Hedgehog watch and other nocturnal garden visitors
19 watchers
Nov 2021
5:28pm, 23 Nov 2021
8,232 posts
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Eynsham Red
Having built a new hog house I wanted to put some foliage around it to give the impression of it being more natural. I thought that I’d cut up last year’s Christmas tree (now ginger but reasonably in tact) and put bits around the hog house. Having moved it from the back corner of the garden and chopped some bits off, a robin perched on the fence where the tree leaned, and it just stared at me! I took away the bits that I’d cut off and replaced the remains of the tree back against the fence. I’m assuming that it was the one of the robin’s roosts. |
Dec 2021
8:52am, 2 Dec 2021
14,185 posts
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Yorkshire Pie
Our hardy northern hedgehog is still visiting despite it being December and cold. Caught it on video last night  (We usually leave a bit of food in their feeding station in winter just in case they visit, but we were away last week so couldn't top it up and thought that the absence of food and drop in temperatures might lead to them deciding to hibernate. Apparently not!) |
Dec 2021
9:00am, 2 Dec 2021
13,118 posts
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Mandymoo
Our food has still been going but then we saw why- a blooming rat!! How do you stop the vermin eating the food for the animals?
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Dec 2021
9:15am, 2 Dec 2021
8,270 posts
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Eynsham Red
I don’t think you can MM. Anywhere a hedgehog can get into a rat will be able to as well. Our hedgehog food is still being eaten. I might put a camera out again to check that it is a hog and not a rat. I don’t mind the mice having a bit but don’t want to be encouraging rats. |
Dec 2021
12:39pm, 2 Dec 2021
9,889 posts
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Meeps
Our food still being eaten and hog spotted on camera but no sign of him/her using the hog house. We have mice come but I'd not be happy to see a rat! |
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Jan 2022
9:41am, 5 Jan 2022
8,378 posts
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Eynsham Red
Our hog is still visiting nightly. With no sign of any prolonged cold weather forecast (in our area) in the next couple weeks I’m expecting that it will probably continue to visit.
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Jan 2022
9:54am, 5 Jan 2022
14,257 posts
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Yorkshire Pie
Ours finally hibernated over Christmas - we saw it on the camera on christmas eve then went away for a couple of nights, when we got back there was still food in the feeding station and we haven't seen it since. It wasn't even that cold (although it is now!)
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Jan 2022
10:02am, 5 Jan 2022
8,380 posts
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Eynsham Red
I assume from your fetch name Yorkshire Pie that you’re much further North than me. We’ve not had any real frost or cold here for sometime.
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Jan 2022
10:10am, 5 Jan 2022
15,421 posts
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Cerrertonia
I don't think they fully hibernate in the sense of not moving at all for a few months. Most years, there will be one asleep in our compost heap over winter, but I've seen them wake up on a warm day, look pretty groggy for a few hours, but then go off to look for something to eat, before going back to sleep again when it gets cold. One year, I disturbed one while turning over the compost heap, and ending up putting it in a box of straw in the greenhouse. In early January, it woke up, and went back to the compost heap. In February, it was back in the greenhouse for about a fortnight. |
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Jan 2022
10:23am, 5 Jan 2022
14,258 posts
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Yorkshire Pie
Yes, the advice I've read suggests leaving food out as they do wake up, look for food then go back to sleep again.
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