New to Hogs
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Afternoon everyone.
I think I have now discovered how to do a post so apologies for jumping on someone elses thread!
I have discovered three hedgehogs in my garden.. They were right outside the patio doors.. I gave them cat biscuits and water… then they kept coming back!!!
I now have Spike hog food.. so my cats dont eat it..
my question is I have ordered a house for them
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wildlife-World-Hedgehog-Care-Pack/dp/B00EPE9CBU/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1535525568&sr=8-4&keywords=hedgehog+house
Should I put it on a wooden floor? and cover it in leaves and logs..? or should I just put it on the earth?
I hope they survive the winter I will leave food and water for them.. I also bought some hay.
thanksCongrats on your new hogs Laura! You are now officially addicted.
The house you’ve ordered needs a couple of tweeks (I used to have one similar) and then the little blighters will love it. They’re not totally waterproof so covering the outside with bubble wrap not only makes it more waterproof but also adds a layer of insulation for the winter. Also they are quite light and larger animals (like darned cats) can lift them if they try to get in so fixing it to the ground would be a good idea. You can put some sort of fixing, metal pegs etc, through the outer edges of the house without affecting it.
Hedgehogs are quite happy with these on the bare earth (provided it’s a dry area not prone to flooding!). When mine built their nests inside they actually dug into the earth a bit below their bedding. Place it facing away from wind. Give them some dust free hay inside with a pile of more outside and they’ll build the inside to suit them. A pile of leaves nearby will also be useful for them.
Don’t be tempted to try and look inside it once installed. You’ll know if they’re using it by the look of the entrance each day – bits of twig and leaves moving about – or if you’re not certain, put some bits of stuff across the entrance and see if they get moved.
Good luck with them and keep us updated!
Sorry if I am on the wrong thread with this, but couldn’t find how to post a new one …
We have just set up a hedgehog house, but wondered where we should put a feeding station for them?
Should the food and drink be put next to the hedgehog house? Or can the feeding station go by our house, eg on the patio by our back doors? The hedgehog house is some way from our back doors, in a quiet spot, so I wondered if they would avoid the food if it is too close to our house, kitchen noise / lights etc!
Any advice would be much appreciated! I have found lots of info online about what / not to feed them, and how to build feeding stations to deter foxes etc, but I cannot find advice on where is best to PUT the food.
Sent from my iPhoneHi Melm,
just seen your question.
My experience would suggest that hogs don’t like feeding stations too close to their houses – and they are very talented at finding food if you put any out in the vicinity. Having said that – there are many examples of hogs sleeping in feeding houses once they’ve had their fill! I think these are stop gaps rather than anything more permanent though – and no hog seems to stay in one place for whole of their life either from studies – they are frequent roamers.
I wouldn’t worry too much about the noise from your house putting them off – but would recommend that if you have sensor lighting in the garden that you try and minimise this – they don’t like that certainly and would be put off by lights continuously picking them out in your garden as they try to move around being unnoticed.
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