6 hedgehogs under the front window.
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2 feeders, 2 water dishes and at 10.30 6 hedgehogs. 1large, 3medium and 2 smaller ones. However 1 is dominant. It shows particular interest in one of them and if any of the other 4 move it runs into them shoves them about until they curl up. Then he returns to the one he favours and proceeds to encircle it . When it can’t encircle it will walk over it or gently shove it until it can get behind it. In 15 minutes 3 of the hogs had managed to leave the feeding area and get back onto the garden. Reminds me a bit of the rutting by the deer seen on the wildlife tv programmes.
The food isn’t getting much attention as the 4 haven’t been able to get to the dishes. In the mornings though, the dishes are empty, so I expect they may return later.Hi Freedat930
You are lucky having lots of hogs visiting.
It sounds as if you have 5 males there and one female. The one being circled being the female. Fingers crossed for some hoglets to join them all later on!
Nic,
Only ever seen 3 before. Knew there was at least 1 more as there has been a large one with a pale c shaped mark on the right rear side. Not sure where the others all come from though. We just have the 1 hog house and numerous gaps in the fencing at the side and back garden. They make good use of the water dishes spending almost as much time there as at the feeding dishes.
If they walk across the water butt lid that serves as a dish then just afterwards they give a little shake , just as if they are shivering.I have seen four in my garden at the same time of late (only ever seen two at the same time) displaying the same behaviour! There is a big lighter coloured one (comes every night once it’s dark) that shunts the other hogs but doesn’t seem to shunt one of them instead walking around it and sniffing it so I presume that is the male? I have been leaving more food and water bowls out so maybe that’s why we have more or maybe it’s last year’s hoglets as we definitely had one mother and baby visiting
Hi L Cox
The one doing the shunting and the ones being shunted sound like males. The one being walked around is likely a female.
It could be that other hogs are following the scent trails of others and that’s why you have more visiting now. But could also be new youngsters.
Fingers crossed for even more new ones later on this year!
Happy hog watching!
Just 2 hogs tonight under the light of the front door. They came back for seconds at about 10.20, the large one with the mark on its rump and a smaller one. They are still there now over an hour later. The large one walking around the small one ,except the small one moves at the same time to keep it face on. Now and again the small one butts the face of the larger one quite deliberately. They have both settled by the patio wall with the little one with its back to the wall. The larger one moves around the front of it , but quite slowly, only stopping for the odd walk and back to take on water.
I have two doing the same thing, along with occasional circling. The male doing the circling has already seen off 2 other males (which no longer visit) but the smaller female is havinmg none of his advances so far to my knowledge.
The male comes in to the garden from one direction and the female from the opposite way and I’ve noticed a pattern now where he arrives early, has a very short snack or drink and then runs around until picking up a scent and heads off toward the direction the female comes from.
I found them semi buried in low level plants last night nose to nose, she was huffing away as usual. I caught them on the trail camera around the feeding station much later and he was still in pursuit!
The large male from the 22nd April chased off the large male I now see each night has not been seen since.
This one now clearly hears when other hogs are about. He was back and forth along the patio wall and stood on his hind legs as if trying to climb up. However he moved to the top of the patio and a few moments later another hog showed up. No sooner had it appeared when the resident one ran at it causing it to roll up when it was then pushed along and almost back to where it had first appeared. After a few moments rolled up it took its leave.
All this pushing seems to be territory related and hogs shoved about do not seem to show up, or they wait till later when the resident 2 are no longer about.Hi Feedat930
Hogs don’t have territories, as such. They have ranges which overlap. But a dominant hog will roll up any male who comes within what he considers to be his personal space – especially if he thinks there is a female around. He won’t want the competition.
Food shelter made by upturning a teak garden seat as it was raining lightly. Dish put under it and 1 dish in the rain a few feet to the right of the garden path at 9 pm. By 9.15 1 small and 1 a little bigger were sharing the sheltered dish. 10 minutes later a second largish one turned up , but there was no shoving . Then shortly afterwards a third large one came running across the lawn and turned on the 2 shoving them away from the small (female ) and returned , walking across the water dish an cornered her. The other 2 remained curled up for a short time and then 1 turned on the other and rather than stay and be shoved it went on off up the lawn and stopped under the bird feeders. It moved shortly after and ran into yet another hog coming towards the feeders and shoved it onto the garden before disappearing from view. The 1 on the garden then came down to the second feeder and ate for 10 minutes undisturbed , had a drink, sitting in the middle of the water dish and then went off across the driveway under the wife’s car.
The 1 that had recently turned on the other male left by going across the driveway.
The female and the large one were still under the shelter.
Then another hog came running across to the sheltered feeder and being confronted by the large one , but not shoved had second thoughts and turned tail and went back where he came from. This seemed as if it couldn’t have been one that came previously as it wouldn’t have been so eager to get to the feeders.
If that assumption is correct then in the hour between 9.15 and 10.15 it seems that 6 hogs , not minding the rain, had been under our front window again.
I spoke to our next door neighbours and they have spotted droppings in both no.9 and no.8. Neither put out food and neither have hog houses, but I’m working on them.
One thing that we might need is a hedgehog street sign to create awareness in the street. We are in a cul de sac , so not much traffic at night, but the more everyone is aware the better. Is this a council responsibility or can I just create one?
David
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