23 February 2023 Hedgehog visitors are back.
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Spotted hedgehog poo yesterday by the hedgehog feeders, confirming my suspicions that they might be back.
I put Smilla kitten biscuits & water in 2 hedgehog feeders year round in case anybody wakes up during the winter needing a meal & the food usually disappears one way or another once everyone is hibernating because the mouse population uses the feeders too. The few they leave I’ve always put in a dish of water every morning for the magpies to distract them from the songbirds in my garden.
Last night the dishes in both feeders were completely emptied by this morning, the many crumbs left indicate hedgehogs (mice take the whole biscuit home with them) & if I was in any doubt the poo everywhere dispelled that. Lots in & around the feeders & muddy pawmarks everywhere including in the dishes.
Then I checked the camera from last night & there they were, trotting up the path off & on from near 23.00 – 05.00 today.
Fresh hay is ready in a bucket on its side next to the hedgehog nest box under the shrubs, waiting for anybody wanting to move in & furnish a new home for the Spring as it was empty all winter. I await 2023’s hedgehog shenanigans with much joy!
Hi Annie
Great news about the hogs! It’s always lovely when they come back. Sounds like they are making good use of the food you left for them. I haven’t seen any sign of them back here yet, but hopefully will soon. Hopefully more females this year – although, of course, any hog is a good hog!
Talking about birds, I saw a little wren in one of the water bowls the other day, having a good splash around – nice to see. Makes a change from the more frequently seen bathing starlings!
Hi Nic
Isn’t it just, so glad to see them back safely.
So sorry about the rats, what a pain. I’ve never seen any here & long may that continue, I don’t have anything against them except when they cross over with my life too closely as I’ve seen the problem that can grow to. As a child I used to see them in huge numbers coming out of a covered over air raid shelter in our garden.
What a delight to see a wren bathing, not a common occurence.
I’m sure your hogs will be arriving soon, look forward to hearing about them.
HI Annie
Yes, know what you mean re. rats. I wouldn’t want to harm one, but the trouble is, given the chance they would just eat any food left out for the hogs before the hogs got a look in. It’s possible the hogs will just stop visiting if there is never any food left for them. I was hoping the break in food over the winter might have made the rats give up visiting here, but no such luck. The rats are also very good worm catchers, so are competing in that respect as well.
I also remember seeing an old (looked deserted) barn, out on a walk years ago, which was absolutely swarming with rats. Certainly wouldn’t want that many near the house! Had never seen so many before or since – quite a scary sight. Two of the rats seen here (on video) recently, look suspiciously like ‘short tail’ and ‘one eye’ from last year, which is a bit surprising.
Yes, it was lovely to see the little wren bathing, I don’t recall seeing one doing that before. Always something new to see, even just in the garden!
My hog hasn’t been for a few days. It isn’t a very big hog and it has been colder here. I hope it’s OK and comes back soon. Have yours been hibernating and just come back or are they staying in warm nests sometimes?
Hi Nic
Think I’ve been lucky so far re rats, but discovered this week that the tiny cat who regularly visits was getting into one of the feeders so has been well fed over winter! Adjusted the entrance & she can’t get in now. but the hogs have been there & emptied the dish the last few nights leaving me with telltale crumbs..
I surprised a good sized hedgehog in the week, went out just before dusk, lifted the lid to put the dishes in one of the feeders & he/she was waiting inside. Plonked the food down & he got stuck in. Then last night met the same one coming out of the hedgehog nest box, hay has been taken into it for several nights so at last he may be moving in after a whole winter of it being empty. By the marking on its back end it’s one of the year before last’s youngsters. It’s so cold, I wonder where this hog spent winter, hopefully he’ll decide to stick around now as each night he’s come out of the nestbox at dusk.
Hi Ruth
Hopefully your hog will return, they travel a long way foraging so may not visit the same garden every night. As long as you’re providing food & water you’re doing your bit for when he does turn up.
I’d love to know where my hog spent winter as it wasn’t in my nestbox, seems to be moving in this week as he’s been coming out of it at dusk & taking extra hay in to make it warmer. Guessing somewhere he has an alternative home where he spent winter & is now getting ready for Spring by feeding again & checking out the hotel facilities in my garden!
I love it when they come back. I saw an article last week about hogs coming out of hibernation early, so started putting food back out every night. It had disappeared by morning, but didn’t know what was eating it as I had a rat problem for the first time ever last year. Anyway, after doing a stake out with a torch from the warmth of my living room, I can confirm my hog(s) are back! I don’t know how many are visiting, but the one I’ve spotted comes to eat the food around 10pm. We haven’t had any lingering snow yet, so will hopefully get another visit tonight.
Hi DolomiTTe
Glad to hear you have hogs back there. Hopefully they are still visiting – and hope those rats stay away!
Happy hog watching.
I have had hedgehogs feeding outside for the last couple of weeks, I am putting 2 lots of hedgehog food out and it is all gone by the morning They didn’t feed through the winter this year so hopefully I caught all of the small ones in November. I rescued 6 the smallest was 156g, I took them to a rescue for a check over and they allowed me to have 2 back to overwinter, unfortunately one wasn’t thriving so I returned it to the rescue for a checkover. The other is now over 900g and is getting real huffy with me when I clean her out. I will soon be able to release her and the other 5. Another successful year and an increase on the previous year.
I’ve been feeding all through the winter, but nothing has been eaten. I have seen one, occasionally, on my trail camera, but still nothing is eaten. I have been feeding hedgehogs for over 4 years now in a feeding station with hedgehog boxes close by, but this is the first year the food has been left. Normally they’re out and about by early March. Anyone else noticed a difference this year?
Hi Hoglet
It’s good to hear you’ve had a successful year. Fingers crossed this season will be a good one for the hedgehogs and lots of healthy youngsters!
Hi Kassie
No hogs back here yet, either and at least one is usually back early March – almost like clockwork for many years. On the other hand there have been mentions from others of some, seemingly, returning early. Although it’s always difficult to tell with the really early sightings whether some could have been non-hibernators.
It’s still quite early, though, especially for the females, so I’m hopeful some hogs will eventually materialise. Hopefully there, too.
Good luck.
hi, lovely to hear about all the re-appearing hogs. No sign of any here which is a shame, but my sister sends me trailcam footage of her hogs down in Galloway. I kept the feeder stocked with dry food over the winter and so far it’s being well used by the wee local mouse – and slugs!
Hi Nic
Plenty of hog activity under cover of darkness here, food all gone most mornings, poo left, hay being trampled across the border from the hog house.
Birds busy nesting in the roof of our house, bird feeding under control at last re pigeons/excess birds visiting & squirrels back to normal sporadic safe visits now I’ve removed their feeder to keep cats from predating on them all.
Looking forward to a pleasant Spring, hope you have some hegdehog visitors too.
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