Hedgehogs - their numbers are increasing
AngieR
Posts: 346
After losing one of our hedgehogs earlier in the year I wasn't really sure just how many were visiting. Often a single one is seen at a time and occassionally a pair. A neighbour tells me that she has seen a mother with a couple of young a few times but not regularly. It was about this time last year I noticed the mother and her young and set about feeding them up for winter. After seeking advice on here we managed to get them to a good size and hope they managed to make it through winter. I will never know if that was successful or not. I have everyone in the house on hedgehog mummy watch at the moment. I work nights so am often not around when they are. I will one day get myself a camera!
The other night, finally, 3 hogs were spotted in the garden at once and my son managed to get a quick shot of them. Not the greatest shot but it thrilled me no end to know that their numbers appear to be increasing by my efforts and gives me the encouragement to carry on. Here are the 3 amigos!
Posts
Well done, Angie...your efforts have certainly made a difference
Fantastic Angie. I wish the numbers here were on the up.
Fantastic photo, would love to have some hogs in my garden. Did have a few visit us at the old house.
How do I get hogs to come to my garden,and eat all the snails and slugs
Popsy - hedgehogs may eat one or two slugs and snails but don't imagine they will solve your problem.
If you think H Hogs are in your vicinity ( ie do your neighbouring gardens have them ? ), then by all means make a Feed Box for them and see what happens. You may be lucky or not but don't bank on them controlling the slugs and snails
Encouraging H Hogs these days is more a case of doing exactly that and not expecting them to clear your garden of unwanted pests.
Many thanks for your comments, I don't need a pet H.hog, but it would be nice to encourage them into my garden to add to the wildlife
Thank you everyone.
Sheps, I am glad I am making a difference. I had a wee peep in the hedgehog house over the weekend and think there is a resident. Many leaves etc inside along with the straw I put in. I need to figure out a way to detect as I don't yet have a wildlife camera.
Mark56, I'm even getting the neighbours in on the act by making them all aware. Do you have any advice on how to detect if there is a hog in my box? I don't want to disturb and chase it away.
Danc - do you garden with them in mind? It might be a good way to encourage them in your current garden.
popsy06 - do some research and try to make your garden as HH friendly as possible. I first realised I had them around in the garden when I discovered their poop. There is lots of information on here and elsewhere about encouraging them.
phillipa smith2, I think, as you say, encouraging them is exactly all we can do. I have found that since cutting out chemicals, encouraging wildlife of all kinds in the garden, I am seeing less pests and things seem to be sorting themselves out.
Hi Angie, my only suggestion would be an infrared night camera. They are worth the investment if you are a nature nut like me.
Leave some unkempt areas of your garden, let grass grow naturally, it's a perfect habitat. And go organic when it comes to slug control - no slug pellets or other chemicals.