Leave bedding out for nesting?

[Emily]

Recently I’ve discovered hedgehogs in my garden, I’m pretty sure there’s more than one hog, not really sure if they are male or female and I’ve read that male hogs don’t take part in raising young so would it be worth leaving straw out to help in case there is a female nesting? If so how and where should I put it as I don’t have a Functioning hedgehog house yet to put it in to keep dry, I have made a homemade hedgehog feeding station out of a Tupperware box turned upside down That I leave food and water in, I think it’s quite tight in there for the hedgehog so not sure whether it would be good to put straw in there.

I use this forum quite a lot as I find it very helpful and I have lots of questions and I get very good answers every time, could I suggest that a questions section is added for anyone’s questions as I never really know which category to write my questions in.

Thanks

[Nic]

Hi Emily

Yes, you could leave materials available for nest building. In part that could be not tidying away fallen leaves, etc. too much. Of if you have a lawn and want that clear of leaves, etc. rake them into the borders. It’s even more important in the Autumn when the hogs make more substantial nests for hibernation. They prefer medium sized leaves but will also use long (ornamental) grasses, and I have even seen hogs ‘pick’ small amounts of green vegetation from plants to include in their nests!

I wouldn’t put nesting material in the feeding box. (Apart from size issues and anything else, it might encourage them to make a nest or at least sleep in there – which sometimes happens even without encouragement!) Maybe if you have any bushes in your garden you could put some suitable nesting material underneath which would help keep it dry. Just bear in mind that normally hogs would be collecting their material from the wild, so would be used to it potentially being a bit damp sometimes.

Re. Questions on the forum, don’t worry, pretty much all of it can be and is used for questions. Someone is likely to spot any questions and answer them. The only section to avoid (for more general questions), is that for ‘carers/rescuing a hedgehog’, which is usually kept for if there is a sick or injured hog in your garden, for hog health issues and rehabilitation. That way, it’s easier for the carers/rehabilitators to pick them out and respond to them. But if you are worried about the health of a hog in your garden, that is the place to ask that sort of question.

[Emily]

Thank you, it’s much appreciated. I’ll take that into account. I wouldn’t use the ‘Carers/rescuing a hog’ category for my questions anyway, I usually use either Hedgehog signs and sightings or champions’ chat for my questions. I’ll leave some materials out tonight and see what happens!

Thanks

[Author]

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