Hi henryherbert
Yes, you’re right. If you want to use the house as a nest, then you shouldn’t put the food in there – apart from anything else, as you say, it encourages other hogs to go in there.
It is normal for hedgehogs to have a certain amount of parasites – fleas and ticks – and they do scratch a lot. If you see that the hog has a heavy burden of ticks, then you might want to contact a local hedgehog carer – you can find your local one from the BHPS. They will be able to advise you as to whether any action is required. It depends a bit on how many in relation to size of hog, etc. You shouldn’t use any insecticide on hogs, so it would be a matter of safely removing any ticks.
It can help to make sure that the hog house is properly cleared of ticks, etc. by, when you clean it out, using boiling water to kill any eggs which may have got into the cracks. You should only clean out a hog house if it isn’t being used. Recommended times are normally in the Spring after hibernation and Autumn before hibernation, but if you’re sure it’s empty and you have a tick problem you could do it at other times.
Good luck.
