and then not at all for quite some time.
Sunday, 21 December 2008
HEDGEHOG COLOURS

Take a peek at these Hedgehog Colours!

Silver

Salt and Pepper

Ruby-eyed Connacot

Platinum

Pinto

Pale Apricot

Cinnamon

Chocolate White

Chocolate Chip

Charcoal

Charcoal White

Champagne

Brown White

Brown

Brown Snowflake

Black-eyed Cinnacot

Algerian

Algerian Chocolate

Algerian Dark Cinnacot

Algerian Apricot

Algerian Dark Grey

Algerian Cinnamon

Algerian Cinnacot Snowflake

Algerian Chocolate White

Algerian Chocolate Snowflake

Algerian Apricot Snowflake

Algerian Brown
Most of the above pics from
Thursday, 18 September 2008
Farm Talk - Sunny, the Black Sunbird
I feel very sorry for Gary Craye of Hartebeespoort (his letter in “In Your Garden” June/July 2003 issue), as I have had a similar experience to M. Joubert of Sedgefield.
I had a resident pair of Black Sunbirds on our 8,5ha smallholding in Tarlton (district Krugersdorp), nesting in a (high!) Blue gum tree outside the Cottage kitchen. After a severe windstorm, I found two tiny chicks (identity unknown to me at that stage) on the lawn, one dying shortly after I had picked them up.
I had a resident pair of Black Sunbirds on our 8,5ha smallholding in Tarlton (district Krugersdorp), nesting in a (high!) Blue gum tree outside the Cottage kitchen. After a severe windstorm, I found two tiny chicks (identity unknown to me at that stage) on the lawn, one dying shortly after I had picked them up.
I scoured the trees for signs of any nests, only to notice one hanging from a branch by a couple of threads, much too high for me to reach or repair. After closer inspection, the obvious long beak was an indication that I had a little Sunbird on my hands. I have reared many little chicks, all seed, fruit or insect eaters, but have never dealt with a nectar feeder!
In a panic, I phoned our local (bird expert) veterinarian, who told me of a product (powder) which you mixed with water to feed nectar feeders. I rushed out, bought a supply of the nectar and shortly the little Sunbird was greedily feeding from the syringe. It was a little female (brown and stripy) and I have yet to come across a more loving and intelligent bird.
At night, she would sleep in her basket, surrounded by warm towels and during the day, she would perch either in her cage or on my shoulder, graduating to sleeping on top of the cage. During the day, she would flit around the house, following me from room to room. When hunger struck, she would perch on my shoulder, begging for food by pushing her beak into my ear, neck and anywhere else she saw fit! I had some Kniphophia (Red Hot Pokers) and various vines and flowering creepers in the garden – I would pick the flowers for her and she immediately would dip into them, sucking at the nectar, begging for more.
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Then came the day of her first sojourn outside. I hoped and prayed that she would be safe, and as I walked outside with her perching on my shoulder, she surveyed her surrounds, cocking her little head from side to side. Then suddenly she took off, flitting around madly, tweeting in her excitement. I brushed aside a couple of tears, ready to say goodbye, but the next instant she was back on my shoulder, insisting on my cupped hand to nestle in (her favourite place whenever I would take an afternoon nap on the couch).
These outings continued for about two weeks until, as soon as she saw the open door, she would go out, staying out the whole day, only coming home at dusk, to contentedly sit on top of her cage, turning her head away and sneering at the Avian nectar being offered her – she’d had better than that!
I noticed that nectar was actually quite a small part of her diet, as she spent most of the day snatching insects off tree branches and leaves.
Then Sunny (as I called her) discovered a male and, of course, they lived happily ever after! I was very sad to say goodbye to such a WONDERFUL little creature, but at the same time, SO thankful to have been allowed to have a peek into the wonderful world of one of God’s greatest creations – birds.
.Then Sunny (as I called her) discovered a male and, of course, they lived happily ever after! I was very sad to say goodbye to such a WONDERFUL little creature, but at the same time, SO thankful to have been allowed to have a peek into the wonderful world of one of God’s greatest creations – birds.
Black Sunbird Male
Black Sunbird Nest
Sunbird facts
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Description
The family ranges in size from the 5-gram Black-Bellied Sunbird to the Spectacles Spiderhunter , at about 30 grams. Like the hummingbirds, sunbirds are strongly sexually dimorphic, with the males usually brilliantly plumaged in metallic colours. In addition to this the tails of many species are longer in the males, and overall the males are larger. Sunbirds have long thin down-curved bills and brush-tipped tubular tongues, both adaptations to their nectar feeding. The spiderhunters, of the genus Arachnothera, are distinct in appearance from the other members of the family. They are typically larger than the other sunbirds, with drab brown plumage and strong down-curved beaks.
Species of sunbirds that live in high altitudes will enter torpor while roosting at night, lowering their body temperature and entering a state of low activity and responsiveness.
Distribution and habitat
Sunbirds are tropical species, with representatives from Africa to Australasia; the greatest variety of species is in Africa, where the group probably arose. Most species are sedentary or short-distance seasonal migrants. The sunbirds occur over the entirely of the family's range, whereas the spiderhunters are restricted to Asia.
The sunbirds and spiderhunters occupy a wide range of habitats, with a majority of species being found in primary rain forest, but other habitats used by the family including disturbed secondary forest, open woodland, open scrub and Savannah, coastal scrub and alpine forest. Some species have readily adapted to human modified landscapes such as plantations, gardens and agricultural land. Many species are able to occupy a wide range of habitats from sea level to 4900m.
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Behaviour
Sunbirds are active diurnal birds that generally occur in pairs or occasionally in small family groups. A few species occasionally gather in larger groups, and Sunbird will join with other birds to mob potential predators, although sunbirds will also aggressively target other species, even if they are not predators, when defending their territories.
They are generally monogamous and often territorial, although a few species of sunbirds have lekking behaviour. Up to three eggs are laid in a purse-shaped suspended nest. The female builds the nest and incubates the eggs alone, although the male assists in rearing the young after hatching.
Relationship with humans
Overall the family has fared better than many others, with only seven species considered to be threatened with extinction. Most species are fairly resistant to changes in habitat, and while attractive the family is not sought after by the cage bird trade, as they have what is considered an unpleasant song and are tricky to keep alive. Sunbirds are considered attractive birds and readily enter gardens where flowering plants are planted to attract them. There are a few negative interactions, for example the Scarlet-Chested Sunbird is considered a pest in cocoa plantations as it spreads parasitic mistletoes.
Orange breasted Sunbird
Collared Sunbird
Nectarinia_regia Sunbird
Purple-rumped Sunbird
Red-chested Sunbird
Crimson Sunbird - Male above and Female below
Pics from Wikipedia
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Posted by
Maree
at
10:03:00
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FARM TALK - The World of Jacko
Hi! I am Jacko, a Foxie/Jack Russell cross, living at Ga-Sethlong, a
beautiful home on a small-holding on the edge of the Cradle of Human
Kind in Gauteng, South Africa. I was born on the 1st September 2005, to a
healthy litter of 7, with 3 brothers and 3 sisters. This is my story.

