What’s Going On With Hetty?
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Hello hog lovers
I’ve scanned the forum in detail, looking for clues about how much food your putting out each night for your spiky friends.
I’ve worked out that Hetty is now eating as much as a small dog!😂
Some months ago I increased the feeding stations to three as Big Bruiser and Hetty were regular diners. But as you know Bruiser disappeared a few weeks ago. However I didn’t give up hope that he would reappear and I continued to put the same amount of food out.
I now have video evidence that Hetty is definitely eating it all !
I’m pleased to say she looks great! She looks bigger, but not overweight!
She is eating 2 dishes (300grams in total) of wet food mixed with spikes moist And another dish of spikes moist- about a handful! She comes out to dine at 8pm goes straight to a feeding station then forages for about an hour. She then revisits one of the feeding stations approximately every two hours ( foraging in between) until 4. 50am – 5am when she has another snack of spikes moist before bed!
I’m assuming she is packing the food away in preparation for the BIG SLEEP!
Each morning I collect all the dishes in for washing and I’m not throwing any food away ! Because Hetty is eating the lot!
Is this amount of food the norm for this time of year?
I don’t mind how much food I have to buy , my focus is to help Hetty maintain good health and survive hibernation in tip-top condition.
But Id like to know if your hogs are eating this much? Am I over feeding?
Your views would be most welcome.
Forgot to say, Hetty use to leave the garden every night and go out on the town, but she is staying in the garden all night now, I do have a good wildlife garden but surely such a change in behaviour is not the norm.
What is going on with Hetty? xYes in my experience at this time of year they eat more for their big sleep just keeping putting the food out & in time you will notice that no food is being eaten this is when hetty would have gone into hibernation
Do you have a house or made somewhere for her to hibernateHi Chezzy
Yes, I’m very lucky – Hetty is a permanent resident, she took the plot under the shed at the beginning of the year! I have two purpose built hog houses in the garden, but they clearly don’t come up to muster! 😂 Hetty did take the time to view, but then just took the hay out and transferred it under the shed for a bit of a refurb! I use to have a very large male visiting, he nested at the bottom of the garden under a very large shrub, but he has moved to new pastures over recent weeks.
How much do you feed your spiky diners each night ? xI have a bowl full when I had one hedgehog however I now have two so I put it in a bigger bowl so I know that they can build themselves up for hibernate
One of mines took I think it will hibernate in the house & I bought another house last week but no sign that the other hedgehog will use itMy biggest problem is my cat caught her putting her in paws in the house getting the bedding out, the hedgehog had got some out & I think she has smelt the hedgehog on the hay that was outside the house
Hi Hettihog, there’s a lot of food going here too, but by 3 hogs plus a cat that got in the feeding station last night. I moved the bricks after cleaning and left a bit too much room and in it got. However, I’m wondering, do you think you may have an expectant Hetti on your hands.. Mine didn’t hibernate till late November early December last year. You maybe hearing the pitta patta of little feet soon. I dare say they pack the food in as when babies come she may not get the chance to leave them for a short while. I don’t know the time line for late autumn babies, but it’s possible. Best wishes.
Hi Annker Oh 😱 I do hope not ! I will be a nervous wreck worrying about the hoglets this late in the year !
Hetty doesn’t seem to be leaving the garden at all. She has grown such a lot that I even checked the hole in the fence and the gaps under the gates were big enough for her to still get out! As I would hate to think she was free to roam . But Big Bruiser got in and out and he was enormous .
Have you heard of such a change in behaviour? I know if they have hoglets they stay pretty close to the nest but otherwise I thought they all traveled to forage. It was this increase in food being consumed that worried me a bit, I want her to be well fed, but didn’t know if her change in behaviour was due to me over feeding- after all who would travel for miles to get fed if there is a great meal on your doorstep?
Really 😂 there’s no pleasing me! I worried about her when she went out of the gate into the world and now I’m worried because she stays put in the garden ! I’m sure this hog loving business makes us a bit crazy! 🤣
I spoke to my brother this morning, he has five visitors two adults and three hoglets . I’ve encouraged him to get on the forum and to map his visitors but he’s not interested. He already has two hog houses in his garden occupied and is intending to get more for the other hogs. I have also advised him to keep an eye on the hoglets, because from what he says it sounds as if they are really wee! But he says all five hogs are eating really well and it’s costing him a small fortune!😂
Stay happy and well xxHi
Just to say the female who visited here last year didn’t hibernate until January 14. Briefly emerged on 17 for a quick snack and water and emerged again in April.
If Hetty is having babies at least they are in a great place for food and water and hopefully mum will do her best for them.
Just monitor them.Hi Hettihog, I don’t think it works like that, there’s plenty of food around and they still go walkabout. It’s built in, so I don’t think Hetti is lazy and not leaving your garden because there’s more than enough food. Sorry if I’ve frightened you with talk of babies, but they do sometimes have late ones and I don’t know when the last ones are born except in Autumn. If it is that, she won’t want to loose her lovingly made nest to another! So don’t panic, just keep an eye on her. I’m hoping some more people from Accrington will join Hedgehog Street as I’ve had rather a long letter published in the local Observer paper this week. Best wishes.
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