Home-made wildlife houses!

[Cazzie]

Hi all,

It struck me that other than myself there must be others who have 'made' wildlife homes/houses out of scraps of stuff just lying around, so wondered if you'd all like to share what you've made and how, where you've sited them and if they've been used!

So I'll go first with my attempts at some wildlife homes... (btw, piccies are a must! )

I've literally just put together this frog/toad retreat from an old cast iron drain cover, housing thingy that I found by our garage and topped it with a bit of old slate. I've sited it on the shady part of my garden in a boarder (btw, this part of my garden is new and needs to establish a bit more!)





Someone (maybe Purplepixii?) said she'd used upturned or half-buried plant pots nestled amongst plants as frog/toad retreats - is that right?

I've made a bee home too from cut up bamboo and a bit of wire and roofing felt....



Sadly I've not had any takers so far - just a load of spiders! but I live in hope... Maybe it's too high or in the wrong position?

Of course being a Hedgehog lover I have 2 home-made efforts in my garden now Hubby made this first one from left-over plywood and roofing felt for me when we first moved here 4 months ago. There is a resident hedgie in it atm and has been for the last few weeks - yeah!



and this is where it's sited - right next to our bungalow under a spotted laurel bush



Just last week I was inspired to make yet another Hedgehog home but from different and cheap materials (huge plant pot!) and the whole thing cost me just a fiver!!!!



I've added a small'ish tunnel out of another flower pot but have yet to have any takers as I think I've only got one Hedgehog visiting/resident atm, but hopefully one will think it's a 'des-res' soon lol!

So now I've started, it would be great to see what you've made/constructed for the wildlife in your gardens!

[Wild-Woman]

Hey. They're really good Cazzie. Well done you! Very innovative. You'll get nightshade all inspired now and he'll have to knock one up.


So might I!!

[stirling]

Thanks for that cazzie,very ingenious,will have to try some.
Best from mike.

[Cazzie]

Thanks! I do like to 'try'

I got some of my inspiration from this rather brilliant link that Tursiops2 posted on the thread when I was making my wildlife pond...

http://www.wildlifetrust.org.uk/ches...e_habitat2.pdf

It's amazing!!! Don't think I'd make a whole one, but certain parts of the concept are certainly adaptable to parts of our garden methinks!

[jdurbo]

Hey cazzie they are brilliant!!!
I could try a few of them for our little heggie!
(would'nt do the bee one though my husband is scared to death of them!!)

jen xxx

[Jez]

I really like these homemade homes. Our Hog likes it in my leafy log pile on the other side of our shed but i don't know how comfetting it is for either she or he? I could nock a proper house up like yours cover it back up at least i'd know they could rest better. I do want a butterfly/moth observatory! What's your next project going to be?? Lol

[Tursiops2]

Originally Posted by Cazzie

Thanks! I do like to 'try'

I got some of my inspiration from this rather brilliant link that Tursiops2 posted on the thread when I was making my wildlife pond...

http://www.wildlifetrust.org.uk/ches...e_habitat2.pdf

It's amazing!!! Don't think I'd make a whole one, but certain parts of the concept are certainly adaptable to parts of our garden methinks!

I have to be honest (credit where credit's due) I got that link from somebody else's post, only I can't remember whose, or find the thread. It's quite startling how quickly a thread can get buried, there ought to be some way of archiving the best ones.
T2

[Cazzie]

Originally Posted by Tursiops2

I have to be honest (credit where credit's due) I got that link from somebody else's post, only I can't remember whose, or find the thread. It's quite startling how quickly a thread can get buried, there ought to be some way of archiving the best ones.
T2

Well I'll give you the credit for now as it was you who brought it to my attention! And it's certainly not suprising how quickly threads get buried with 11k members on the go! lol!

Jez - My next project... I think I'm just going to collect some logs from the woods (ones that I can carry without giving myself a hernia of course!) and pile them up somewhere suitable in my garden to make a haven for insects and hopefully amphibians as well


So come on you lot - who's got some of their own creations to share then?!?

[john4760]

Hi,inside septembers issue of gardens monthly,it gives layouts and building plans for the following,a Hedgehog box,tit nest box.
Regards
John

[john4760]

Almost forgot also a bumble bee box as well.
John

[clover green]

Well done, very creative & inventive, Cazzie! I'm sure you'll have inspired more than a few of us to try and do same. Must say the turquoise one is my fav, bright & modern. What's next?

