I spotted Adie exhibiting rather unusual behaviour this morning - self anointing. It's commonly seen in hoglets when they experience a new food for the first time but is also seen in adult hedgehogs. A few years ago I witnessed Rufus, a permanent resident in my garden, self anointing after licking the leaves of a clematis plant. The mystery of why hedgehogs self anoint has never been solved. One theory is that they are covering themselves in a scent that will make them less obvious to predators.