Big surprise this morning.
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Hi, I did look at the various feeder systems (intended mainly for cats I believe) but haven’t gone in that direction yet. My intent is to put as much water out as possible as that is probably the most important thing. Will put out extra food, but no doubt that will all go in the first night or two. Only away for a few days so think everything will be ok.
Last night as usual all 7 bowls of food disappeared, which probably then accounts for the frequent visits to the water bowls.
Last nights clips: – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOM1FnggPcQ
Still a joy to watch them.Hi all – hope you don’t mind me tagging this on with your brilliant footage I’ve saved to watch later on (vids look great) but as there are people active here that can no doubt help I thought it better than creating a new post.
Nothing very urgent but long and short, the last day or two my dogs have been going nuts for something inside the outhouse at the back of our yard.
We have for years had little hogs that scuttle and mooch around the side of our property but since yesterday morning when some workmen from a drainage company rocked up and did some work pulling up drains and doing something or other, we’ve had the dogs very interested in something that’s hiding out somewhere in my very dark, very overgrown and quite frankly disgraceful yard area which to them must be like a five star holiday home.
Almost sure it’s a little hog but I’ve been outside with a torch trying to find some sign of something. Dogs know something is there one of them got her head stuck inside the handle of a bucket trying to reach in and was still wagging her tail and doing the little startled step back at the same time as my other dog. I’m confident it’s alive otherwise they wouldn’t be that fussed.
They won’t bother or badger and start trying to paw and whack it around like my old dog did so I’m sort of hoping they can help me find him.
Don’t want to start pulling stuff out because all the junk and stuff I’ve piled up out there is probably handy for hogs. Old buckets, tarp sheeting, old horse rugs and hay nets but until I know for sure it’s definitely a hog and not a stray cat or other injured animal I won’t settle,
Will I do any harm having a careful rummage and just lifting things straight up and out the way or might they be tempted by some of the dog’s food or a cooked sausage?
Soon as I see him I’ll be sure to let you know but I’m just worried in case rummaging and moving things at this time of night in the cold might do more harm than good.
Thanks in advance!
Parly
I wouldn’t check tonight. It might be easier to move things without harming a potential hog when you can see better. It might be just as well to check, especially if there are hay nets, etc. in case it’s got caught up. But I suppose it’s possible a hog has decided to hibernate there, so you’ll need to be a bit careful. if it’s hibernating it shouldn’t be disturbed. Although not sure whether you meant it was in the outhouse or in the yard. If in the yard, I think I would leave it be. (unless it can get trapped in something) It might have gone in there temporarily and move out when it gets the chance.
I wouldn’t let the dogs near to it. Dogs can cause fatal injuries to hogs if they bite them and also if the hog rolls up, it could injure the dogs mouth.
It’s unlikely a hog will be tempted out by food whilst you are there. Although it might come out for food (dog food, not sausage) but it might take quite a while – in other words when it feels like it – it could take hours. Not like a cat or dog would behave.
Sorry not easy to make suggestions when I don’t really know the layout, contents, etc. but hope that helps a bit.
If someone’s being digging holes for drains, etc. Make sure no hogs have got trapped in any holes in the ground.
Ahh thanks for the reply Nic wasn’t expecting anyone to be up and about at this time to reply so appreciate it!
Yeah it’s an unusual thing for us to have anything mooching and moving around inside the back yard / patio area and inside the old outhouse. The workmen may have done something with a small drainage hole running from our yard underneath the back wall and out again the other side. Not even sure what they’re doing to be honest it’s not United Utilities and they didn’t knock to say what they were even doing.
We’re at the bottom of a private road with sheds, allotments and pens to the side and rear of us. No traffic or street lighting so it’s always been a safe little spot. Land / grazing at the back allow a perfect spot for trotting back and forth in safety. Spent a fair while building bug hotels and a little hedgehog house up at my old paddock and stables.
Husband is an engineer and made covered tunnels with bends that allowed smaller critters to get in and out but not as easily for things like badgers and stoats.
Hogs have always generally liked to hang more where the hens and ducks are kept but still trip along outside my window quite regularly during the summer and set off the security lights. My two collies are well used to hogs and hens and all sorts pottering back and forth it was my old Springer Spaniel who used to find hogs all over the place and started pawing them about cos she couldn’t get near.
The collies don’t bother at all. Comical actually – one night my eldest dog had tripped off to go and poo in private as she does and next thing, her ears pricked in surprise, I shone the torch to reveal her shame and this little hog running along right in front of her almost as if to say “Evening… don’t mind me”
Anyway all I’ve done is very carefully lift out the buckets with hay nets and inside to make sure there’s nothing stuck or likely to get stuck inside.
