Hedgehog Feeder/House

We put a camera inside and get great views of wild hedgehogs sleeping, the odd mouse and rat.

My old hedgehog house fell apart after years of use! I bought this one to replace it and it is much better than my old one. It is well built, and feels sturdy and strong. The wing-nut catch is easy to use. It has a nice felt roof to keep the rain out. I love it!

After seeing some hedgehog activity in the garden, I deployed one of these (and later got a second). One of the problems to consider is to stop driving rain being soaked into the wood. If you put it directly on the ground it's going to soak up moisture and rot fairly quickly (no, don't stain or creosote it, leave the wood untreated if you want a hog) so just plan accordingly. It's got the doorway bend that hedgehogs like and I didn't have a problem with the roof closing on either of my boxes - I think you're more likely to have an issue if it gets damp and isn't on level ground.Mine lasted the first year without any signs of issues - I put duck tape round the sides and a plastic recycle bin on the lid to stop the rain soaking in to the wood.Our hedgehog had hoglets so I got another of these houses, plus other wooden boxes that I converted.I made sure the doorway opened into a overhanging hedge/bush, so the hedgehogs could come and go from the entrance straight into cover.For the second year I've sorted out both boxes properly (and I'm glad I did because it's been a rough winter):* I put something waterproof/insulating on the ground first (like a rubber doormat, or insulating foam etc) so the wood wouldn't rot or otherwise wick moisture* I lightly rubbed compost/mud over the inside of the box to make it hopefully smell more earthy so the hedgehogs were more likely to visit the new box* I put pet shop hay inside and packed it in well - I figured it would save the hedgehogs collecting loads of leaves (they really pack them in).* I put an old fleece blanket over from a charity shop over it and cut it to the right size, then sewed the edges (doesn't have to be pretty sewing) I then put a layer of bubble wrap over this to stop the fleece getting damp, and then I put an old offcut of military dark green waxed tarpaulin over the bubble wrap to reduce winter wind damage and help it blend in with the garden.So yeah, I really like these boxes and would recommend them. All the important stuff is done for you, but if you go that extra mile when planning where to put it you can make it last a long time and increase the chances of hedgehogs visiting.

I now have four of these hedgehog houses all in use by hrdgehogs, i put a little hay at thr entranse to see if it got disturbed and also used wildlife camera, aoears to be two hedghogs in one house

Just ordered another one for a new rescue as you can't beat the price. There is one similar to price on Amazon but it is much smaller. This is solidly made, has a floor and a roof that is hinged so I could check on my rescue hog duirng hibernation (to see if he had taken residence). Down side is that the felt on the roof does not go right to the edge and on opening, the lid inside was very wet and therefore the hay was going mouldy! I scooped out all the old hay and replaced with new (while hog was sleeping!) and ended up putting a large tray upside down over the roof which almost covered the whole thing. I filled this with hay for a little more insulation and to stop the tray sounding hollow and I added a brick to stop it flying away. I also put some old tiles under each leg to stop them rotting in wet mud - just getting another rescue hog so have ordered another :-)Decided to add some photos and you can see where I have opened that the box on top is still not stopping all the rain so I've replaced the top layer of hay again! I may just add some roofing felt of my own in the summer.

We needed yet another house as our garden is overflowing with hedgehogs at the moment. Item arrived very quickly but unfortunately they had forgotten to attach the rubber seal. Sellers very helpful and put the seal in the post (easy to stick in place on top of the walls, to seal the lid) as we did not want to lose a few days by returning it for one with the seal. They also provided us with some complementary hedgehog food which was gratefully received. Note we use these as houses only and each house has its own feeding station close by, as recommended by our local hedgehog expert.

I bought one of these a week ago and already at least one Hog visits several times a night to eat in comfort and safety.It is quite well made and relatively difficult for cats to access due to the baffled entraces to the main chamber. I have a few of issues with it though:-1. The rubber seal on the underside of the lid is the wrong side of the captive nut into which the lid screws down. This will result in water dripping into the inside of the house.2. A simple drip bead glued to the underside of the lid would afford better rain run-off.3. It should be treated with a non toxic sealer such as P2 sealer which is a 100% aquatic wood treatment an completely odour free and harmless to wildlife.As a summer feeder its great and clearly works well but for Hibernation the issues I mention need to be addressed in my opinion and having just bought a second unit for use as a hibernation house I will be doing just that. My first unit is just sealed with P2 and the rubber seal has been moved to the other side of the captive nut.A pretty nice unit though and excellent once these minor adjustments are made.

sturdy as it has used as feeding station for hogs to stay outside