How To Make A Hedgehog Feeding Station

How To Make A Hedgehog Feeding Station | Hedgehog's Hollow

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3 жыл бұрын

Welcome to Hedgehog's Hollow : the land at the bottom of the Garden
How can you make a Hedgehog Feeding Station out of a plastic storage box?
In this video I explain why I changed feeding station designs to be more effective at keeping cats out of the box, and give you tips for making your own hedgehog feeding station.
Be sure to also watch the following related videos:
How to build a hedgehog house:
• How To Build a Hedgeho...
What do hedgehogs eat?
• What Food is harmful t...
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Пікірлер: 70

@chrisannowen1371 Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the idea of using a plastic box for a feeding station. I was in hysterics watching the cat get the food everytime. Very determined kitty!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

@robbo9592 2 жыл бұрын

After many years of battling against the neighbourhood cats and there are many, we used a plastic under bed storage box [lower in height & longer] ~ cut a hole in the long side at one corner [lid on top] & just put the fabric tape around the hole. The boxes are on gravel so not too many slugs. Put a brick inside the box across it to make a smaller gap on the far side of the box - hedgehogs get in, cats don't even try now!! ~ re slugs - our hedgehogs only eat Mr Johnson's food [the purple one] and if you put a bowl outside with really soggy, almost liquid food the slugs go in for food & drown - no need for slugs pellets [now banned]. Just distribute them around the garden where slugs are a problem, remember to make it liquid-ish. Job[s] done!! :)

@patriciatoft7286 3 жыл бұрын

I have been soaking good quality dog biscuits until just soft and scattering them over the lawn just before dark...these attract the slugs so the hedgehog has got a main course and slugs for desert.

@grizeldagrimm3698 2 жыл бұрын

I put the cubes of meaty dog food in bowls, the hedgehogs love them, I also put down a large bowl of water, cats are not interested at all in the dog food 👍

@argonaut6386 10 ай бұрын

@@grizeldagrimm3698I wish mine wasn't 😂

@FamilyHistoryAddict 3 жыл бұрын

We have a bigger plastic box and my husband built an inner wall out of an old wooden chopping board - this keeps the cat out and allows the hedgehogs in!

@HedgehogsHollow 3 жыл бұрын

Perfect - provided the hoggy can get in and the cat can't (and I've seen some very determined cats try to access feeding stations) then the solution sounds perfect.

@FamilyHistoryAddict 3 жыл бұрын

@@HedgehogsHollow Yes, they can get in - even when it is snowy. The water bowl is on a heat pad to prevent it freezing: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/bZudlN2AzMecpps.html

@rosbaillie-sparkes9433 2 жыл бұрын

Yes, storage boxes make ideal hedgehog restaurants and last for years! mine have been in place for 3 yrs plus. Easy to clean out, and a blessing when you live in a place with huge roaming cat population! :)

@HedgehogsHollow 2 жыл бұрын

Great to hear they have been serving you well

@hunter111uk 3 жыл бұрын

We've also been through this! We ended up cutting a circular hole in the box and fitting a right-angled drainage pipe bend to give a tunnel entrance. And inside the box are two stacked bricks opposite the entrance. The food bowl is placed behind the bricks. On the first night a terrific commotion as the cat got stuck, it hasn't been back since!

@HedgehogsHollow 3 жыл бұрын

They are very determined, aren't they? But I am glad that you found a solution that has meant your hedgehog visitors have greater access to their food.

@MaryEllis119 3 жыл бұрын

What size is the drainage pipe please. And plastic or clay? Thanks

@hunter111uk 3 жыл бұрын

@@MaryEllis119 Hi Mary, we used a grey plastic right-angled bend drainage pipe, the sort usually fitted underground and purchased it from B&Q. We drilled and cut round a 12cm diameter paper template to cut the hole. The female end of the pipe is thicker and stops it from pulling out of the plastic box. It has been totally successful in deterring the cats and we are now feeding up to 3 Hogs each night, I might have to get another job!😂

@nicolarussell9961 2 ай бұрын

Excellent video and advice to help me get started .Looking forward to more videos .

@patricehurip7118 3 жыл бұрын

Usefull advice . I'll try it soon !

@HedgehogsHollow 3 жыл бұрын

I'm glad it' helpful. It continues to be a successful investment for the hedgehogs and the cat hasn't since been able to get to the food - although he definitely tried, as you can see in the follow up video here - kzfaq.info/get/bejne/eNqAhtJ2ta3Rdpc.html Let me know how you succeed with your feeding station when you try it

@PhillWyattProjects 3 жыл бұрын

Haha that Cat is very cunning! 🙀Great video with all the night footage👍 I recently build a Hedgehog House out of Pallet Wood with a Tunnel. I would love to see Hedgehog numbers increase :)

@HedgehogsHollow 3 жыл бұрын

That's brilliant - it really is quite simple to re-use offcuts or old pallet wood, and the habitats and homes will hopefully all contribute to those hedgehog numbers increasing. Thanks for taking the time to drop a comment

@hedgehogspike1 2 жыл бұрын

Very informative video. Thanks.

