My son got instructions from the internet and made me a hedgehog house for Christmas We have put it where we know a hedgehog hibernated last year - do you think we have done the right thing,please?Do hedgehogs actually use them?
Hey Hollie, thank you, i think my next project must be an automated feeder as i keep forgetting to feed ours maybe one for me for over the summer!
We have a field mouse coming in regularly, the other day i had almost 2 hours of footage at bout 3am, the field mouse would come in, look around, go to the food bowl and then run out, then a minute later do it all again, and this repeated for the whole duration. I couldnt work out why he was doing this until i went to replace the food. I took the lid off and found that above the "anti cat shelf" that i had installed, the mouse had be climbing up and storing his own stash of food, where he knew the hedgeghog wouldnt be able to fit and get it. The sneaky mouse had been stealing all hedgy's food, very crafty!!!
Lily, when I initially put or hog house "live" it took about a month for the first visitor to arrive. I used cat food, fresh water and put lots of twigs and leaves in it to make it more "authentic", I also put some food in and around the entrance to the house to attract a hog!
Thanks for the info on releasing my hedge but my next question is we fouind him 20 mins away from home and this is where I would like to release him back to, but I wont be able to leave out food? And should I wait till this awlful rain has passed as the ground is saturated up here (Glenlivet Scotland)
Hi Lisa, how much does it weigh? I've checked on the British Hedgehog Preservation website, and it says the minimum weight a hedgehog should be prior to hibernation is 450g (1lb), but that many carers like to get theirs up to a weight of 600g (1lb 6oz) before releasing them. So it follows that if they can survive a winter of hibernation at this weight, they can survive a wet spring, where there will be plenty of food for them. It's mating season for them now so, if it is a good weight, I would release it.
Thanks fo rthat kate we are releasing him tomorrow night once the snow turns to rain he is well over 600g so he has the best chance he can, a hearty meal tonight and before he goes tomorrow should at least give him a very fall stomach.
I love the hedgehogs and enjoy seeing them in the garden, the unfortunate thing is that they are one of the favourite foods of badgers. So if you have a badger sett nearby, you may well notice less hedgehogs in your garden. Badgers are also responsible for digging up Bumble bee nests and destroying them.
Can somebody confirm that I am OK to use slug pellots made out of Ferris Phosphate in my garden which is frequented by hedgehogs? I've been trying to use egg shells and keen eyesight to protect my hostas, however, I'm not winning. I've found Natria Slug and Snail Control made by Bayer and it says its ideal for use when growing fruit and veg, so if its safe enough for us.....?
Posts
As far as I know you should release him now - late frosts don't matter, they can cope with them.
Hi Lisa - great work! I would release him now but keep leaving food and water out at night for him in case he wants it.
Kate
My son got instructions from the internet and made me a hedgehog house for Christmas
We have put it where we know a hedgehog hibernated last year - do you think we have done the right thing,please?Do hedgehogs actually use them?
Pam x
Hey Hollie, thank you, i think my next project must be an automated feeder as i keep forgetting to feed ours maybe one for me for over the summer!
We have a field mouse coming in regularly, the other day i had almost 2 hours of footage at bout 3am, the field mouse would come in, look around, go to the food bowl and then run out, then a minute later do it all again, and this repeated for the whole duration. I couldnt work out why he was doing this until i went to replace the food. I took the lid off and found that above the "anti cat shelf" that i had installed, the mouse had be climbing up and storing his own stash of food, where he knew the hedgeghog wouldnt be able to fit and get it. The sneaky mouse had been stealing all hedgy's food, very crafty!!!
Lily, when I initially put or hog house "live" it took about a month for the first visitor to arrive. I used cat food, fresh water and put lots of twigs and leaves in it to make it more "authentic", I also put some food in and around the entrance to the house to attract a hog!
Thanks for the info on releasing my hedge but my next question is we fouind him 20 mins away from home and this is where I would like to release him back to, but I wont be able to leave out food? And should I wait till this awlful rain has passed as the ground is saturated up here (Glenlivet Scotland)
Hi Lisa, how much does it weigh? I've checked on the British Hedgehog Preservation website, and it says the minimum weight a hedgehog should be prior to hibernation is 450g (1lb), but that many carers like to get theirs up to a weight of 600g (1lb 6oz) before releasing them. So it follows that if they can survive a winter of hibernation at this weight, they can survive a wet spring, where there will be plenty of food for them. It's mating season for them now so, if it is a good weight, I would release it.
Kate
Thanks fo rthat kate we are releasing him tomorrow night once the snow turns to rain he is well over 600g so he has the best chance he can, a hearty meal tonight and before he goes tomorrow should at least give him a very fall stomach.
I love the hedgehogs and enjoy seeing them in the garden, the unfortunate thing is that they are one of the favourite foods of badgers. So if you have a badger sett nearby, you may well notice less hedgehogs in your garden. Badgers are also responsible for digging up Bumble bee nests and destroying them.
Can somebody confirm that I am OK to use slug pellots made out of Ferris Phosphate in my garden which is frequented by hedgehogs? I've been trying to use egg shells and keen eyesight to protect my hostas, however, I'm not winning. I've found Natria Slug and Snail Control made by Bayer and it says its ideal for use when growing fruit and veg, so if its safe enough for us.....?