Hedgehog in my garden

[Dottydo]

For the past week a Hedgehog comes into my garden daily at about ten at night. He eats the bird food, made up of grains and peanuts. My garden is urban and very overgrown . I was having a wall built in my garden which is half finished, the builders will come at the end of Summer. I am wondering if it is nesting in my garden and I wonder if it is a mother with little ones. I dare not go rummaging round incase I disturb her.

[Jan-Marie]

Hi Dottydo, glad to hear you have a hedgehog friendly garden and are attracting hogs. I dont know if you are putting any water out currently – but please do in a shallow dish and top up regularly. In this hot weather its more important than food even.

[Sammy9]

At the last count last night i have 3 hogs all sleeping in different. Boxs. So happy was watching them on camrea last night

[Nic]

Hi Dottydo

It’s lovely to hear you have a hog visiting there. Hogs often do clear up under bird feeders, but it isn’t ideal food for them. They would probably welcome either some hedgehog food, cat/dog food or cat/kitten biscuits, especially in this weather when earthworms, in particular are hard to find. One of the dry or semi-moist hedgehog foods might be best to try as the hogs have been eating bird food, as it is nearer in consistency to that. As Jan Marie says, water is very important for the hogs and best left available 24 hours a day. If you put large plant saucers on the ground that is ideal and the birds will probably make good use of the water too!

You mention that you’re having a wall built and it would be helpful for the hogs if you were able to leave hog sized holes (rougly CD sized) here and there. Even if it is an internal garden wall it will help them get around more easily, but if external even more important. If the builders have to do any clearing of vegetation before they begin, please make sure the area is checked very carefully for hogs before any tools are used. Many garden tools are capable of injuring hogs but mechanical ones especially so, and can and do injure and kill hogs, so it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Meanwhile, enjoy watching the hog and fingers crossed it is a female and she turns up with some hoglets!

[Nic]

Hi Sammy9

You are lucky having three boxes being used! Do you have cameras inside the boxes?

I got a surprise this morning when I went to take the bowl out of the hog feed box to find a very large hog asleep in there. As he is sprawled out a bit, he only just fits in between the partitions! Because it is normally used for feeding, there is no bedding in there at all, but he doesn’t seem to mind! I just hope the box doesn’t get too hot for him later on, as being a feed box, it isn’t under vegetation.

I hope you continue to enjoy watching the hogs.

[Jan-Marie]

eaten himself to a standstill then! Last out means first in for him as well I guess, if he copes with the stifling heat today as you say – bless him!

[nancaz2325]

Lovely to read the posts ,not used the forum before , we had a hog over a month ago, put dog food out each night but not touched it. was told to put seeds and meal worms ,they love that and fresh water, now seen two at same time on camera.

[Nic]

Hi nancaz2325

Welcome to the Forum! It’s good to hear you have hogs in the garden.

I’m afraid you have been, sadly, misinformed about feeding seeds and mealworms to the hogs. Neither are good nutritionally and mealworms particularly can be bad for them and should only be given in very small amounts very occasionally (if at all). (think of them like children with crisps or sweets). The hogs love mealworms but can become addicted to them and not want to eat anything else, so it would be best if you try to wean them off them gradually. They are particularly bad for hoglets who could be around any time now. They have an inbalance of phosphorous and calcium which means that calcium is leached from the bones which can lead to deformities.

The best things to feed hogs are hedgehog food, of which there are lots of varieties, dog/cat food or cat/kitten biscuits and nothing else. You have been putting out fresh water which is brilliant as that is essential to them, especially in this hot weather.

I would suggest you get one of the foods, such as I Love Hedgehogs (there are similar ones available – check online) which has a few sunflower hearts in it and calciworms. It is probably slightly similar to what you have been feeding and I have heard of other people who have weaned hogs off mealworms very easily using it. Crucially, it has other ingredients as well which means that the hogs get a more balanced diet.

I am sorry to have to tell you all this when, you are new to the forum, but you had no way of knowing, so please don’t feel bad about it. I am sure you will find one of the foods I mentioned, that they will eat and will be healthier as a result.

I hope the hogs continue to visit and I wish you the very best of luck and happy hog watching. Let us know how you get on.

[Nic]

Hi Jan Marie

Not sure, but he may be the male who left with a female without having anything to eat. There then followed the usual lengthy circling! He may have come back late for food and decided he didn’t have the energy to move elsewhere. I put a plastic table over the box to shade it, but, even so it must have been quite hot in there. I hope he’s ok. At least there is water right outside the door.

[Dottydo]

Thank you. I have put water out and he does not drink it. I may change it to another type of dish. Yesterday he was making hogging noises rummaging in my garden for a long time, looking for insects etc. Although I am a vegan , I may force myself to buy some cat biscuits for him.

[Dottydo]

Thank you , I also wondered where he gets water from , considering it is so hot. Because my garden is over grown, there must be dishes lying somewhere with water, because I leave water near the bird food but he does not drink it

[Dottydo]

Thank you for your advice, I will leave a gap in the wall so he can go into neighbouring gardens

[Author]

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