Hedgehog watching – new to site
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Just wanted to introduce myself – new to the site having recently been bitten by the bug.
Having seen a first glimpse of a hedgehog in the garden at dusk, our hedgehog obsession has quickly escalated over the past month or so. Have had some great successes with a combination of wildlife camera (Crenova), Spike’s dry hedgehog food and a hedgehog house from Riverside Woodcraft.
Getting some good footage every night, and have a visitor in the hedgehog house most (but not all) nights. In fact, as we’ve become more familiar with the hedgehogs, we are confident that at least 3 are visiting – although have never seen more than 2 at a time.
Only real problem is foxes – when leaving food bowls out, a fox repeatedly stole the bowl (!), so now I just lightly sprinkle the food around the garden. Also got some really good/scary footage of a fox attacking a hedgehog (right in front of the camera) – luckily his/her ball-rolling reflexes saved the day.
Happy to share footage – I guess that is done in the gallery/video section of the site rather than the forum?
Nice to meet you all.
Hi Reuser
Welcome to the forum. It sounds as if you are all set up already. Good to hear you have regular visitors.
There are some ideas of making cat/fox proof feeding boxes on this link
https://www.hedgehogstreet.org/help-hedgehogs/feed-hedgehogs/
Also lots of other suggestions both on the main Hedgehog Street and the Forum.Re. sharing footage. If it is already somewhere else on the internet, you can just put a link here on the Forum. Otherwise you can put photos on the gallery
https://www.hedgehogstreet.org/gallery/
or send video to Hedgehog Street YouTube
https://www.hedgehogstreet.org/have-you-been-filming-your-hedgehogs/Good luck and happy hog watching!
Hi I am new to this too, having spotted a hedgehog walking up my garden path 6 evenings ago for first time so excited , it returned for 3 evenings running noticed it comes from the house on the right through a hole in my gate,but last couple of evenings has not come through although seen it next door – hope it will continue to visit I have started building a home in the hope that it will return.
Hi Reuser,
It sounds like you’re doing all the right things for your hogs. My local spiny mob have 2 Riverside Woodcraft houses in my garden which have both been used every winter for the last 4. They are superbly built houses, the hogs take to them very quickly and have always survived in them. I’ve also had two lots of hoglets born in them!
Mine also dine on Spikes Dry which they attack with considerable gusto but obviously, being radicalised hedgehogs, they throw it around a lot just for devilment and to give me something to do.
Please don’t forget to give them dishes of water too. They drink a LOT (which may explain their unruly behaviour).
Hi my name is Hannah and I am 24 years old. I am new too we are very fortunate to have a large garden. We left food out for them and we caught lovely footage at 12am munching away! Lovely to meet you all! And I hope he returns!
Lots of Love Hannah x
Hi MazEmaz
Welcome to the Forum. Pleased to hear that you have had a hedgehog there and I hope it’s been continuing to visit. Brilliant that you are buildidng a home. Don’t be too disappointed if a hog doesn’t move in straight away – some hogs won’t use the boxes until they become part of the landscape. But you might be lucky and have a tenant quickly.
Don’t forget to leave water out for the hedgehogs, preferably 24 hours a day. I use wide but shallow plant saucers, so that they aren’t so deep that a hoglet can’t get out.
Good luck.
Hi Hannah
Welcome to the Forum. Lucky you to have footage of the hedgehogs already! They really are such endearing little things. It’s good that you have a large garden – hogs need lots of space. Hopefully there is room there to have some wildlife friendly areas. Some ideas here:
https://www.hedgehogstreet.org/help-hedgehogs/helpful-garden-features/
and don’t forget to link your garden with others to give the hogs easy access to even more foraging opportunities.
https://www.hedgehogstreet.org/help-hedgehogs/link-your-garden/If you don’t have a pond, don’t forget to leave water out for the hogs, too.
Happy hog watching.
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