Hedgehog Pulling up the Drawbridge!!
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Well my hog seems to have taken up residence in my hog house again after a bit of an abscence (I put this down to him finding a cooler spot maybe in the recent heat).
Interestingly he has pulled in some small sticks (which he must have dragged from somewhere away from the hog house as there were no sticks nearby) and arranged them almost as a barricade at the opening in an actual criss cross fashion. This isn’t the first time I have seen this use of sticks and twigs placed at the opening.
I feel this is quite a talent but I also feel this must be very deliberate and intentional maybe to protect the opening during the day whilst it is sleeping but I would really be interested to hear others thoughts and if they have seen similar ‘doors’ having been constructed at the openings of their hog houses?
OOO clever boy – or girl! My house is still empty BUT the pile of hay I put almost blocking the door as a signal to me, has almost all been pulled inside and something has been ’rounding’ it into almost a nest! I can’t monitor it as the house is out of range for my camera and is tucked well underneath a shrub so whatever it is is being very shy!
My girl (I think) is making her bed in the house I made, and put under a fatsia. It was funny to watch last nights footage as she pulled the fatsia leaves into the house. Some looked bigger than her! She went to sleep (I’m guessing) with one pulled over the doorway. Seemed like a clear “do not disturb” sign.
Hi DwarfHog and Deeb74,
Mine is definately a boy, as I have seen him bash other males, and from what you say about the fatsia leaves maybe they do like to close the door behind them?
I think our prickly firends are far more clever than we give them credit for – maybe I shouldnt go out in my garden at dusk in case they get me in a pincer movement like the veloceraptors in Jurrasic Park – clever hogs!!
I have 2 hog houses and both have had residents but never at the same time. I have peeked in and I’m amazed at how well they build their ‘nests’ with a nice carpet underneath them and then returning up the walls with the straw I put out as well using fallen leaves and the sticks of course.
As you say they make a nice round enclosure where a hedghog can rest up nice and sunggly. Also, when I cleaned out my hog house before the coming season (it was empty naurally), they had also created a depression in the earth – whether this was an intentional excavation or just occurred over a period of time through their sleeping habits I have no idea.
I’ve got a second house now occupied, and there are definitely leaves being out according the opening when they are occupied.
So one still seems to have taken up the first house, and may or may not be nesting…, but what is now interesting is three different hogs have now taken leaves into the second house, so I have no idea if there’s one in there or more.
I am now thinking I might need to get more houses for them all, if they are going want to hibernate alone.If you’ve got the space more hog houses is probably not a bad idea! They apparently often change nests in the middle of hibernation, sometimes making a completely new one. So leaving lots of materials around all winter is a good idea, too. They might welcome a spare hog house!
I have a day planned to build more houses tomorrow! Short term I bought some cheap pet igloos and they have been ‘resting’ in those (maybe when they need a break from each other).
Interestingly a friend just called about one she has bought. It has a water based wood preservative rubbed into it both inside and out. its the sort that is used on rabbit and guinea pig hutches. I know the ideal is to use nothing, but she is concerned about the one she bought and now isn’t sure whether to return it.
I can see how it can be for them, and I know the guidance is to avoid using any treatment on wood, but how bad would it be if rabbits and other animals are exposed to it? and would it stop you buying a house that had a rubbed in treatment?
I know one that I bought previously had a similar treatment and while not ideal, the hedgies are very happy in it.
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