Hog continuingly adding to nest
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Hi. After not having any hog visitors for over a year, I was super happy nearly 2 weeks ago when I noticed hog poo in the garden. So I set about cleaning out the hog house that had been housing just spiders, setting out new bedding around the house and putting out food again along with my trail cam. 2 nights later, hog appeared, gobbled the food and set about taking all the bedding in the house to make a nest. Since then, it’s been sleeping in the house every night, apart from 1. But, most nights, it keeps adding more and more material to the nest – it had initially taken a LOT of material in, so it’s not like it’d made a quick temporary one – it took the hog about 2 hours to build in the first night. In addition to this, I’m noticing the hog appearing on the camera multiple times during the night, going into the house, having what I’m assuming is a doze an then coming out again about 1-2 hours later. The frequency of its appearing on the camera, suggests that its not moving very far from my garden, maybe 1 or 2 other gardens at most.
Now, I’ve had hogs in the garden in previous years, but they’ve always slept for a day or 2, the moved on. I’ve never seen this behaviour before – aside from a preggers female one year in spring.
My curiosity had led me to wonder if it is preparing for hibernation? Does the colder weather put them into the mood that maybe they don’t want to travel too far before having a doze and a warm up in the nest? I’m a bit concerned if it is preparing for hibernation because I’m not sure if the house is suitable for that – as I say it’s not very high, so I’m not sure if it’d be able to get enough bedding in there to keep warm enough during hibernation – or am I being paranoid and should just trust the hogs instincts lol!
Hi hydra101
Glad to hear a hog turned up there. Yes, he could be planning to hibernate, but also may be making it cosier for the colder days.
Hogs use a huge amount of material to build their hibernating nests. The best is medium sized leaves which they layer like tiles to make the whole thing waterproof. They sometimes use long grasses to help knit it all together. A properly built hibernaculum is a wonder to behold! It’s amazing what they can achieve. But a huge pile of leaves soon disappears when the leaves are neatly layered.
Hogs will sometimes build nests which they don’t eventually use. But sometimes will use what appears to be a hibernaculum to nap in between snacks or occasionally spend the day.
The purpose of a hibernaculum is for insulation and protection from the weather rather than to keep them warm. Their body temperature needs to fall in order for them to hibernate but not so low that their metabolism stops completely.
I know what you mean about a box not being high enough. I had a similar ‘problem’ here once when a hog started building a nest in a fairly shallow feeding box. But in the end all we can really do is leave it to the wisdom of the hedgehog. They will know if the end result is not suitable. Apparently it isn’t unusual for them to build more than one hibernaculum. Here, two large males took up residence for several days in the ‘feeding box’ before one moved on. The other may have begun his hibernation in there, but I suspect then also moved on. It is known that hogs will move and even build new nests during hibernation time.
Good luck with the hog there. Don’t forget to always leave water available (all day every day) even if you think he’s hibernating. You never know when a thirsty hog might turn up.
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