Where to put feeding station
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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 wander far for food, or 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.
Hi melm
My feeling is that the food and water should not be put too close to the hedgehog house. Hedgehogs are naturally solitary animals and might like some peace and quiet in their house. If there is food nearby it is more likely to attract not only other hedgehogs, but also predators, which could be particularly problematical if the hedgehog decides to give birth in the box.
Hedgehogs can travel roughly 1 – 2 miles a night during the course of their foraging, so from one end of a garden to another is nothing to them. I feed hedgehogs within a few yards of the house, although, I have to say this is a fairly quiet household. What I have found over the years is that they will get used to an outside light being on, so you can see them, but are less keen on, for instance, a security light which goes on and off. I tend to keep the light off in the room I am watching from, but am able to see well enough, to make notes, etc., from the light which is coming in from outside. That way, the hedgehogs are less able to see me so that they continue to behave naturally.
My feeling is that, often, too much emphasis is put on feeding hedgehogs and not enough on improving/increasing their habitat. The best thing for hedgehogs is for them to have good habitat so that they can find their own food. As things stand, it seems there is not enough suitable habitat so that they often do need some supplementary feeding. It would be a sad day, I feel, if hedgehogs came to rely completely on the artificial food we offer them. Natural food that they can find themselves is best for them.
https://www.hedgehogstreet.org/help-hedgehogs/link-your-garden/
https://www.hedgehogstreet.org/help-hedgehogs/helpful-garden-features/Thanks for your reply Nic, great advice. I agree wholeheartedly on the emphasis being on improving their natural habitat and will be working on this here too. We are just starting out in the hedgehog world, so have much to learn and aim for!
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