Congrats on your new hogs Laura! You are now officially addicted.
The house you’ve ordered needs a couple of tweeks (I used to have one similar) and then the little blighters will love it. They’re not totally waterproof so covering the outside with bubble wrap not only makes it more waterproof but also adds a layer of insulation for the winter. Also they are quite light and larger animals (like darned cats) can lift them if they try to get in so fixing it to the ground would be a good idea. You can put some sort of fixing, metal pegs etc, through the outer edges of the house without affecting it.
Hedgehogs are quite happy with these on the bare earth (provided it’s a dry area not prone to flooding!). When mine built their nests inside they actually dug into the earth a bit below their bedding. Place it facing away from wind. Give them some dust free hay inside with a pile of more outside and they’ll build the inside to suit them. A pile of leaves nearby will also be useful for them.
Don’t be tempted to try and look inside it once installed. You’ll know if they’re using it by the look of the entrance each day – bits of twig and leaves moving about – or if you’re not certain, put some bits of stuff across the entrance and see if they get moved.
Good luck with them and keep us updated!
