Hi Gwenz1991
That is so exciting! Your first hedgehog and babies as well!
It is possible that they have a nest under your shed. It is an ideal location for them.
Leaving water out is brilliant. I always recommend leaving it out 24 hours a day, in case a nursing mum wakes up during the day thirsty. Likewise, they sometimes wake up during hibernation and might welcome access to water. Large shallow plant saucers are ideal, the bigger the better as hogs are very clever at tipping water containers over! The birds will probably make good use of them during the day as well.
You could make/purchase a hog house. You might find this link useful:
https://www.hedgehogstreet.org/help-hedgehogs/hedgehog-homes/
There is no reason why they shouldn’t use a hog box even if they are currently nesting under the shed. They don’t tend to keep using the same nest, probably to reduce potential problems with parasites such as fleas and ticks. Sometimes they move into a new box almost immediately, for short stays, but other times need a bit of time to get used to the hog house before choosing to nest in it.
Re. food. Cat/dog/hedgehog food or cat/kitten biscuits are all that they need. Don’t be tempted to feed mealworms as they aren’t good for them.
If it is a fairly new estate you might like to encourage your neighbours to make hog sized holes in their fences so that the hogs can get around more easily. It also has the benefit that if they have access to lots of gardens, there is less need for them to cross roads – a big hazard for hogs.
https://www.hedgehogstreet.org/help-hedgehogs/link-your-garden/
And you might also like to try to make your garden more hog friendly:
https://www.hedgehogstreet.org/help-hedgehogs/helpful-garden-features/
It sounds as if these endearing little creatures have got you under their spell already! I hope you enjoy watching the little ones grow up. Let us know how they all get on.
