A Reepham hedgehog called Snout has seen his online popularity rocket after an unexpected endorsement from a technology company.
Raspberry Pi, which makes tiny computers popular with electronics hobbyists, noticed the Reepham Hedgehogcam YouTube channel and mentioned it on Twitter: “ ’tis hedgehog camera season once again”, read the tweet on 29 September.
Since then more than a hundred people have watched the latest video to see Snout – named for his upturned nose – eat, drink and scratch. While not exactly “going viral”, this is a surprising blip in popularity for a shy and retiring animal.
Big Pig, Reepham’s best-known hedgehog, shot to local fame last year after he was spotted beating up another hedgehog in an argument over food (see the news story on Reepham Life).
That other hedgehog is now believed to be Snout, who more recently has learned to stand his ground against Big Pig.
Snout could not be reached for comment. His agent said he had not been seen for a couple of weeks, and suggested he may have started hibernation early to avoid media attention.
The Norfolk Hedgehogcam uses infrared LED lighting and a night-vision camera powered by a £10 Raspberry Pi Zero W the size of a packet of chewing gum. The whole assembly lives in a plastic sandwich box.
Keep feeding in the winter
Despite the endorsement from Raspberry Pi, the hedgehogcam is not very reliable, and autumn is not the best time of year to be seeing hedgehogs.
But according to Hedgehog Holmes, an expert based in Norfolk, hedgehogs may not hibernate as much as you think – especially if the weather is mild and they have a ready source of food.
“A hedgehog will ‘hibernate’ if there is no food available for a long period,” she says. “But if they are used to coming to the café every night, they will continue to come – unless there is heavy rain.”
“You won’t get through as many packs of food as you do in summer, but unless the weather is filthy it will be eaten and enjoyed.”
See our earlier story: