If you clear the patio, I know you want to , it might be a bit open for the babies to venture out. Big hogs don't mind being out , but the little ones may be a bit shy @NannaBoo.😁
Good point purperallim but where they are is on the far side of the garden. I could move the items that are to go into the shed and GH and put something that won't reflect there instead. After last night I now know why all the food goes every night. The other babies were much bigger so I'm wondering if this is a second family and they could be in the hog house I built. I only built it a few months ago so I don't think it could be. I don't care how many live in our garden the more there merrier but do wish they wouldn't go where we need to do thing to. This is where one family are. We found them when we removed the last slab so I quickly covered them with the wood but I have a tree that is going in there and need to get on with it. We don't want to do anything there till the family move on.
The young hogs will go and find there own territory, but I'm unsure if it will be this year or after hibernating . If you really need the space for the tree, which you do, maybe as the ones under the wood are big enough to eat solid food now you could move the family into the hog house now, which if they don't like, will give them time to find another nest site in good weather and get settled before winter. As long as you put the tree in at the same time so they don't return there. Hogs do get disturbed all the time, so they must move dens sometimes.
Thanks purperallim, hadn't thought about it like that, Do you mean pick them up and put them in the Hoh box? The tree will go in as soon as they have moved as I'm worried the tree might not survive in the tub over winter, also it will need some time to get it's roots down.
I'll leave it till son is home at the weekend and do it then our gloves are so filthy from the garden if we have to pick them up there won't be any risk of our smell on them. I'll take a look and see if anyone is in either of the Hog houses before we try to move them if there is I'll have to make another hew house for them.
@NannaBoo, if you can, l would contact your local rescue or the BHPS just to see what they recommend. If the babies are still quite small, moving them might freak the mum out and she could abandon them. I can appreciate your frustration but it may be worth waiting a few more weeks if you can to make sure. Sorry, but l'm a bit paranoid where hedgehogs are concerned
I know where you coming from AnniD, I couldn't stop watching them last night. I saw one running down the road the other night and a cat seemed to be guarding it as it to was running but wasn't trying to interfere with it. At the weekend I'll ask son to help me and we'll have a quick look and see if their still there if not they have moved on and we can get on. I don't want to make another Hog house if they have possibly move into one of the others. In the meantime I'll phone the BHPS for advice. I have so many little houses for the Hogs and birds I'm surprised they are any of them left for other people to have them in there garden. I love wild life apart from rats. Went over to Woburn the other month and you should have hear the noise the Deer were in rut, they are different from the Muntjac deer we have up the road, have seen Badgers and foxes there as well.
What kind of tree is it @NannaBoo , that may make a difference. And what if the hogs decide to hibernate there @AnniD and @Logan4 how is @NannaBoo to get her tree in? Much as I love my hogs there are practicalities to consider.
@purplerallim, l agree there are practicalities to consider l just suggested to NannaBoo that it may be better if she could wait a while longer, although l appreciated her frustration at having to wait. This is a problem that can arise when it comes to sharing the garden with hedgehogs, we want what is best for them, but at the end of the day it is entirely @NannaBoo 's decision to make. The fact is that the babies will be making their own way in the world eventually, and although they may stay within the garden (depending on how big it is) , they won't all stay together, so it would be better to move one hedgehog from where the tree is going to go, than stress out the mother at this time.
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I'll leave it till son is home at the weekend and do it then our gloves are so filthy from the garden if we have to pick them up there won't be any risk of our smell on them. I'll take a look and see if anyone is in either of the Hog houses before we try to move them if there is I'll have to make another hew house for them.
And what if the hogs decide to hibernate there @AnniD and @Logan4 how is @NannaBoo to get her tree in?
Much as I love my hogs there are practicalities to consider.
This is a problem that can arise when it comes to sharing the garden with hedgehogs, we want what is best for them, but at the end of the day it is entirely @NannaBoo 's decision to make.
The fact is that the babies will be making their own way in the world eventually, and although they may stay within the garden (depending on how big it is) , they won't all stay together, so it would be better to move one hedgehog from where the tree is going to go, than stress out the mother at this time.