Interesting reading all your experiences with various feeding stations – when I built mine, I’d followed several principle ideas & incorporated a few different design elements.. split duplex apartment, Communal Hall, 1 Bed + 1 Kitchen / Breakfast Reception..!! All mod cons..! Oh & Location, Location, Location..!!
Luckily, the Hogs seem to approve! We’ve had visitors using it every night since it went out..
I learned that Hogs generally won’t sleep where they eat ( altho footage & the messed up hog shaped bedding both suggest they occasionally like to ‘cat’ nap after a big meal.. as we all do..!! )
So initially, I constructed the tunnel to create a labyrinth entrance at 130mm as recommended.. but being square ( therefore wider across the diagonals ) I found alarmingly, the local small fox could crunch his shoulders up & pretty much get 3/4 of the way in, but not sufficiently to reach round the corner to the feed..
So I fitted a circular reducer at 120mm which put off Fox & seems to present no issue to even our largest, official guest, who weighs in at just under a kilo..!
Reviewing the trail cam footage throughout the summer, I think a scheduled Mk2 Winter Hog Haus project is on the cards! I’ll be interested in reducing the entrance further, perhaps, to 110mm – make the internals a little more maze like & see how that goes – as it’s become apparent that this season’s Fox Cub CAN actually get in & fully turn around in the feeding chamber! ( I leave some of the food out now for it as an easy offering.. usually, the Hog arrives moments after he’s left, nips straight inside where he knows there’s more to be had..! They’re not silly, these Hogs..!! )
But what I have learned with Mk1 is that a relatively long, dark internal tunnel deters the majority of cats ( & squirrels, interestingly who are too skittish to venture fully inside )
Foxes generally leave the Hogs alone, learning very quickly that they’re spiky! Fully grown Hogs don’t seem too massively concerned by foxes either, offering a protective front line of defensive quills to them.. ( Although Fox will nip at their back legs as they unroll & make a break for it.. but more for ‘fun’ it seems, than actually trying to eat them.. Hence, back leg injuries are quite common..
Nosy Cats freak out when Hog comes barrelling thru the shrubs at them in the night & usually make rapid exits in the opposite direction!!
But I think, with a little help & awareness from a those that care, plus some simple considerations, when laying out & maintaining our gardens, there’s no reason why these fab little creatures can’t thrive – they seem remarkably robust, given everything they’re up against..
Indeed, Happy Hog watching as you say, HettiHog!
Oh, one more thing I discovered about Hogs.. I think I’ve shared before, but might amuse you.. they’re quill tips, seemingly, fluoresce highlighter pink under UV light..!!! ( ..if you ever happen to be looking for any injured one in the bushes.. as I was late one evening..!! ) LOL! Honestly, who knew..?!!
