don't have a hedgehog house, but have just had to rehome a couple of toads who were hibernating under the bonfire pile - quite hard to see them as they bury themselves in the soft earth, and OH was too squeamish to pick them up. I'm not sure if they were grateful at the time, but I felt happy that we had not roasted them.
Ive had a hogitat bought for me as a christmas gift but dont know really when to install it Ive never seen hedgehogs in my garden but love to encourage them. When would be the best time, I was thinking maybe about October in time for hibernation or is that wrong. Any help please!!
Hibernating hedgehogs sometimes leave one place in mild spells and find another - I'd install it asap, in a dry sheltered spot, providing some dry leaves and dry hay cut into shortish lengths (6" - 8") .
Mind you, I've known a hedgehog set up home in an old fertiliser bag full of old rags under a workbench in a carpenter's workshop
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I'm with Dove on this one - under the hedge and half buried in dead leaves, though the birds might come poking about for grubs too! Well away from a bonfire area or anywhere that it will be disturbed for whatever reason.
I suppose the proof of they're being around is the lack of slugs.....that said the birds are having a whale of the time with snails in my garden right now...
Thank you Dove and gardening granny. I would have thought leaving it until next autumn would have been the best time ready for next hibernation but if you think now - so be it. I'll go out tomorrow. ?
hedgehogs don't just use hog houses etc in the winter - many use them to curl up and snore the days away through summer and autumn, not to mention the need for nurseries when the youngsters come along
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I created an area for non-compost-able garden waste in my garden under a hedge and it wasn't long before the hogs moved in. The area is near my pond, so something of a hoggy heaven. They like to stay dry, so I put some cardboard on the top over the winter. I do have a shop bought hoghouse, but it remains unoccupied unfortunately.
I moved to this house and had a wood burner put in. First job was to get a load of wood delivered. before the winter came the hedgehogs moved into the wood pile - needless to say the same pile is still there, I just add to it.
Jo, anytime is great - the sooner the better, as has been said the hibernation sites are very often different from the Spring/Summer nests. There's also a chance of them coming out of hibernation early and looking for somewhere to move if late Winter is particularly mild. I put wood branches on top of mind to help hold it down from nosey foxes etc, incase of a mother birthing young. I added leaves and hay too. Hopefully yours is waterproof as well, some on the market aren't but claim to be so need to be lined. Under a canopy or behind hedges from wind and wet protection is brill.
There's a 'Help Save the Hedgehogs' thread I made here that will be resurrected in early Spring with advice for feeding and encouraging hogs if you are interested
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don't have a hedgehog house, but have just had to rehome a couple of toads who were hibernating under the bonfire pile - quite hard to see them as they bury themselves in the soft earth, and OH was too squeamish to pick them up. I'm not sure if they were grateful at the time, but I felt happy that we had not roasted them.
Ive had a hogitat bought for me as a christmas gift but dont know really when to install it Ive never seen hedgehogs in my garden but love to encourage them. When would be the best time, I was thinking maybe about October in time for hibernation or is that wrong. Any help please!!
Hibernating hedgehogs sometimes leave one place in mild spells and find another - I'd install it asap, in a dry sheltered spot, providing some dry leaves and dry hay cut into shortish lengths (6" - 8") .
Mind you, I've known a hedgehog set up home in an old fertiliser bag full of old rags under a workbench in a carpenter's workshop
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I'm with Dove on this one - under the hedge and half buried in dead leaves, though the birds might come poking about for grubs too! Well away from a bonfire area or anywhere that it will be disturbed for whatever reason.
I suppose the proof of they're being around is the lack of slugs.....that said the birds are having a whale of the time with snails in my garden right now...
Thank you Dove and gardening granny. I would have thought leaving it until next autumn would have been the best time ready for next hibernation but if you think now - so be it. I'll go out tomorrow. ?
hedgehogs don't just use hog houses etc in the winter - many use them to curl up and snore the days away through summer and autumn, not to mention the need for nurseries when the youngsters come along
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I created an area for non-compost-able garden waste in my garden under a hedge and it wasn't long before the hogs moved in. The area is near my pond, so something of a hoggy heaven. They like to stay dry, so I put some cardboard on the top over the winter. I do have a shop bought hoghouse, but it remains unoccupied unfortunately.
I moved to this house and had a wood burner put in. First job was to get a load of wood delivered. before the winter came the hedgehogs moved into the wood pile - needless to say the same pile is still there, I just add to it.
Jo, anytime is great - the sooner the better, as has been said the hibernation sites are very often different from the Spring/Summer nests. There's also a chance of them coming out of hibernation early and looking for somewhere to move if late Winter is particularly mild. I put wood branches on top of mind to help hold it down from nosey foxes etc, incase of a mother birthing young. I added leaves and hay too. Hopefully yours is waterproof as well, some on the market aren't but claim to be so need to be lined. Under a canopy or behind hedges from wind and wet protection is brill.
There's a 'Help Save the Hedgehogs' thread I made here that will be resurrected in early Spring with advice for feeding and encouraging hogs if you are interested
Last edited: 07 February 2017 12:56:57