Hedgehog house.

[berty]

A wooden hedgehog house I built late last summer never got used in the winter, but no matter what, this morning I put inside some nice old flannelette sheeting and place the house in a dense area where I hope it will attract someone who might be expecting or just fancy a warm bed for a while. I’m carefully watching with eager anticipation.

[Jan-Marie]

Hi Berty,

They are fussy about their houses – we have moved ours around the garden over the years in attempts to improve take up. some are more popular than others I have to say – but with no obvious conclusions as to why.
Couple of suggestions to help improve your chances are:
Ensure the hog house is predator proof – either with a maze effect entrance or tunnel. These also keep the drafts out which hogs dont like. also make sure it has a waterproof roof and leave the wood unprotected (wood protection can be poisonous and they will anoint themselves having licked it)
Good all weather coverage in shrubbery etc – away from direct sunlight, lighting and garden paths – which you seem to have considered already
Don’t place them too close to other hog houses if you have more than one
Position the entrance away from wind direction – so generally facing South if you can
Resist the temptation to keep peeking in any houses – they dont like interference – and they can smell us very readily and dont like how we smell to them.
position the house close to a route they can use for foraging readily – near the holes in your garden fences etc – so they have a choice of where they can wander to.

good luck – hope it works for you this time!

[berty]

Thank you Jan-Marie. I’ve done most of what you said, apart from making the entrance a maze which I will do in the morning without disturbing the house, providing I can get through the dense foliage without scratching my self again. I don’t want to move the house if possible, just in case someone has moved in.
Many thanks.

[Author]

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