Baby hog reappeared.

[Annker]

Hi all, after weeks, or months, the baby hog has reappeared. Two nights at 8-20pm. Stops and hides behind some steps, then runs like H–l to the corner and all we can see on film is a blur. It has grown a bit now, but seems to fly past the feeding station as if it doesn’t know food is in there. I realised it is coming from the room off the garage, so mum is either Kitty or Dinky Minky who were there last year. I’ve left some Spike under the door a couple of times, hoping baby will smell it and find it in the station. However, this charging round must have disturbed mum and she came for a munch a few nights ago. I hope alls well with them both and will continue to place food out. The little one hasn’t been seen again for a few nights. Now called Speedy. I replaced the trail cam, 1,200 plus pictures, 1 hedgehog, entered wooden hog house and came out again, looked at the straw in the flower pot and the makeshift hog house, then disappeared. The rest… You guessed it…. Cats cats and cats, every possible colour and shade you can think of! It’s like watching a wild life documentary of tigers lions and leopards.! All on the hunt and not catching anything! Hope all your hogs are safe and well, best wishes.

[Hedgie Lover]

Last night all my vids were cats, (2 were the dreaded fox)

and the previous night, just one of a hedgehog (called Opal, who’s made a nest in my garden) and the rest were the cats. Tons of them.

Glad Speedy reappeared and all is well

I saw a tiny hedgehog in September, tried to go through the plastic of the feeding station and couldn’t so ended up giving up when an adult hog appeared – I don’t know if he/she is one of the juveniles now in my garden.

But even though the camera isn’t picking them up, only Opal (due to where her nest is which is in the camera’s range) (I think I’ve just got the two now, perhaps a third one), but each night there is only a few cat biscuits left – I’m filling their bowl piled as high as I can, and let some spill over.

I’ve named the hog who’s made her own nest Opal, and the hog who lives in my hedgehog home Sapphire – as they are the birthstones for September and October as they must have been born late sept perhaps as they didn’t turn up until October, and they were independent by then. If the third one keeps making an appearance, gonna have to give him/her another autumn name. It takes me ages to name them, I think their mum was Sparkle who lived in the hedgehog home, but could have been someone else. It was just a coincidence that as soon as Sparkle packed off and left my home, the juveniles turned up that same week and Sapphire immediately moved into the home.

[Annker]

Hi Hedgie Lover, I was just thinking what a lovely name to give your hog when you said about Autumn births. It usually takes me ages to think up a name. I guess when they are all adults this naming business will all go to pot, as won’t know who is who! I didn’t even know the girls were back, as last I saw of them was after hibernation!
I can’t remember where you live, but here in Lancashire we are getting a lot of cold weather, frosty and damp, and the hogs have hibernated sooner than last year. No food has gone for two days now. It became a bit milder last week, which was when baby and mum came for a snack. If baby would follow mum it would find the food! But its off adventuring on its own. These cats are getting a bit much. Neighbour has 4 cats and 2 kittens. Another kitten appeared looking like one of neighbours cats and a cat appeared looking like one of the kittens. Another 3 or 4 cats have now appeared as well! The kittens and new cats are after the birds and had to get one out of the Hawthorn tree yest, where it was sat, with all the birds sat at the top of the tree. I think it was after the gold finches really. This trail cam is good, I’ve had it facing the hog boxes and flower pot with hay in, but out of all the pics, still not seen what goes in the flower pot! I just hope the cats aren’t disturbing the hogs though, as they are jumping all over the tops of the boxes. Will have to take lessons off you, on how to cover them with brash! Sorry your fox is back, does no one know of a deterrent, apart from what you’ve done? As my hogs are asleep now, after the kittens were trying to get the birds, I went out and sprinkles some strong cat deterrent under the bird feeders, smelt of garlic. That was when I found one in the tree! Suppose I could get some garlic cloves and rub it on the branches! Best wishes.

[Hedgie Lover]

The things we do for our beloved hogs!

I keep saying to people, who want to attract hedgehogs into their garden ‘it’s not just a case of putting out a saucer of food and water each night, when they start coming, it gets way more complicated.’

But I love it though. It kind of takes over your life, but it’s enjoyable. But I did initially have a few sleepless nights over that damn fox. And now, whenever there is a video, I shut it down and delete as soon as I realise it’s the fox, cos I don’t want to see the worst scenario. I couldn’t cope with it.

Just wish he’d disappear, but looks as though he’s here to stay. And now he sniffs the entrance of the hedgehog house, which I’m deeply upset about – but what can I do. I’ve asked loads of people that work with animals for advice, and they all just said, there’s not much I can do, and just ‘it’s nature’. The only advice I got was to put urine down but I think I need something stronger like coyote urine, but apparently it’s that strong, that the hedgehogs would also clear off. Northern places in USA and Canada use it to put on fir trees, so when people steal them for Christmas, the urine starts to reek in a warm environment, and it’s that strong, people have to throw away their carpets.

So that would be proper good stuff, but it might work too well and everything will disappear from my garden.

It’s illegal to put traps down for foxes, and if you do capture one, it might even be illegal, or strongly advised not to put it in a different area, as foxes are protected too.

[Annker]

Hi Hedgie Lover, sorry I can’t help over the fox. Like you say, if you use something else it effects other things. I’ve used Lions Roar before now, which lasts a while. The best one I ever used was called something like Horshound. Can’t seem to find it these days. Even the kids coming home from school use to give it a wide birth. It was for use with all sorts of animals. The frost here is so bad it looks like snow! I’ve put some food under the door of the room at the bottom of the garage for baby Speedy each night it’s been bad. My neighbours must wonder if I’m mad! I’m outside in 2 fleeces and ancient leg warmers I’ve dug out, wearing them over leggings. I was still frozen, all the water bowls and bird baths were frozen solid. I thought one of the hogs had been out eating from feeding station again, but it was a kitten who had managed to get in around the bricks, so I’ve had to tighten it up again. The water in there was the only one not frozen! Not looking forward to the morning, as today’s frost didn’t melt and it feels even worse tonight. Hope you’re keeping warm, best wishes.

[Author]

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