rescued 2 hedgehogs within the week

[Hedgie Lover]

I think I’ll get some newspaper, and put dog meat on it and place in tunnel, rather than put it in a bowl, then I don’t have to disturb the nest – and it won’t block the entrance, then I can just leave it in the hope she’ll go in the tunnel, eat the dog food and realise there is a vacant nest there. When I release her, I’ll place her outside of the home. what do you think?

[Nic]

Hi Hedgie Lover

Glad to hear that sweetpea can come home soon. Other people might have different ideas, but when I have released hogs back into the garden, they have come home in cardboard boxes with torn up strips of newspaper, which they’ve stayed in (usually in the garden) until it’s nearly time i.e. dark and then I make a hog hole in the box and just leave it there for the hog to come out when it chooses. Sometimes I have sat for hours waiting for the hogs to come out. But they have not eaten the food which I left nearby outside their cardboard boxes, but scarpered off somewhere. They usually return the next night.

The exception was the poor hog who was strimmed and she came home in that very hot weather in the Summer, so she stayed in the kitchen where it was a bit cooler until dark. Then I scooped her and the bedding up and put her and bedding in the hog box which was immediately next to where I caught her. (Easily visible from the house). She curled up again and went back to sleep. After a few hours, she eventually came out and had a little exploration. She is a bit of an exception as she very likely can’t see well or possibly at all. But she explored all round and then disappeared. She seemed to remember it all, despite being away for months. Now she is back visiting every night. I left her bedding in the box for several days, but she didn’t show any sign of going back in there. None of those I’ve released (all of which came from here originally) have gone back into their release boxes, but I understand they sometimes do.

[Hedgie Lover]

okay thanks for that – at least I know not to keep my hopes up high – they probably think – I’m gonna escape from this garden cos last time I got picked up by a big weird looking giant – I’m off – I think I’d be the same.

She’ll probably come back to use the feeding station no doubt, after a while being given loads of food, she’s not gonna want to miss out on that –

I might still put some dog food on some newspaper, but put it near to the opening of the tunnel, so the following day I’ll be able to see if it’s been moved, eaten or trod on, and if it’s still in tact, I’ll just remove it – and/or I could put my camera in a plant pot – facing the entrance to see what happens.

I might use the canvas pet carrier to take her home, and then I can just unzip the front, and she can come out whenever she chooses. So if it starts to rain, she won’t get wet inside the box, because after the travel, she might choose to stay in there for a while.

Glad I can by a house from the hospital, cos they sell them to raise money – so I know the cost of the house, will go on the sick hedgehogs – and they are good ones, for only £25. I’ll still keep my original one, without a lid, cos it’s pretty much been used all the time, maybe empty for 2 weeks and then someone else moves in, now I think I’ve got one of Sweetpea’s siblings hibernating in it – but pretty sure he’s a good weight – he gets most of the food as he’s closest to the feeding station – smart boy.

[Hedgie Lover]

I’ll use the carrier, cos I’m a bit reluctant to cut out a hole of a decent sized box, cos I never know when I might need a box – boxes to me are a bit precious, they can be so handy, I get all my stuff (apart from food) online, so I’m really happy when it comes packaged in a box (the smallest of things give me pleasure now that I’m getting old).

With the pet carrier – I can clean it and use it again.

[Hedgie Lover]

I don’t know why other people would have other ideas Nic – watch this vid of a recently released mother hog (babies are being overwintered in hospital) using her release box bedding and transferring it to her brand new home

https://en-gb.facebook.com/halifaxhedgehogs/videos/548095035938874/

so what I’ll do, as I’ve recently acquired lots of new brash (didn’t realise until recently that the trees that line the side garden actually belong to the school), workers were cutting back the branches and doing a bit of tidying (which gave me a chance to go in and collect all the bear cans that idiots throw over) I told them about my hogs and asked them to leave the brash along the edge of my side garden, which they did do (since then 2 temporary nests have been made)

so I can just cover the new home and the bag with brash, leave a little bit of dog meat on newspaper in the tunnel, and see if she gets tempted to go inside it. What is likely to happen, she’ll snif out the dog meat, eat all in one go and scarper off – then in the morning I’ll get excited thinking she’s stayed in the house all night!

Just got a text from the hospital, she’s doing ok.

[Author]

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