Hi Olimonster
Your instinct is right. It is definitely not good for a hedgehog to take up residence in a human home. It seems unlikely that she will have hibernated yet, so she must be coming out for food and water. Are you absolutely certain she is in there? Has she taken any nesting material in etc.? Having first checked that she is not giving/has not given birth there, if it was me, I would try to temporarily place a hedgehog house near to the entrance to your home and when she is out and about, move her to the hog house, so that she knows where she is. You can then move the hog house to a more suitable location later when she has vacated it.
With regard to the ‘family’, hedgehogs do not live in families as we may perceive them. The Mother is solely responsible for rearing the youngsters and the ‘Father’ is unlikely to even recognise his offspring. One litter can have more than one ‘Father’. It seems likely that the adult hogs have just all gone into the house by chance.
Whilst it may be charming to have the hedgehogs trundling around your home, it is really better from them if they can be trundling around out of doors, foraging for food. There is also the possibility in someone’s home that they may pick up and eat something which is totally unsuitable for them. Also, it is not good for hedgehogs to become too habituated to humans. Not all humans love hedgehogs and it might make them become less wary of other predators – for we, whether we like it or not, are predators. So my feeling is that, next year, it would be a good idea to deter the hedgehogs from going into your home. I am sure you will be able to enjoy their visits just as much if not more, in a more natural environment for them.
Good luck. I hope you manage to solve the problem of the hog in your kitchen.
