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Home Forums Champions’ chat Hedgehog hibernating in damp hay – does it matter? Reply To: Hedgehog hibernating in damp hay – does it matter?

#18952
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Nic

Hi Aggie

As you say, there’s probably not much you can do about it, i.e. you can’t disturb the hog and probably what you’ve done (put some more waterproofing over the top) is the best you can do. But think of it this way – if the hog was building a nest in the wild, it wouldn’t have the shelter of the hogilo over the top, so the material near the top would almost certaintly get damp, even if it was under good cover of bushes, etc. But hopefully the hay further down is still dry.

For future reference, it’s best not to combine a sleeping/hibernating nest with a feeding area. For their nests, they really need somewhere that they won’t be disturbed, which you obviously have to do if you have to change food, etc. So ideally, I wouldn’t put any hay or bedding of any kind in a feeding box/house, as it might give the hog the idea to nest in there. Hogilo type hog homes aren’t ideal for feeding in, because you have to lift the whole thing up and they normally have no floor. You are better off using a box with a lid which you can lift up and floor that is easy to clean for feeding in. Alternatively lots of people use underbed stores.

Good luck. I hope the hog is o.k. and, if hibernating, reappears in the Spring safe and well.

Hedgehog