hedgehog hibernation

[cat72uk]

i am so happy today i saw my first Hedgehog
(for many years) in my garden last night
he was eating my cat food i wish he would eat my slugs lol
i have 1 hoggy nest box
should i put in more or are they teritorial
and when do they hibernate
cuse if i can put in more than 1 box i need 2 know when to have it done by

[Rob_D]

Thats good. Sometimes they come back at the same time each night for a bit so keep looking. You often find their scats even if you don't see them though.

I don't think most Hogs would be hibernating much before the end of November. They do need to fatten up alot before that though, so I hope yours can get enough cat-food before the cats! I buy some Hedgehog food which the cats won't eat (THEY are not at all welcome in my garden).

I reckon most hogs are territorial, so not sure you'll get two boxes occupied, but you never know.

[cat72uk]

maby i can get a lady hoggy in 1 box
& gent hoggy in the other box
and maby love will be in the air

[mbaldw]

Hi Cat72UK,

i have 1 hoggy nest box should i put in more or are they teritorial

You can put out more if you wish. There's no indication that Hedgehogs are territorial. Some are nomadic, while others may stick to a particular area. They seem to operate a system of mutual avoidance outside the breeding season. Having said this, you're only likely to get one hog per box and you may not actually get any (my parents get Hedgehogs in their garden, but they opt to nest in the hedgerow at the back of their neighbour's garden and ignore their purpose-built hog home!).

and when do they hibernate cuse if i can put in more than 1 box i need 2 know when to have it done by

You need to get it out this month if possible. RobD is correct that they're unlikely to start going into hibernation until November or December, although there aren’t any set dates (males generally enter hibernation earlier than females) and it appears to be based on several factors; seemingly dominated by ambient temperature. As a result, the range can be considerable; some start in October and some are out and about well into December and January.

Food also seems to play an important role in hibernation and circumstantial evidence suggests that it may even override the response to temperature. Indeed, if you continue putting out food for them (and the weather remains fairly mild) they may not hibernate at all - I know of at least two that didn't last year.

Ideally, Hedgehogs need cold winters (i.e. continuously cold weather) rather than the mixed mild and cold spells that we seem to be having these days. When 'cold snaps' are interspersed with mild conditions (especially towards the end of winter), it can cause premature arousal from hibernation. This may not be a problem if the weather stays mild, but if another cold snap follows it can spell bad news (having used a considerable amount of energy 'waking up', they can't put the weight back on quickly enough to allow them to go back into hibernation).

Anyway, if you are successful in getting a Hedgehog to take up residence, you might be lucky enough to have them use it to raise hoglets!

Cheers,
Marc.

[cat72uk]

thank you for the help
(males generally enter hibernation earlier than females) that just because men are lazy

[mbaldw]

Hi cat,

(males generally enter hibernation earlier than females) that just because men are lazy

and proud of it

In fact, it's because the pressures of motherhood mean that the females don't have chance to feed up earlier in the year. Females are holed up in the natal nest looking after the kids for the first 24 hours, after which she will go out to forage, but will continue to return to suckle the hoglets in the initial weeks and they'll accompany her on foraging trips until they're six to eight weeks old.

Cheers,
Marc.

[canny]

I have a nice dry spot under a bay window and lots of coughing noises have been coming from there for the last few weeks. The other day in broad daylight on the only sunny day we have had for ages we had a young hog who looked pretty wet through layed out on some stones looking as though he was sunbathing, first back to the sun then face to the sun. He didn't move one bit when we aproached him just sat looking at us. He obviously isn't the hog that lives in the dry spot.
Could he be one of the youngsters and maybe mum has the dry spot and has kicked him out of the family home.
It makes me wonder how on earth hogs manage to survive this awful constant rain we are having lately.

[mbaldw]

The other day in broad daylight on the only sunny day we have had for ages we had a young hog who looked pretty wet through layed out on some stones looking as though he was sunbathing, first back to the sun then face to the sun. He didn't move one bit when we aproached him just sat looking at us. He obviously isn't the hog that lives in the dry spot.

Sadly, Hedgehogs aren't known for their sunbathing behaviour and if you find one lying around during the day (especially if it's unresponsive to your approach and makes no attempt to curl up) it is probably in need of veterinary attention.

Could he be one of the youngsters and maybe mum has the dry spot and has kicked him out of the family home.

Possibly; hoglets are considered fully weaned by six to eight weeks old (the adult dentition is complete by four months old), at which time they leave their mother and fend for themselves – once they have left the family fold, they do not appear to socialise with their mother or siblings and often do not tolerate company.

It makes me wonder how on earth hogs manage to survive this awful constant rain we are having lately.

