Too early for hibernation?
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Hi Granny 7, i live in Glasgow Scotland and 10 days ago we had a really cold icy few nights and I believe this triggered hibernation in Glasgow Scotland, apart from one hedgehog who visits nighly and is constantly in and out the feeding station to eat and he she is a good size now but he/ she I believe is a baby and has gained so much weight now but for some reason he or she has not started to hibernate.. I suppose in your situation it would depend where you live and how cold it is in your area now and also i think it comes down to the hedgehogs weight and i also believe its to do with lack of natural food that triggers hibernation, im sure someone will correct me if im wrong! Was your hedgehogs visiting and eating every night at your feeding station, did they all disappear at once or a slow decline in numbers? If they visited every night and ate then maybe that have went into hibernation my friend.. hopefully someone with more knowledge will answer you soon! Scotland is super cold right now., like freezing temperatures! and im surprised this one hedgehog has not hibernated yet! Although im am happy to see him and know hes safe living under decking next door garden and come to feed in my feeding station, although i do have hedgehog houses but with me feeding birds and the starlings constantly screaming & fighting shouting i dint think i would like to hibernate close to that racket those Starlings make… lol.. Hope you get your answers soon my friend… Xx
Hello New to the forum and to hog stress!! Moved house 6months ago and we are lucky enough to have a hoglet that has been feeding every night for about 3 weeks.
Saw a full grown hog about 8 weeks ago but this hoglet is now on his own?
We have brought a hog house but do have a lovely natural wild…ish! garden
I am concerned that he hasnt gone into hibernation yet
We live on the Isle of Wight so not as cold here yet…will he be ok..I will keep putting out food and water which he is still eating every night…love we have hogs and really want to help them
Thanks
LouI’ve just purchased a fabulous hedgehog house and am wondering is it ok to put under a tree at the bottom of the garden on the earth up against a fence?
Hi there Prickly Hall, welcome to the forum, hoglets can be the last to hibernate because they are so small. If you could weigh this hoglet and if hes under 450 grams then hes going to need help as he won’t survive this winter hibernation and being underweight can prevent hoglets from hibernating altogether and they wont survive but also iv been told that not all hedgehogs hibernate, like at all. Im sure your wee vising hoglet will appreciate the home and food you put out and will love your garden it sounds perfect for hedgehogs! Please weigh this wee hoglet if you can get him or her as it could be a matter of life or death if this is a autumn baby… let us know how you get on please!!
Hi there Patriciat72, this sounds like a perfect place for a hedgehog house my friend… mine is in a similar place and its been used for 3 months now! Im sure your hedgehog/s will appreciate a nice new home to rest and escape from the cold this winter!!Good luck!!
Hi Granny7
It depends whether the hogs were male or female. Male hogs tend to hibernate a fair bit earlier than females regardless of the weather and availability of food. If females have had young it takes quite a bit out of them and they have to wait until the young ones go it alone to have a chance to put on weight for hibernation. Hoglets are often the last to hibernate and some don’t hibernate at all.
Hi Lou,
Some hoglets choose not to hibernate at all and others will hibernate late, so don’t worry too much about it not hibernating yet. Just keep offering food and water as you have been.
It’s a good idea to leave water available all day every day, including during the winter and even if there don’t appear to be any hogs around any longer. They are known to emerge for short periods during hibernation time and may welcome a drink.
If the hoglet seems small, as Paulinegreen suggested, I would weigh it. 450g is the recommended weight to survive hibernation, but if the hoglet is only a bit below that and it is turning up regularly every night for food, I would be inclined to let it be and monitor it’s progress. It’s very stressful for hogs to be taken into captivity and not all will survive, so ‘rescuing’ them is not an easy option.
Good luck. I hope you find the hoglet is already a good weight.
Hi Patriaciat72
Great to hear that you have got a good hog house for the hogs. Don’t be upset if the hogs don’t take to it straight away. Some hogs won’t use them until they become ‘part of the furniture’. You can encourage the hogs to use it by leaving plenty of nest building materials in the area. So medium sized leaves, grasses, etc. If you put a handful inside the house, it might give them the idea but most hogs like to build their own nests inside the hog houses.
Under a tree sounds fine – it’s usually a good idea to be in an area where there is also other cover. But also not in the sun – if a hog hibernates the temperature change might be too great if the box heats up too much on a sunny day. Hog nests ideally need to be able to maintain a fairly constant temperature, so they usually make the nests inside the boxes well insulated.
Hogs actually need a fairly cool temperature when hibernating. Too warm and their metabolism speeds up too much.
Good luck. I hope you get a tenant for the hog des res soon.
Hi
We live in central Scotland and still have what we think is 2 hogs visiting our house to eat almost every night. Cant always tell if its both of them or just one. Because i was new with the camera its in the house with the food so that i could see them.
There is no sign at all that they might nest in the house.
Is this because the food it there? Is it work me moving the food out the house?
Thanks
GHi Ghunter9
Don’t worry, if the hogs wanted to use the box being used for feeding, for nesting in, they would likely just start building a nest on top of the food!
It might be useful for you to have another box, so they had a choice, but some hedgehogs decide not to hibernate at all. If they don’t hibernate, just keep providing food and water for them. Maybe a bit more food than usual as they will be relying on it more, with less wild food around.
But to build a nest, it’s really important that they have lots of material around which they could build a nest with. i.e. medium sized leaves, long grasses, etc. A box is really only a structure within which they can build a nest. They would still need to build that nest within any box.
Good luck with the hogs – hope they all do well.
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