Is this still the greatest creation humankind has ever made (or ever will make)?

I don't know anything about hedgehogs, but they seem pretty damn cool. I'm going to have to do further investigation.

However, I question your title about it being humankind's creation. What did you mean by that?

I've just moved house, where I'm living now is more built up which is why I was surprised to be visited by two hedgehogs. The smaller one, (Norman,) arrived at first and after we'd been feeding him and watering him for about three weeks a much bigger hedgehog, (George) turned up.

They're still wild animals, but very relaxed around us, we usually see one or both of them every evening when they come over for food and drink. They're lovely, I find it very calming sitting out in the evening watching them cavort.

We don't have anything at all similar to hedgehogs in the U.S. The closest insectivore would be shrews and moles, nothing at all like the appeal of a hedgehog. You're lucky.

Never had hedgehogs in the garden until today. They're endangered and this dry spell has lead to babies being abandoned, so I'm really lucky. I make sure there's plenty of water out, not just for the hedgehogs.

I have posted these on another thread. This is Norman on the rare occasion he came out in daylight.

Spiny Norman!

Exactly.

They are so cute, it’s good that you set out water for the critters.

They are, it's actually raining now which is good. Hedgehogs eat a load of slugs and snails which only come out when it's damp, so hopefully there'll be more to sustain them.

We've been looking up behaviour, and although they're not tame and strokable they are relaxed. They've taken to banging on the bowl when they want more water and lifting up their noses to sniff us, thus exposing the soft underbelly. Not once have either of them curled into a ball which is what they do when scared/threatened.

Unfortunately they don't usually come out until it's dark which makes taking photos difficult. The pictures of Norman are a rare example of an early evening foray.

Sigh. The Youtube video.

Last night Norman took foot directly from the kid's hand and allowed himself to be stroked.

If he's in the back garden when we're out he'll come over, if nothing else he's worked out that we mean food.

I have to ask what you're feeding the hedgehog? It's amazing that you can get close enough to a wild mammal to touch it.

Dried cat food, that's what all the websites say to feed them. Norman has been coming in for about six weeks now, he's got more and more used to us. During that time he's been given a lot of space, he approaches us, not the other way round.

This is most interesting. Please keep the pictures coming.

Those are the only pictures so far. They're nocturnal, the above pictures are from the one occasion we saw Norman in daylight. We do have some hedgehog poo in the garden that's still there in the daylight but that's about it.