Year of the hedgehog
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After initial sightings last year, we’ve been over the moon to have had up to 4 hedgehogs (seen at one time) visiting our garden every night since the 29th March 2021. Last night, 9th October, was the quietest night though for ages. Only one hog and a time (we are fortunate to have ‘hogcam’ to help us with this) and less interest in the food we put out than normal. Is this a sign that they could be starting to think about hibernation? Last year they didn’t hibernate until mid-November, so this seems particularly early and it’s not been that cold yet. Curious to know if others are seeing changing behaviour?
Hi LizMalone
That’s great news that you have had several hogs visiting.
Hogs don’t all hibernate at the same time. Males tend to go earlier – no hoglet duties to attend to. Raising hoglets takes a lot out of a female hog and she has to wait until they are going it alone, before she can concentrate on putting on condition for hibernation herself. Often hoglets are the last to hibernate, giving them a bit of extra time to put on sufficient weight.
Some males disappear to hibernate in September. I have one here who built his nest in September, but is still venturing out a bit, although not as far afield as usual, it seems. It remains to be seen whether he finally decides to hibernate completely or not. Some choose not to hibernate, although it mostly seems to be hoglets that I’ve heard about (and had a couple here).
But hibernation isn’t only temperature related, it’s more complicated than that and not really fully understood.
It’s a similar story here. Not seeing many at all now but that’s following the same pattern as last October when they disappeared early in the month until spring. The year before they were visiting well through November.
Still getting them here. In fact a couple of nights ago all the food had gone by 10 pm (and I put out quite a bit!) so did a replenish and all was gone in the morning.
Last night I doubled the amount (it is 3/4 dishes of hoggie biscuits and big dish good dog food in jelly) but again it needed some topping up before I went to bed. Quite relieved to find a few biscuits left this morning actually.
Such an amount of poo left as a thank you I’m convinced it was only hoggies eating 🙂
Last year I only had 2 small hoggies and food was being taken until mid December. I’ve had more visitors this year though so not sure what to expect but keeping prepared.Still seeing the occasional hog and last night my neighbour saw one. Very mild here but we had such dry weather for months I was very worried about the local hogs. Lots of sightings on the camera during August and early Sept, but then nothing until last night. Had a big hog who always went into hibernation in Sept and woke in Feb, lots of camera pics of him out in the snow in Feb. Very sadly he was killed on the road this March. He loved my hog house and feeding station and made the very best use of it.
Hi LizMalone,
We have a hedgehog that has moved in (this is our first experience of having a resident hog) and she has been with us since the summer (now in the hut we bought for her).
We have been seeing exactly the same thing over the past week or so. Normally, we would see her (we have some wifi cameras outside) making frequent visits in and out of the garden, popping back for a few cat biscuits about 8-10 times a night. She would normally be up just after dusk, and back in bed just before dawn.
In the past week, she has made fewer trips out, returned for a snooze in the hut more frequently, and, is eating less. She’s also getting up slightly later, and, going to bed earlier.
Last week she was also adding to her nest in the hut (though we took a sneaky look a few weeks ago when she was out, and it seemed crammed full already). Bringing leaves in, and using the hay we leave out for her.
No idea what happens next, but I’ll keep putting food out, and posting her videos up onto YouTube, which enables me to record the time she gets up and goes to bed, along with anything else she gets up to in range of the camera (like trying to take a long twig into the hut….. sideways… with obvious results)
But she’s definitely eating less, and, making fewer trips during the evening
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