When I was about 4 weeks old, I remember catching a glimpse of the world for the first time - a confusing array of brothers and sisters and blankets (up until then, it was my Mother’s smell that guided me to her warmth and that wonderful, warm and satisfying taste of milk). There were strange goings-on, with faces popping in and plenty of oohing and aahing. For a couple of days this carried on, but this was home and was comforting in a strange way.
I spent an utterly miserable night, shivering in the strange bag, rough and cold on my skin. I slept fitfully, waking often and calling for my Mother, but to no avail.
The next morning I was unceremoniously hauled out of the bag and carried by the scruff of my neck (I struggled profusely, but just got a smack for my efforts from this unkind stranger) to the street corner, where the stranger was offering me for sale to all the passers-by.
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We spent most of the morning standing there and I endured a couple of hours of being passed from one person to another, hoping for a kind hand or word, but was just handed back roughly to my tormentor.
I was starving and a cold wind was howling around the buildings. I tried to snuggle closer to the stranger but was roughly tucked under his arm while he lit a cigarette.
By this time, the stranger was desperate to get rid of me and when a man stopped and enquired if he could hold me, the stranger impatiently handed me over. The man fondled my ears and stroked my back with his warm hands. My heart leapt at this act of kindness and I licked his fingers, eliciting a smile from him. The man haggled with the stranger for a while and they obviously settled upon a price, because the next minute he wrapped me in his coat and carried me to his car.

When arrived at our destination, the man lifted me out and carried me into his house. There we were met by his wife and he told her about the unkind stranger and how miserable I had looked when he saw me. She cradled me in her arms and immediately gave me some warm milk to drink. I lapped it up! It wasn’t like my Mother’s milk, but I decided it would do for now. The man’s wife (I discovered her name was Maree), made a warm bed of blankets for me on the couch and I immediately fell asleep with Maree sitting next to me - warm and content, but dreaming of my Mother and making soft little yelps in my sleep. I hadn’t slept since the previous night I had spent in the bag, cold and unhappy.
When I awoke, a new life started for me. I received unconditional love from Maree and Dave and soon the memories of my Mother started to fade. I have a special blanket of my own, which is soft and furry like my mom and sometimes when I’m curled up in it, I still have visions of my mom and get the urge to suck and paw the blanket.

Now I spend my days in the lovely garden, revelling in playing games with Maree, who buys me lots of toys, my favorite being my red ball.

My favorite is when we all go out together. Maree lets me fetch my harness and leash, which she then puts on me, and we’re ready to go. I normally look out of the window and love the strange smells wafting past - I then also growl at any suspicious looking characters that look like they’re getting a bit too close for comfort. At our destination, I’m then allowed to explore every nook and cranny (still on my leash - Maree is very fussy that I might get lost or something). After some of these outings I’m really exhausted and then have a good sleep.
At night, after supper, we all watch TV with intervals of short games, naps and snacks. When it’s bed-time, Maree fetches my blanket, which goes on top of their bed in between the two of them and we settle in for the night, me with an ever-vigilant ear. Maree says I still have dreams about my Mother because I sometimes cry in my sleep, but I can’t remember anymore - just a faint glimmer of a childhood that was rudely cut short. But Maree says just as well the horrible stranger stole me, otherwise we wouldn’t be together today ...
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Posted by
Maree
at
09:52:00
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