Down in Kent I’ve two hedgehog houses that I can usually rely upon hedgehogs coming and going during the night (a straw across the entrance tells me).
A third house sometimes the straw is triggered, sometimes not.
For the last 3/4 nights the straws on all three have remained firmly in place.
Not just that but I’m not needing to put out so much food in the feeding stations now, though still getting visitors and the trail-cam is still recording some hogs moving around at night.
(I was expecting that the sudden warm spell would have things moving again)
Of course I can’t be certain, but I suspect I have sleepers in the three houses now.
Other places in the garden that have straws guarding sleeping ‘opportunities’ are being triggered. ie under the wood pile etc.
Which has me wondering about multi-occupation of houses.
If a house already contains a hibernating hedgehog, would another snuggle in? (I once discovered 3 hogs asleep in a leaf filled sack that had been beneath the hedge all winter).
Or do they detect a resident and not bother going in? (leaving my straws untriggered as seems to be the case now)?
(Perhaps loud snoring puts them off).
Or do (only) relatives sleep together?
Anyway the foxes appreciate the extra rations that the hedgehogs are leaving, which goes out on their plate the following night 🙂