Wet weather -- the flooding we've seen in parts of the UK notwithstanding! -- doesn't seem to pose too many problems for Hedgehogs. I've seen them out foraging in fairly heavy rain. Indeed, the wet weather brings out lots of worms and bugs, so there's usually loads to eat. However, it's true to say that Hedgehogs have very little insulation and, if they get cold, wet and exposed, they may find it difficult to maintain their body temperature - this is especially true of youngsters, which have a larger surface area to volume ratio (causing them to lose heat more rapidly than adults).

Cheers,
Marc.

[Hedgehoggy]

Hi there. Coughing in Hedgehogs is usually indicative of lungworm or in some cases, pneumonia - either of which will most definitely need veterinary treatment if the Hedgehog is to survive.

As mbaldw has already said, Hedgehogs seen out during the day are usually in need of help. There are, of course, a few exceptions to this rule, i.e. a nursing female may briefly come out from her nest in the day in search of food and water. Also, baby Hedgehogs generally 'leave home' at around 6-8 wks of age when they're fully weaned and can sometimes be seen foraging for food during daylight when they're really really hungry. And another reason could be if a Hedgehog's nest has been disturbed/flooded.

Hedgehogs NEVER sunbathe, this is a sign that the Hedgehog is very ill indeed and is trying to keep warm. If the poorly Hedgehog is still in your garden, please take it to your nearest wildlife rescue centre/vet for some much needed help. It is estimated that Hedgehogs will be wiped out from the UK within the next 20 years, so every little bit we can do for them now will help to keep one of our much overlooked and gentle species from extinction.

Good luck.

[canny]

I did suspect that was the case. He quickly dissapeared from his original spot and I havn't been able to locate him since. We have lots of dense shrubs in the garden and it is like hunting for a needle in a haystack. It has rained a lot again today as well. If I find him I will definatly take him to our local wildlife hospital which isn't too far away.

[Will_Harvey]

I also saw a Hedgehog out in broad daylight just a few weeks ago.
It was moving along the edge of my house as I arrived home from work.
It shuffled around the corner and into some shrubbery.
I thought at the time that it might not be a well Hedgehog although it had no problem with walking.
I have seen two other Hedgehogs recently. (at night) They must be spoilt for food at the moment because where I live we seem to be having a slug epidemic.

[canny]

A follow up to my poorly hoggy.......Yesterday, another sunny day he was out again sitting in the sun at the end of the drive. He made no attempt to roll up. I rang our local wildlife hospital and we took him straight there.
Hopefully he will now be well looked after and get fattened up for winter. If all goes well we will be collecting him and putting him back in our garden.

On another subject....I have a wooden hog box and in less then a year it is going rotten, the wood was pre treated but the whole thing was sodden with standing water in it. Not a nice place for a hoggy to live. It was located in a dry area as well under trees.
My question is does anyone know if you can get boxes made of plastic that will withstand our horrid wet weather.

[Nettle Runner]

I used an old dog basket (type of plastic I suppose), which had one side lowered to allow doggy access. This was turned over, then covered firstly with old rocks, then piles of old wood, twigs and leaves. This is constantly added to throughout the gardening year.

You would need to ensure that your site is not liable to flooding.

Les

[Bouncytigger]

Originally Posted by cat72uk

i am so happy today i saw my first Hedgehog
(for many years) in my garden last night
he was eating my cat food i wish he would eat my slugs lol
i have 1 hoggy nest box
should i put in more or are they teritorial
and when do they hibernate
cuse if i can put in more than 1 box i need 2 know when to have it done by

I'm so pleased for you Buddy Bear

I bought a HOGGY HOME from the rspb wildlife shop a few months but NOTHING as yet , but i know we do have them visit on occassions and i've made some hoggy size holes under the garden fence and back gate.

With the cold and dark nights only just around the corner I'm hoping for success.

[Jim Ford]

I've not tried it, but I would have thought that you could make a good well-insulated home out of a few aerated concrete blocks ('breeze' blocks), particularly if they're left over from a building project.

Jim

[Hedgehoggy]

Canny, I'm so pleased you managed to find the poorly hoggy and take it to a wildlife centre. I hope he makes a full recovery and can be returned to you for release back into your garden Well done you!

Jim, breeze blocks (preferably non-aerated to keep out wet weather) would make a fab hog house if positioned on a paving slab with another paving slab placed on top for a roof. To finish off, a breeze block could then be slid half way into the entrance hole to create a passage leading into totally safe and predator-proof sleeping quarters (if that makes sense! - I'm probably not describing this very well, lol). And this would only take a few minutes to construct.

[Jim Ford]

Originally Posted by Hedgehoggy

Jim, breeze blocks (preferably non-aerated to keep out wet weather) would make a fab hog house

I would think aerated would be fine - it's 'closed cell' aeration so water shouldn't soak in.

Jim

[Hedgehoggy]

LOL Jim, I thought 'aerated' meant pre-cut vent holes, like some house bricks have! I'm such a numpty!

So, yes, aerated breeze blocks would be perfect