American finds a hedgehog in the UK – and you won’t believe what she did next
An American found a hedgehog in UK garden (Image: @aimeedianne.photography/TIKTOK)
A lighthearted cultural misunderstanding has taken the internet by storm after an American woman visiting England shared a now-viral TikTok recounting her unexpected encounter with one of the UK’s most familiar, yet misunderstood, animals.
Posting on TikTok, the house sitter – who posts under the name Aimee and is a travel photojournalist – explained how she discovered what she believed to be a lost pet hedgehog while staying at a home in England. Concerned for the animal’s safety in the chilly weather, she wrapped it carefully in a towel and carried it to a neighbour’s house in search of its owner.
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“I thought it was someone’s pet,” she said in the video. “It must be like me bringing a raccoon wrapped in a towel like a baby, it’s a wild animal.”
The woman, who had never seen a hedgehog in real life before, said she quickly turned to Google to understand how to care for the small creature. After reading that hedgehogs can enter dangerous hibernation states in cold temperatures, she grew concerned and decided to act.
Her plan seemed logical, until she knocked on a neighbour’s door.
According to her account, the neighbour was baffled by the situation. “Oh, no, they’re just a thing. Like, they just exist here,” the neighbour reportedly said. “He goes around, he eats cat food and stuff. He’s fine.”
The realisation hit quickly: the hedgehog wasn’t a lost pet at all, but a perfectly normal part of British wildlife, what the neighbour casually described as a “neighbourhood hedgehog.”
Viewers were amused by the cultural contrast. While hedgehogs are common in the UK and often roam gardens freely, they are far less familiar in every day life in the United States.
The woman leaned into the humour of the situation, acknowledging her “American naïveté” and sharing her embarrassment with viewers. She later returned the hedgehog to the garden, apologising for the interruption and admitting she still found the animal “so cute.”
The situation became even more amusing when the homeowners, who were away at the time, learned what had happened. The house sitter had texted them earlier about the hedgehog but didn’t receive an immediate reply, prompting her to consult the neighbours instead.
When they finally saw the message, the homeowners reportedly found the situation hilarious, especially after hearing how their neighbour had been presented with a towel-wrapped wild animal.
To feed hedgehogs and keep them returning to your garden, RSCPA recommends leaving food and fresh water out in the garden each night.
You can also try tinned meaty cat or dog food and crushed cat or dog biscuits. Place the food and water in shallow bowls so they can access them easily. Refresh daily, disposing of any food that hasn’t been eaten.
