Two hoglets
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Hi,
I’ve got two little hoglets living in a house that I made in my back garden. Until I saw them last night I thought there was only one in there !Im wondering if once they grow bigger will one of them be ejected from the house , it seems unlikely that two adult hedgehogs will live or hibernate in the same space ?
I’ve also got a hedgehog house from ark wildlife in the opposite side of the garden and I think there is an adult hog in there , maybe it’s mum ?Thanks for any advice .
Hi Gr8mums
That’s so exciting to have two hoglets!
Sadly it’s quite possible that both will move out, but nothing is certain with hedgehogs. Mum may well move for hibernation as well. They normally make a new, more elaborate nest for hibernation and if you think of it, it makes sense for them to build it somewhere else to minimise parasites such as ticks and fleas.
If any of them vacate before the autumn, you may find you get a chance to clear out the boxes and then it’s possible they may be used again. Before you attempt to do that, you need to make sure that no-one is in residence. But then clear out any bedding and wash out with boiling water to kill any parasite eggs which may have got into the cracks. (Don’t use insecticide as it may upset the hogs.) It is really important though, that you don’t disturb a nursing female as she may desert the young. Hogs can go on breeding for as long as the males are still around – they tend to go off for hibernation a bit earlier than the females.
Once you have done that you could put a small amount of new bedding in, but many hogs like to choose their own, so some piles of suitable material nearby is a good idea. A young hoglet here last year used leaves and long ornamental grasses which he wove all together. Amazing how they know what to do!
Good luck.
Thank you 😊
Tonight as it got dark I saw one of the little ones come out and go straight for the food I had left out . About half an hour later a larger hedgehog seemed to appear out of nowhere and soon found its way to the food and water too . The big one certainly moves quickly . A real delight to see them !
As you say they will all probably move on before winter sets in , so I’ll jusy keep watching and see what happens next …Oh I meant to ask too , I know it’s not a good thing for a hedgehog to be out during the day but one of the little ones appeared in the middle of the day . It basically just walked across from one house to the other , keeping close to the fence and using the cover of the bushes where it could ! He seemed to spend the rest of the day in that house before appearing again at dusk for a feed .
I’m presuming although a bit unusual for it to be awake it’s not a sign of illness or anything untoward?Young hoglets do sometimes appear at strange times and a walk from one house to another can happen at any age. I’ve seen adults move house in my garden during the day then reappear at their usual time to go out for the night. It could be anything that disturbs them and persuades them to move.
With two hoglets living in the same house it’s more than likely that one of them decided he’d rather be on his own and legged it elsewhere. They certainly won’t stay together forever since hedgehogs really are loners except when ‘making babies’.
Hi Gr8mums
I wouldn’t be too worried by what you describe either. It is more if they are right in the open and particularly if they look as if they are sunbathing or have any flies around them that would be worrying.
They can move surprisingly quickly when they feel like it and actually have much longer leg than at first appears! You are so lucky having the little ones to watch. I have just caught a glimpse of hoglets a couple of times on video, but so far they haven’t hung around.
It’s always a bit sad then they all disappear for hibernation, but all we can do is wait and hope that, at least some of them, will be back the next year and then the fun begins all over again!
That’s good to know, thanks.
They seem to be doing well, watched them last night coming out of their house. One came out and started to eat the food , but it was half in and half out so the other one couldn’t get passed . So the second one climbed over the first one, and then half rolled half fell out into the food bowl that was just at the entrance to the box ! They are very sweet and amusing to watch ☺️
Hi Gr8mums
So glad you are enjoying the hogs antics. They can be really entertaining, especially the youngsters. I’ve had them rolled up in the water bowl before now – the result of an altercation! Very embarrassing place for a hog to find itself! I hope they continue to give you hours of entertainment.
The larger Hedgehog has reappeared again, the one I thought was Mum .
Usually I see the two hoglets , who are growing very quickly and seem to regularly nap in the boxes but last night I only saw one of the little ones.
The hogs never seem to be bothered by the presence of each other and they follow each other around a bit.
I don’t have a camera set up, I just sit and watch at dusk for a while till it gets too dark to see, so the other one might still be around .
Plenty of droppings in the garden and all the food is eaten too , I wonder if they tell their pals where to get good food from !HI Gr8mums
That is so good to hear. The hoglets do seem to grow incredibly fast. I have always observed too, that when they are hoglets they seem to like each other’s company. They even appear to prefer to share a food bowl with another hog (either hoglet or adult). Watching in real time is really the best way. You can see what they’re doing much more easily, without them going just out of frame.
Like many wild animals, hedgehogs have very good sense of smell and are inquisitive. I think that they can smell that other hogs have gone that way so they go to find out why and find the food. Perhaps their own way of communicating. Because they are solitary animals, they probably wouldn’t meet other hogs that often in the normal course of events. We are, in effect, influencing their behaviour by feeding them and ‘encouraging’ more hogs to congregate.
I hope ‘Mum’ and hoglets continue to do well and that the little ones don’t get into too much mischief!
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