How long will it take hedgehogs to find my food?

[Diggit Gardening]

Hi everyone!

I’ve just joined and have created a hedgehog house as well as making holes in my garden fences. Anyone got an idea of how long it will take for local hogs to find food if I start leaving it out?

Cheers,

Diggit Gardening
Edinburgh

[Sam1404]

Hi Diggit Gardening and welcome!
It really doesn’t take very long for them to find the food once you make a highway. I had 2 visiting within a week of making holes in the front and back fences, and have had at least 10 different hogs visit ever since. 4 are now regulars coming for food every night. I think it helps if you also have a wildlife friendly garden (which I have), as it means they are also attracted to natural food which they can forage for.
Try and leave the food in a cat proof feeding station or the local cats/foxes will get to it first! There are lots of feeding station ideas within other threads on the forum.
Hope that helps and fingers crossed you get some hogs visiting very soon!

[Williamc]

The very first time I put a dish of Spike’s Dinner in my garden it took 4 minutes for it to be attacked! A hog appeared under the fence about 10 yards from the dish with its nose in the air, it had obviously smelt something new and tasty. It then made a beeline across the lawn straight to the dish. They have an incredible sense of smell. Once one has been then others will follow the scent trail and the food smell.

Well, that’s what it looks like anyway, I think my lot actually Whatsapp each other about new discoveries since they started pinching smartphones.

[simbo65]

Hi-
You have such savvy hogs that can use social media.
Mine are in the dark ages.
Re the food- Like William C they came very quickly but there were hedghogs in the area.

[Diggit Gardening]

Thanks Sam, William and Simbo! That’s great to hear that they dont have difficulty finding food that’s left out for them. Did you use dry biscuits ir wet food?

[Sam1404]

I have only ever offered hedgehog biscuits. Being a vegetarian the wet cat and dog food smell and look makes me feel a bit queasy, but you can offer both. They seem to go mad for the spikes semi moist, but I also mix it with the spikes dry. The bonus is cats don’t seem to be keen on pinching the spikes food.
Don’t forget to offer plenty of water as they drink a lot. I have several saucers dotted all around the garden as well as by the feeding station.

[Hedgie Lover]

William C, every time I read what you have written, I find myself laughing my socks off.

Mine took one week to start eating the food, I was over the moon when I found an empty dish, but wasn’t sure if it was a cat, then the following night, I was sitting on my porch, and heard a crunching noise. I opened my door to let some light in, and there was a hedgehog. It felt amazing.

After that, it took a couple of weeks, and more turned up. Then over the summer, each night, I’d have a least 3 in the feeding station at one time, piratically each night. But since it has been raining, the hedgehogs seem to have disappeared, well the males have seemed to have gone, as there’s not much biffing going on. And one rat has discovered the feeding station, but hasn’t appeared for the last couple of nights, and also a fox and it’s two cubs have also discovered where the hedgehogs hang out.

So on the one hand, when they do turn up, it’s feels amazing, but on the other hand, it’s a constant worry worrying about their welfare and whether the foxes will get to them, whether they’ll put on enough weight for hibernation etc.

I give them spikes hedgehog food (from a pet shop) topped with a layer of Webbox hedgehog food (from Morrisons). Then I give a very small dish of wet dog food, but I’m getting fed up of that, as I did get demolished each night by the first hog, but nowadays, since the males have gone, the girls are turning their nose up at it, and on a few occasions I’ve found fly eggs in it.

So I think, I’ll just use up the rest of the tin and then scrap the dog food.

[Nic]

Yes, that’s the drawback with wet food. It needs removing after one night to avoid flies eggs. When it gets to this time of year, when there aren’t so many hogs around and numbers are diminishing further, it’s probably best to use dry food and provide a ready supply of water.

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