The rugs, tarp sheeting and buckets I’ve left but put out fresh water, closed the back gate for tonight so nothing is disturbed until I can see better in the morning.
Thanks again!!
It’s looking very cramped in their house. I don’t think it will be long now before mum packs their bags for them!
If you are only away for a few days I am sure they will be fine. We were away for 3 weeks so I was concerned.
Hopefully they might even hibernate by then.Hi Parly, I am a relative newbie to our spiky friends having only had them a couple of years. For most of that time we just had up to six adults using the feeding station I put up. Then about a month or so ago we captured a Mom moving her 5 kids to an old igloo house. Whether she came from under the shed or an adjacent house I don’t know but clearly not very far as she had to make about four trips. A couple of weeks later an another Mom and kids moved into a second house that I put down. Since then it seems its been full on and I now have five houses occupied and two feeding stations empty each morning.
That said, in respect to any advice I defer to nic and others who are far more knowledgeable. I wish you good luck.Hi simbo65, yes its been cramped in the igloo for quite a while, although that has not stopped one of the hoglets bringing in yet more bedding on a daily basis. Mum is often seen sleeping in or near the entrance, and then having her darlings trample all over her to get into the main room.
As mentioned in other posts the house which is about 2mtrs from the one in the videos is occupied by a hoglet (I am assuming only one) and I assumed it was one of the original five, but again don’t know.Couple of short clips from the hoglet areas in the garden. The hoglet that had been unnecessarily marked appears to be slowly losing said marks, so hopefully this will continue and they won’t be re-applied by the unknown abuser. Lots of activity through the new hedgehog highway and the hoglets are now big enough to easily climb up and over to the entrance. House 1 is quiet but loved the clip with the two hoglets drinking side by side, still mates !
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQ_8Dr0xnqELovely video and what a great legacy you have that shows the progress of the hoglets from such an early age.
I am so pleased, it seems as if your mummy hogs have done a great job.
Sadly I think my mummy hog here – back in the summer – probably died. There were 5 hoglets seen by a neighbour but probably only 1 survivor-assuming he made it through at Brent Lodge.
Heartbreaking as Cyclopsina the beautiful female was the only female we saw this year so hoping an enterprising female juvenile finds it’s way to us for the spring and hopefully we get more hoglets.House 1 getting a bit full as occupants come and go through the night. No one seems in a hurry to leave home though !
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6_qLOLdOygAfter a hectic late summer/autumn with the mothers and respective late hoglets we have come back from a short break and things are much quieter. Having put sticks up at the entrances to the five houses it looks like the two main houses are now quiet and the other three there is some activity. The food stations are only being used a little and the cameras capturing those still out and about show that the hoglets are more interested in water than food. I still put out a couple of handfuls of Calci worms which seem to go but I know that the birds also have a go at these.
On the subject of Calci worms I have been engaged in a number of emails to my supplier (Ivel Valley) to ascertain the composition of their product. They in turn have been onto their supplier and last week I finally got a response, which is:
“Protein 35.8%, Ash 10.6%, Fat 36.9%, Fibre 5.3%, Calcium 3.15%, Phosphorus 0.5%”.
So from the Phosphorus/Calcium perspective they look fine.
Of course being an ex Quality Manager my instinct is to question whether these figures are the truth or fabricated for my benefit, but I obviously don’t have the means to verify one way or another.I am intrigued as to who is in the igloo house (1) which was home to Mum and 5 hoglets and the subject of most of the posted videos. A couple of weeks ago there was still mum and at least two of the hoglets using that house, so who has moved out I have no idea. I will keep the Trail cameras on over the winter just to check for any activity. With the weather we have been having I almost envy our hedgehog friends as I feel I would like to hibernate and wake up to the Spring sunshine.
Like everyone else, its pretty quiet around the garden at this time. That said we have 2-3 hogs which obviously enjoy still being out and about and having a bit of lunch. Feeding station
Loving the motion pictures. What digital camera do you use? We have three but none as clear as that. They are likely decrease stop however I stand up inside the morning, make espresso and trawl thru the photos. Loads of mice nowadays. Bit thin at the ground with hogs here but will preserve going inside the hope that in a few small way it’s supporting them.
Hi belaiui999, nothing special about the camera. I also have three and while two of them are quite good the third (and most expensive) is very poor at night shots. All three were in the £50-£80 range so not that expensive. I think the main problem is that you need a very wide angle lens when getting in close to hedgehog size animals so that the depth of field gives focus to a wide area. These cameras are really for capturing larger animals at a longer distance which they probably do very well, but some are not so good when the camera is only a couple of feet away.
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