There's a hedgehog building a nest in my garden!

[AdamLambsbreath]

DH noticed it this morning. It has decided to build its nest . . . inside the tarp-covered pile of topsoil which I was using to fill my raised beds. Luckily I filled the last one that I built yesterday evening. I nearly waited until today, but am so glad I didn't!

It has been trundling back and forth with dried leaves all morning. I can't wait for it and its little hoglets to get out and start devouring some bastard slugs. I flung 50+ of the slimy horrors into the wood across the road the day before yesterday.

I only hope the little hoglets survive. Last year we were absolutely delighted to find five super-cute babies living under our allotment shed . . . followed by the sadness of finding a series of little bodies over the next few weeks

Does anyone know how long it takes them to raise a litter to the point that they leave the nest? Just wondering when I can plan to get the next bed in

[sweetfluffybunnies]

How lovely, good luck with the new arrivals!

[WowOoo]

Lucky you! I cut and pasted this from wildlife-web:

'Hedgehogs leave their nests when they are about 4 to 5 weeks old, and they then must learn to fend for themselves. 1 out of 5 hedgehogs die before they leave the nest.'

Hopefully 1 will survive.
I think any protein rich food like cat food appeals to them.
Good luck to ma hog and her hoglets.

[gamerchick]

I'm so envious they are surprisingly noisy during the night though. Freaked my son out because he couldn't work out what the noise was in the garden. None nesting though sadly.

[SanityClause]

How lovely!

I have only seen a hedgehog once in our garden. I put the dog out for her evening wee, and she started barking. She doesn't normally - just one bark to let us know she wants to come in - so I went out.

The poor little hedgehog was all rolled up into a ball, and the dog was barking at it. I got her in, and the hedgehog seems to have gone on it's merry way.

Anyway, I've no idea how long your hedgehog will need her nest for. But I'd love an update, if there is more hoggy news!

[AdamLambsbreath]

cheers WowOoo - guess it'll be six weeks or so then. I've got plenty of other stuff to do.

On the allotment we used to locate slugs and feed them to the babies when they were out foraging - they make a hilarious snarfing sound when they find them, like they're really enjoying eating them

I look forward to finding out what ghastly noises a hedgehog makes. We already have a nocturnal chorus of owls and foxes.

[nipersvest]

we love our garden hedgehogs. i almost trod on one the other day as it was sat on the deck just outside the back door, this was during the day too. we once had an adult and 2 babies wandering about. dh has a garden office and they've even wandered in there in the evening.

[Miggsie]

My hoggies get cat food each night with a handful of raisins scattered around and a good helping of mealworms hidden in bushes - which they love.
Hopefully they then turn their attention to eating the slugs - of which I have many!

Our hogs have never nested in the garden but they all troop in each night for a good feast.
I also have a pond with a shallow end which they drink out of and I also put down shallow bowls of water for the hoglets.

Next door buys specialist hog food and gives them banana. They are very plump little hogs.

[Selks]

Ooh lovely! Please keep us updated...we could have Hedgehogwatch

[AdamLambsbreath]

I will certainly provide hog updates. Here is a pic of it gathering leaves.

It's very funny, because the soil heap is quite big and it's found a way under the tarp at one end, but decided to make its nest right at the other. So you see it go in, and then a little hump appears under the tarp and moves all the way across it

It seems to be completely oblivious of me.

I will have to put a sign on the heap so people don't walk across it!

[AdamLambsbreath]

Banana!

I've put down a shallow bowl of water, as I think that's one of the things that's going to be most difficult for them to find. We do have a pond, but it's up in a raised section of the garden and a hoglet couldn't get to it.

The garden is RIDDEN with bloody slugs and snails, so hopefully there'll be plenty to keep them going . . .

[avianaz]

Oh look at it! It looks different from the hedgehogs we get here, who have pointy fox-faces!

Following! :D

[TheReluctantCountess]

Oh how cute!

[Swex]

I want one! Hmm, why are there no hedgehogs in my garden? It's only inner London!

[AdamLambsbreath]

It climbs up that border wall, which is much taller than it, to fossick around under the hedge for leaves . . . it really doesn't look like it should be able to do it, they're strong little things! Mind you, it fell off twice and rolled on its back it looked embarrassed and went off under the tarp for a regroup before it tried again.

I tried to help it out by putting a brick next to it to make a step . . . it ignored it and found a different spot to climb the wall.

Wildlife, eh?

[nipersvest]

here's ours, luckily i took a pic the other day for instagram!

[AdamLambsbreath]

Cute!

I love their ridiculous tails and little round ears.

[funnyperson]

How lovely!
They like water a lot and will come up if you put it out at a regular time. We played ours Poulenc sonata for oboe and piano which it liked.

[Mintyy]

Oh I am so jealous! My friend once rescued a hedgehog that he found bumbling around with a Ski yogurt pot stuck on his head.

But that so many babies died last year. Is there a website with hedgehog care advice? Maybe St Tiggywinkles?

[Selks]

I totally LOVE hedgehogs . Wonderful creatures. Great pics!

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

[FunkyBoldRibena]

Oh how wonderful. A cute Mr Spiky and family. Will look forward to updates.

[AdamLambsbreath]

funny, I love the fact that you played it music.

I still have my cello, which I haven't played seriously in 10 years. I doubt it would find that particularly pleasant.

minty, yes, very sad. It was a very very hot summer, and I think the poor little things just didn't find enough to eat. We put out water, told our neighbouring allotment holders and had a gang of people prodding snails etc under our shed (where they lived), but they just didn't make it. It's possible it was a disease.

Well done for your friend for rescuing the poor hog with a yoghurt pot on its head!

[YeGodsAndLittleFishes]

Am dead jealous! Our elderly Mr Wigglebottom got a nasty, rasping bronchial problem a couple of years back and I think he must have pegged it. :( There's no evidence of hoggy visitors here these days. :(

Will enjoy seeing your updates.

[funnyperson]

It was a record on a record player (dates hedgehog)

[AdamLambsbreath]

No sign of the hog last night or this morning.

The tarp got seriously hot in yesterday's sunshine. I'm concerned the hog's decided it's not a suitable nest and moved on.

Better it should do that than have a load of hoglets under there which get overheated and die . . .

If it does stick around I might try and figure out a way of shading the heap.