Hedgehog house bedding
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Hello everyone,
I am after a little advice as I am new to hedgehog care, We have been having a hog sleep in our hog house, it has used it for napping through the night between feeds for the 10 days or so, her bed is now quite flat, question is shall i clean it out and add fresh straw, or just add extra straw on top or just leave it alone, I dont want to upset her if its how she likes it! Many thank in advance.Hi Kb70
Are you saying that the hog is only taking naps in between snacking and not during the day? And are you feeding in the hog house the hog is sleeping in?
You really need to decide whether you want to use the hog box for feeding or for sleeping. If for feeding then don’t put any bedding in and definitely clean out regularly, otherwise hogs could be picking up parasites from visiting the box.
Hogs will sometimes spend the day in a box designated for feeding, but until it gets near hibernation time that might be only for the occasional day here or there. But if there is already any bedding in a box it might give the hogs ideas (as well as providing a good habitat for parasites if there are multiple hogs coming and going to feed). Having said that, occasionally a hog will decide to turn a feed box into a sleeping box (and take bedding in, itself) in which I case I wouldn’t clean it out and give up trying to feed in it.
If you have put the bedding in yourself, it’s being used for food as well, and the hog is not using it during the day, I would probably clean it out. Don’t use chemicals to clean it. Boiling water should get rid of any parasite eggs.
But if it is occupied a hog should not be evicted (even temporarily) to clean out a box.
Sorry. Hard to be concise when trying to cover various eventualities. Hope one of them is relevant.
Hi Nic
Thanks for your reply. It is sleeping in a hog house, they have a separate feeding station, she will go for a feed then go for a nap in her hog house for say an hour or can also be just 20 minutes sometimes. By morning she has left to go to wherever she sleeps in the day.
Just wondered if the bedding should be refreshed. I wouldn’t disturb a hog, I have a camera so I know if she is in or out. Many thanks.Hi Kb70,
In that case I would be inclined to give it a clean out (for it’s autumn clean) and put some fresh of whatever bedding you were using. She may decide not to nap in it any more, but at least it isn’t her day nest, so wouldn’t matter quite so much. Hogs quite often just curl up somewhere outside for a nap between snacks too, so hopefully it won’t put her off visiting. If you have a camera in the box you probably know if other hogs use it as well, but if they did they could be passing external parasites (ticks, etc.) to each other. But she could also be re-picking up any parasites i.e. from any eggs which she may have left there. In the wild they would probably just move nests every so often.
Hope it goes well.
Many thanks that is sound advice, I will give it a clean and put some fresh straw in for who ever wants a nap! She hasnt napped the last two nights just popped in for two minutes one time , but on tuesday she was in and out napping right until 5am.
Nic, I’m started to wonder if you are actually a hedgehog (that can type) – as you know so much about them!
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