Anyone bought a Hedgehog House?

[jamess]

Hi,

I just wondered if anyone had bought one of those hedgehog houses that are often in those bird food catalogs? We've seen a few hedgehogs around before in the garden when it's dark - usually eating uneaten bird food.Are the hedgehog houses very successful? How often would it be in there - day, night? Could you ever lift the lid on one of these things to see if a hdgehog is inside, or is this likely to scare it off? Any info would be great!

[Wild-Woman]

We have a hedgehog house but sadly no hedgehogs as yet. We got a slightly damaged one which was half price. It has a liftable lid but I'd only lift it if I thought that it may need a bit of a clean up.
We are hoping one day a hedgehog will find it and move in.

[pressld2]

Hi James,

These houses are primarily for the hogs to hibernate in although they will sometimes be used by hogs sleeping during the day in the summer months.

I made one in 2008 when I had several hedgehogs as regular visitors to the garden. It was unused over the winter of 2008/09 but I wasn't too bothered as it sometimes takes a while for the animals to find/get used to them.

I had hogs back in my garden in April and May last year but then stopped seeing them and I'm pretty sure that the box is unused again this winter.

Not a good idea to lift the lid to look at them. In the summer it won't do too much harm but might make them wary about using the box. If you wake them from hibernation it could be fatal, especially in weather like this.

This is my home made box...



...built entirely out of scrap and recovered materials. I found the plans for it on the internet and there are lots of designs available if you google for them.

Dave P.

[Hedgehoggy]

Hi Jamess, just as with bird nest boxes, there’s no guarantee the targeted species will take up residence*, but it’s most certainly worth trying, especially if you do have hedgehogs visiting your garden. I have four hog houses dotted around my garden and they’ve all had temporary, and long-term (hibernators) tenants in them over the years, but not all the time, and I’ve no idea if any of them are currently occupied.

Great construction there, Dave, puts my efforts to shame! The only addition I would add to your luxury des res (if you haven’t done so already) is some waterproof covering, e.g. drape/wrap the house in some roof felt, tarpaulin, or a heavy duty plastic bin liner, and ensure the base of the house isn’t touching the ground as damp will work its way through the wood – those thick outdoor rubber mats (the ones with the large holes) are perfect for this job, but anything which raises the house slightly off the ground will suffice. Unfortunately, during times of very heavy or prolonged rain, the houses can still be affected with damp and subsequently turn the hay/straw bedding mouldy, so it’s worth checking your houses** after such heavy prolonged rainfall and replace with fresh bedding if necessary.

**As has already been stressed by Dave, avoid checking your houses during the winter in case you inadvertently disturb a hibernating hog (if the house does become very damp and mouldy the hedgehog will wake up and move to a drier nest site). Also, approach with care if checking your houses from May-September; listen for any ‘squeaking’, just in case a female is using your house as a nursery.

I clean my hog houses out thoroughly twice a year, once in early spring (after I’ve seen hedgehogs up and about in the garden, so I know they’ve woken from hibernation), then again in October. I line the houses with thick wads of newspaper, then stuff them with hay/straw and some dried leaves (if available). In the autumn/winter I leave large handfuls of hay/straw next to each house, so any tenants can help themselves to extra bedding.

*The CPL helped me to trap a scrawny, emaciated feral cat which had taken up residence in my garden a few months ago. Beforehand, they asked me to provide it with a waterproof shelter, so I covered a large cardboard box with a bin liner, lined it with newspaper and an old thick towel for bedding and placed it in some undergrowth/shrubs where I knew the cat had been sheltering/living. A few days later, the cat moved into its new shelter and no matter what time of the day or night I went out to check on it, the cat bolted from out of the box, so I knew he had taken up permanent residence there. Some weeks later I noticed the cat was sleeping beside, not in, the box, so assuming the bedding must be damp I reached in to remove the old towel.... and got a handful of prickles!! A hedgehog had decided this was a much cosier place to sleep than my purpose-built hog houses! I had to make the cat another shelter!

[For those interested in the feral's fate... he was eventually trapped, taken to be neutered, then returned to me where I already had a new home lined up for him with my friend. 'George' has settled into his new environment far quicker than I expected, and has become a contented house-cat from his own volition – exactly like the elderly feral I took in 5 years ago who hasn't left the house since!]

[tomw]

If I had the priviledge of hedgehogs ever in the garden id get them a house, but im pretty sure they cant get in as the people who put our fence in did a really good job.

[Gem83]

Hi, I brought a hedgehog feeding station from eBay. It was £30 including postade and I am very impressed. It has a hinged lid so you can peek in and clean it out. Only drawback is it is not suitable for hibenation but I guess Spike already has a comfy bed somewhere

[dampflippers]

I made a hedgehog box myself a couple of years ago. This spring I checked and it still hadn't been used. A few weeks ago I was planning to get i out and wash it, and discovered a nest! I don't know if it was a maternity nest or just a temporary summer one, but I live in hope of babies!

Tom. Do you feel able to do a little burrowing? Look for a corner or somewhere where the neighbours won't notice ie behind a shrub. and burrow down with a trowel and scoop the soil out about 4 or 5 inches deep and wide.
If you can do this in at least one place along all boundaries you will definitely be doing the local hedgehogs a service!

Everyone:
Whether you have hedgehogs that you know about or not, please put water out in your front and back garden all year long.
This year there have been hundreds of hedgehogs rescued with dehydration, and many have died.

[Gem83]

I have two hedgehog nests in my garden. One within each of the two pampass grasses I have. Does anyone know if they will stay here for winter or should I invest in a hedgehog house?

[pattie may]

A couple of years ago we put up a large bird feeding station in our garden and a hedgehog appeared. It ate the seed that had fallen onto the lawn. I bought proper hedgehog food for it and that autumn my husband built a wooden hedgehog box (you can find plans on the internet on a number of hedgehog site). It has been occupied for two winters. The occupant left earlier in the year but I haven't seen it again.

[HedgehogRescue]

All of my houses (5) around the garden are regularly occupied, especially during the winter. It very much depends on how the house is constructed, how windproof, waterproof and dampproof it is and where it's sited.

If you get all that right then they may well use it but even then there's no guarantee.

The houses I've never seen used are the ones with a tunnel that goes straight into the middle of the house allowing the elements in. The ones that work are those with an internal tunnel where the hog goes in then has to turn right or left to get to the main area. Ventilation of some kind also helps as it keeps the bedding dry.

Cover the house with something waterproof as most ready made houses will leak. Raise it off the ground by at least an inch so it doesn't get damp from underneath.

Site the house under shrubs/bushes with the entrance facing away from the prevailing wind and preferably not facing North. Hogs like to be under cover so if you stick the house in the middle of your lawn they have to cross an open expanse when leaving and that leaves them exposed.

It also helps if the house is placed somewhere reasonably quiet without lots of people charging about nearby.

HTH

Oh and if you want hogs around then put out food and water for them every day. They come to know where there is a regular supply.

NO MILK!