Nesting time
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Haven’t seen a hedgehog in our garden for a couple of years till today! Great excitement as mum is obviously building a nest behind our vegetable patch and running frantically all over the garden to get materials. She’s been at it for over 2 hours.
Best is close to shed door and worried we may disturb when using shed which we do almost daily. Any advice appreciated.
Hi Chippyd
Well I’m no expert, but I’ve been feeding two hedgehogs for the last few months. I had assumed the hogs were visiting from the field behind the house. But have recently discovered I have one living under the shed. I’m pretty sure it’s been there a while and I have noticed over the last couple of days, that the straw bedding I put into the purchased hog house is being moved.
This morning there was a trail of straw leading to the shed. I’m inclined to think I also have a nest builder.
As far as noise levels are concerned, as I was unaware the hog was in such close proximity I have been very noisy and I’m in and out of the shed most days. Doesn’t seem to have deterred the hog though! Although yesterday and last week I heard a bit of hedgehog coughing, so I am trying to work a little quieter around the shed and respect the need for sleep!
The chance of baby hogs is so very exciting! I wish you lots of luck with your little visitors !
Best wishesHi Chippyd
You are so lucky a mother hedgehog is making her nest in your garden! One thing for sure is that you can’t interrupt her in any way. I would just be very careful that you don’t make too much noise going in and out of the shed. Maybe you could put some sort of padding, so that the door doesn’t bang too loudly. If it was me, I would be inclined to put a notice on the door reminding everyone to be quiet – so easy to forget, if you are in a hurry!
Make sure you stay away from the actual nest, don’t be tempted to have a peak – mother hogs can desert their young if disturbed, especially when they’re very tiny.
Good luck. Fingers crossed that you will see a little procession of hoglets in a few weeks time (3 – 4 weeks before the young ones venture out with Mum).
Thanks for all your advice. After obvious activity ceased around midday on Saturday, we went quietly to investigate further and it’s clear she’s nesting under the shed.
When we moved here 8 years ago we thought we had a hedgehog under the shed then as we saw one in the garden and a possible entry point under the shed. So now we’re wondering whether its the same hog.
So we’ll keep watching and see what happens.
Thanks again
Hi Chippyd
Maybe a bit of thick carpet in the shed – if she is nesting underneath it!
It’s unlikely, but just possible that it’s the same hog. Extract from Hedgehogs by Pat Morris:
” … Once a hedgehog has left it’s mother’s nest, it’s average life expectancy is about two years. Four hedgehogs in a thousand might reach 7 years old, and one in 10,000 could live to be 10. … ”The really dangerous time for hogs is when they are tiny when apparently 1 in 5 are likely to die before becoming independant and only about half survive until they are a year old. So you can see how really precious each hedgehog is.
Remember to leave some water out in your garden 24 hours a day in case hog mum gets thirsty during the day. Always a good precaution, even if you don’t have a nesting hog. Dehydrated hogs may venture out during the day, and a source of water could be a life-saver.
Good luck – keep us posted.
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