Wicker hedgehog house HELP

Gem83 · #1 (**permalink**) 08-10-2010, 04:22 PM

Hi, I have a wicker hedgehog house which I am keen to put in the garden. How should i cover this to ensure good insulation for the hog? Can I use mud? Do I need plastic sheets?
Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks

Hedgehoggy · #2 (**permalink**) 08-10-2010, 07:11 PM

Hi Gem83, I think the wicker basket houses are designed for summer nests/light usage only, they don’t offer any insulation or protection from the elements, and would easily get blown away in high winds. You’ll therefore need to make modifications to try and winter-proof it.

The wicker houses I’ve seen for sale don’t even have a base, without which anything inside the house will soon become damp and wet. You could try placing the basket on a thick rubber mat, then wrapping the basket and mat in bubblewrap/or similar. You’d then need to weigh it down with something heavy – perhaps a much larger rubber mat draped completely over, which will also give added insulation/weatherproofing too.

Good luck!

nightshade · #3 (**permalink**) 10-10-2010, 02:28 PM

If you have decided on a permanent site why not coat it with "woodcrete"?
like a wattle and daub coating a couple of inches thick all over and a floor with firstly a plastic membrane and again a couple of inches of woodcrete.
I wondered about using coir instead of sawdust, or even straw chopped.

Soak fine sawdust overnight in a solution containing a wetting agent (washing up liquid). Squeeze surplus moisture out of the sawdust and allow it to dry. Mix the dried sawdust with fresh cement in the proportions 1:3½ by volume, cement:sawdust. Add water to make a fairly wet mixture, pack down very firmly, smooth and allow to dry thoroughly.

dampflippers · #4 (**permalink**) 12-10-2010, 03:46 PM

I think I would place the house on something like a paving slab with a car mat on top. I'd line the floor with wood with a thick layer of newspaper.
I'dadd an insulating layer of dry leaves, twigs, branches etc then place a sheet of plastic over the top, then another layer of branches or prunings.
Put some bedding ( dry hay, leaves, straw) inside and more undercover outside. You shoudl be able to see if any is taken in.