Hedgehog feeding station/hibernation house

[Cowgirl]

I have been successful in my feeding station this year thanks to instructions from fellow wabbers & a plastic box & have been getting regular visitors most evenings.

My question now is, could I convert the feeding station into a hibernation box? My idea is to put it on top of some old rubber car mats (another idea pinched from members) & drape the mats around as well to provide a bit of extra insulation, place a load of straw in & around the box & cover the box in soil/logs/sticks etc. Would placing it in the same place as the feeder also be ok as it is in a fenced off area from the dogs? Trouble is it's a bit near the back door. I would love to have a proper box but I can't afford one (feeding the birds stretches my budget as it is) & can't build one either .

Then in the spring I could clean it all up & return it to a feeding station (or just buy a new box, I think I can manage a fiver ).

What do people think?

[dampflippers]

Hi Cowgirl, I originally thought a hibernation box made out of a plastic box would be a good idea, but since talking to lots of carers, it seems that it would cause too much condensation which would be a real problem especially when it freezes.
You would be better keeping it as a feeding station, but trying to make one out of exterior plywood or untreated planks. You can buy a rough sawn plank (gravel board) for around £5 or so.
I have also made a couple from £9.99 pine storage boxes from B&Q.
For this one you will need some wood battens to raise it off the ground, some ply or plank to make an extra layer of floor (just drop it in) and small pieces of wood to screw over the hand holes.
Then you need to make a 4.5 inch hole at the end of one side, and add a wooden wall next to this (with 4.5 inch gap at the end, so the hedgehog has a corridor then has to turn into the sleeping chamber. Alternatively, make the square hole at the end of one of the sides, and build a tunnel out of bricks stacked in pairs with a tile on the roof.
The lid needs to have thick plastic draped over and stapled or pinned on.

Line the floor with a thick layer of newspaper then add some dust free hay, then more dust free straw, hay and dead leaves and leave more available under cover outside.

[Cowgirl]

Thanks dampflippers, must admit never thought of the condensation problem in winter. I will have a go at your box & bricks .

I bought some new hedgehog food yesterday from Pets at Home, looks really nice, full of dried fruit & peanuts & stuff, looked good enough to eat myself! Opened my back door at 10:30 last night to see visitor giving it the seal of approval

[dampflippers]

If that's the Chapelwood food, mine seem to like it too.

Last week I decided I needed more hibernation spots, so using a bit of plank, 2 logs, some old tiles and a big bit of plywood I made a little house. I put some bedding in, and the next day there was a hedgehog shaped dent, so it had been used for resting.
I have added more bedding, and then there was a round hole in it.
This morning I am really pleased to announce it also has dead leaves in and a hedgehog!
I was planning to redesign it, but now I will just add more protection around it, and perhaps some plastic draped over loosely but wieghed down above the plywood to make it more weatherproof. I think I'll add a doormat too or a piece of polystyrene for insulation of the roof.

[Cowgirl]

That's great DF! I think it is chaplewood (threw the bag away). Haven't got a box yet but I have a pile of dried grass (not a really big pile tho) which has been there since August next to the feeder & have noticed a large hole and an area of smoothed out dirt underneath, but not sure if it's rats, but I can't see any rat pellets around so maybe something's resting there. Keep sneaking to the window with a torch to see if it's anything else feeding but all I see is my nightly hog who's getting v regular in his times of visiting I'm delighted to say, wonder when he's going to call it a year.

He seems average size, I'm not sure how big they have to be to survive, but he doesn't seem small if that makes sense. I don't want to alarm or disturb him, but do you think it's worth catching him & weighing to check or should I just let him be & scoff up my food? It would be reasonably easy I think, he tends to stays in the box when I open the door to let the dogs out (dogs fenced out). One night I'd forgotten to fill the container & he stayed in the box while I approached slowly & placed a pile of food just inside the door, I went back indoors & looked out about 10 mins later he was scoffing away.

[Hedgehoggy]

Hi, Cowgirl. It won't harm the hedgehog (or put him off returning to his grub) to quickly weigh him (bring scales and torch out into the garden), it will at least give you peace of mind. He'll need to weigh approx 600g to hibernate safely, but if he's 'borderline' and visiting your feeder regularly, he'll still have time to gain more weight before his deep sleep. I know lots of peeps have said their hogs are already hibernating, but I still have many good sized hogs coming to feed in my garden at the moment, although my monster-sized alpha-male hasn't put in an appearance for almost 2 weeks, so he's (hopefully) snoozing somewhere safe already.

[Cowgirl]

Thanks hedgehoggy, will have a go tonight if he appears.

[Cowgirl]

He was 645g so that's good. I looked 10mins later & he was happily chomping away !

[Hedgehoggy]

That's a good weight, and he'll continue to eat and gain until he's ready to hibernate.

Originally Posted by Cowgirl

I looked 10mins later & he was happily chomping away !

I don't think an approaching bulldozer would even put a hedgepig off his grub!

[hillmanarp14]

Last year (2009) I made a hibernation box from an old pallet. 18ins long, 10ins x 9ins. hinged lid for access by me in summer time. I put in a plastic dustbin bag to keep it dry, put it under the garden hedge,covered it with hedge cuttings and it is being used by, presumably, the hedgehog I've been feeding since March. Sadly he/she is not as friendly towards me as I'd like - but that's nature, I suppose. I have become very protective towards Henry/Henrietta. Roll on spring - maybe some babies!