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Hedghogs
Alan4711
Posts: 1,657
Hi,can anyone tell me when it would be safe to lift the top off my hog hotel to see if I can clean it out and re-Hay it, we have hogs in the garden every night feeding but not sure if they are still signing in each night, plenty of calling cards over the garden But !! when will any young be off into the world, I dont seem to be able to get any advise from anyone who also have this to do, Any help is good ,many thanks Alan
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But now I would give them another month, that way if you do have some in and disturb them the little ones would be big enough to be moved by the mother without harm.
You would not normally need to clean out the box unless you suspect there is a problem. If you mean that the hogs are hibernating in the box every year then you could clean out and replace in time for the coming hibernation period.
If in any doubt, contact your local Wildlife Society/Hedgehog Preservation or check out the Hedgehog thread on this forum
The only safe time to clean and refurbish is if you know for sure there is no hog in residence. I used to put a twig or pebble in the hog house entrance - something that a hog might move when it went in or out. It’s not an entirely reliable method though as hogs can be pretty nimble in stepping over things. And, of course, the wind or other night animal can move things. I also used a trail camera but they’re not totally reliable either.