[Mr Mag00]

would this include a 3foot cube for my Harvest Mice? if so photos to follow, but i did have to buy the mesh!

[m1.carson]

Hi,

Is the post called something like "bugs hotel" or "I must have one " half a dozen pallets stacked up with various filling in the gaps ?.

It was an idea from a gardening show, we eventually got the pallets but half our old plum tree has fallen on them, slowed the project up somewhat .

But you're right about things getting buried, threads I was looking at last week have vanished, I get mail ok on those I've contributed to, but those I was just interested in have gone.

My search criteria is usless as well.

Max.

[paulchandler6]

Very inspiring Cazzie, will try making something similar.

[Cazzie]

Thanks Paul - get on out there and make something then lol!

Originally Posted by Mr Mag00

would this include a 3foot cube for my Harvest Mice? if so photos to follow, but i did have to buy the mesh!

Well I had to buy the flower pot for my hedgie house, so it's not entirely free, but cheap!

Would love to see your Harvest Mouse house Mr Mag00 and please tell us more about them, have to admit I know diddly-squat about Harvest Mice thanks!

[Ann2]

Yes, I'd like to hear more about the Harvest Mice too please. I love mice but I haven't kept any for years. I'm trying to tempt some wild ones into the garden but I think the dogs put them off.

Ann

[Mr Mag00]

sorry for delay in replying, been on moth-ing weekend dissection and Id-ing its been great.

We have a 4 males at our centre donated by a woman who was breeding them for the cheshire release scheme, she missed sexed one and ended up with more than she could keep. we want to use them to show ppl who visit the mice, as ppl are unlikley to ever see them or even find the nests which are only about 6-8cm wide, and use them to educate about the loss of habitat etc etc.

the mice are very small about 6-8cm long maybe longer those with great tails, weighing about the same as 20p peice, until you see them the size stated still gives no impression to how small and very very cute they are. They are very claen and dont smell and therefore make quite good house pets in aquaruims. as we have ours on public display we decided we could not use an aquarium and so built a large cage, i will take a photo and post up, with mice if i am lucky.

they aren't nocturnal but seem to be active 2hours on and 2 off although in evening they are very active, ours all have very different personalities from blazen to timid. they dont burrow but like to move around all levels of the cage, great swimmers and love water.
the classic shots of them in cereal is really giving the wrong impression they really like marshy wet areas and love to nestle in rush [i]juncus[i] and so have a wide variety of habitat requirements, so perhaps they are wider spread than known. the females are sexually mature very quickly and can given birth approx every 19 days and will be lactating whilst pregnant so a female mice can give birth to potentially almost 100 in a single year. they have numerous predators from the obvious birds, cats, foxes to even toads!
the prehensile tail is amazing to watch even in those which have stumpy hooked tails!

sorry i cant think of anything else, feel free to ask.

[Cazzie]

My gosh they are tiny then!

Aww, just can't wait to see some!.... oh please try and get some piccies Mr Mag00, even the habitat you've made for them would be educational for us all

[Mr Mag00]

here is an external shot cage is 3ft cubed and has a full size door on opposite sides and a door in 1 quarter of that side as can be seen here. plenty of natural materials too.

[Mr Mag00]

an internal shot as best as i can get really. the difficult part is now getting a shot oft he 'mices'
( I know 'mices' is not a word)

[Meles meles]

Well, cant say they havent enough room to run around.
Great idea though

[Cazzie]

That looks brilliant!

So how many meeces have you got in there then? How long do they live for?

Thanks for posting the pics, just need some of the little critters themselves now lol!

[Mr Mag00]

oooh they take a long time to load, sorry.

4 males in there, i hope after opening the door for photo'. they quite settled, but you can only see them from inside the building no way if stood near the cage

i hear they will survive around 3-4 years in captivity.

[Cazzie]

I should imagine they're pretty shy at the best of times, but I'm sure they'll be worth the wait lol!

[Mr Mag00]

apparently they have quite poor eye sight but superb hearing and can hear the slightest thing up to 7 metres which ends them scurrying to the undergrowth. However everyone who waits is well rewarded and its great speaking to them about the mice and seeing their faces when they do appear