Neighbour issues
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Hi,
I’m a newbie. I have been feeding hedgehogs for quite a few years now, with quite a few visitors to my feeding station and nesting boxes. But last week the activity suddenly stopped. I have just found out that the people living in the house to the back of my home have blocked off the access routes to the hedgehogs. I know this is the route that they take and have done so for many years. It has been done intentionally as they don’t approve of me feeding the birds and wildlife. They know that I have a hedgehog feeding station, so I can’t think of any other reason for their actions. I know that there isn’t much I can do about it. But I just feel so sad that people would behave this way.Hi sass7705,
sad if this has been done intentionally as you say. do you know this is the case? – it may be worth approaching them – and other neighbours – with a hedgehog leaflet and some hedgehog highway signs to encourage them to make the holes. Hogs will find alternative routes if you make it easy for them via other neighbours. We did similar at the end of last year and with a little encouragement we have several neighbours who now ‘understand’ and put out water at least and even a couple of additional boxes and feeding stations have gone out.
You can’t win everyone round – and some people will always be anti this sort of thing – but I’m sure if you persevere you will find other people will support you in the area. all for the good of our wildlife I say – and their survival if the continuation of development continues, we have to find ways of living closer together!Hi,
I am also very new to this and have tried to encourage people to put a bit of food out and lots of water. It seemed to be going well but when I checked in with some of them they had stopped putting food out because of the mice it attracts. We are using Ark hedgehog food that seems to be attracting less mice but I’m not convinced this will encourage neighbours to continue.
I am putting more food in our feeding station but think the first hog might be eating the lot.
We can only do our best.
Good luckThanks for your replies. Unfortunately they aren’t the approachable kind, I’m afraid. Sadly most of the people in my area don’t seem too interested in nature & wildlife. I will keep checking the feeding station and placing water out for them. Hopefully they will find an alternative route.
Hi sass7705
Welcome to the Forum and I’m sorry that your first message is such a sad one. I know it is difficult, but as Jan Marie says, it might be worth having a chat with the people you think have blocked the hole, armed with lots of leaflets and information. Sometimes it is just that people completely don’t understand the situation and don’t realise how harmless and useful hogs can be in the garden. (and I have heard of people blocking hogs out because they are worried their dogs might attack them) You may even be able to impress them with any steps you might take to avoid attracting rats, etc.
Alternatively/also (and I don’t know how feasible it is with the layout there) try to get some of their neighbours and your neighbours to make holes in their fences, so that the hogs can bypass that garden. I know it can be very disappointing and upsetting. One of my neighbours blocked the path the hogs used to use a few years back. They soon found they could just go through the next garden along – who are reasonably hedgehog friendly. So if all else fails, don’t give up they may find a way to get to you somehow.
Just to give you a bit of hope. I had one hog visitor whose route to my garden was blocked by building work. She disappeared in August last year and when we got to May this year, I thought I wouldn’t ever see her again, but then in June she miraculously appeared again. Such a lovely surprise. So don’t give up hope.
Good luck and let us know how things go.
Sorry, have just seen that this has crossed with your latest message.
If you don’t think those people are very approachable it might be worth trying the alternative I mentioned above. Sometimes people who aren’t particularly interested in nature and wildlife are quite tolerant of hogs and having them in their gardens. Especially if they know that slugs are one of the things on their diet! Sometimes people can surprise us!
Hi sass7705
That is sad to hear but, as others have said, not everyone is bothered about wildlife.
As Nic says if you can offer up an alternative route for the hogs that might be a good option or, and I’m not sure if i should say this, is there a discreet way you can provide access through the fence – hogs will squeeze under fences if there is a gap underneath not just holes.
One of my main concerns with my hogs is there is so much out of my control in terms of them getting access to my garden. A change a few gardens down (a new fence for example) could prevent them access although the local neighbours know about the hogs and my feeding and they are fine with it but further down who knows.
Anyway good luck and hope your hogs return.
I agree, try moving some of the earth under the fence/gravel board so there is enough room for a hedgehog to get through. If there is a bush/shrub on your neighbours side then do it there so hopefully they won’t notice!
There is a problem that might arise if you just make a space under the fence without asking. The hogs may just get used to it and then find the owners have blocked it again, so they would have to start all over again trying to find another route through. Might not do much for neighbourly relations either and could possibly make them even more anti-hog. It’s entirely up to any individual but, before taking any potential action, please just weigh up all the pros and cons.
Like Hogmeister says, with hogs being wild animals there is so much out of our control which can be very frustrating.
It’s been a while since you last wrote sass7705. Have there been any developments since?
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