@HedgehogsHollow 2 жыл бұрын

You are welcome, I am glad you enjoyed it

@tonyf68 3 жыл бұрын

My feeding station is identical to yours, so I’ve made a wooden tunnel for it after watching this video. Thanks very much!

@HedgehogsHollow 3 жыл бұрын

Hi Tony, welcome to the channel and thank you for your comment. The wooden tunnel has been very successful and the hedgehogs have very happily taken to using it to access the food, seemingly without any concern - so I hope it proves as successful for you too.

@tonyf68 3 жыл бұрын

@@HedgehogsHollow Thanks, I’ll see how it goes this week, so fingers crossed! I re-purposed some wood from a pallet to make my tunnel and based the design on a hedgehog tunnel that I’d seen on Amazon.

@HedgehogsHollow 3 жыл бұрын

@@tonyf68 Sounds good Tony, the hedgehogs are generally pretty good at finding their way through tunnels to the food, so I am sure it will work out

@lauwe54 Жыл бұрын

alot of work but you got there thanks again great videos

@MetalMalc 2 жыл бұрын

We have three feeding stations in our garden. One is basically just a double bowl under the carport (the local cats don't seem to like the 'insect based' ingredients we mix into the food. The second is the plastic storage box design with the house bricks at the front. I made minor amendments to the hole size, height and positioning of the bricks to achieve what seems to be the 'uncomfortable enough' to be a cat deterrent. Our third one is just a 'lean-to', a piece of wood, leant up in a corner amongst the undergrowth, held in place by the ever versatile house brick. The cats seem to hate that one but the Hogs just push on through. There appeared to be some 'amorous activity' under the carport recently. Judging by previous years' results I won't be able to use my lawnmower in a couple of months (last year it was used as a nest, TWICE!).

@HedgehogsHollow 2 жыл бұрын

It sounds like you have a very active garden - fantastic to hear and well done on your efforts

@chloeoliver2314 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks there are always cats in my garden (probably because I don’t have a side gate) and this will really help me

@HedgehogsHollow 3 жыл бұрын

Great! I am glad you will find it useful - and let me know how it goes and if you have any success

@Pete.Ty1 3 жыл бұрын

Did you have any success with feeding station number two ? 😼😊👍

@HedgehogsHollow 3 жыл бұрын

Hi Pete, thanks for watching. It looks like I may have succeeded, though it has just been one night. But a couple of hedgehogs used the feeding station, and the cat was a bit glum as it couldn't access the food at all, and walked away despondent. Hopefully that continues and the hedgehogs continue to get their full share in the coming days and weeks.

@Pete.Ty1 3 жыл бұрын

@@HedgehogsHollow Thank you look forward too any follow ups 😊👍

@TheC0ckmeister 3 жыл бұрын

I've gone with a smaller plastic box inserted into a hole of a larger plastic box design ...a little bigger than yours to give the Hedgehogs a clear tunnel to see through en route to the food in the feeding station. As I own a electric mutlitool I found it easy to do but I appreciate not everyone has access to one of those. I used clear silicone sealant to secure the two boxes together and its been a huge success with our 2 regular Hog visitors using the feeding station which I keep stocked up with Hedgehog biscuits on a daily basis. Right outside the feeding station is a water bowl which I change every day to ensure the water they drink is fresh and debris free....

@HedgehogsHollow 3 жыл бұрын

That's superb - sounds lik a fantastic design which your visitors clearly enjoy, so well done on that creation

@TheC0ckmeister 3 жыл бұрын

@@HedgehogsHollow Thanks Mike

@TheC0ckmeister 3 жыл бұрын

Shock of shocks...a Cat actually managed to get in (somehow)... two nights ago for the 1st time.... yesterday I cut down an old plastic sandwich box and added a couple of strips with glue in either side to make the hole smaller by an inch . I also put the water bowl no more than a foot from the entrance of the feeding station. Both should help stop that cat in the future ( I hope)

@JackieMorrison1872 2 жыл бұрын

Don't you give them wet food at any time of the year along with kitten or puppy biscuits? My hogs don't like Spikes and some of the others have a lot of rubbish in them as it's not regulated. I give them wet dog food and kitten biscuits along with fresh water and it gets eaten every night

@helenbenjafield7351 2 жыл бұрын

I don't give my hedgehogs anything which contains wheat,preservatives,or colourants.Most supermarket pet food,including so-called hedgehog food(unregulated!),is unsuitable for hedgehogs,so mine have James Wellbeloved dry cat food because it is a veterinary designed diet&safe.Hedgehogs tend to prefer dry food&it also helps to clean their teeth,however,I do supplement it with the yolk of a hard-boiled egg.

@GeorgiexoxoTV 2 жыл бұрын

Hi! Thank you so much for this video! Can I ask how this has worked for you? I also have problem with cats and foxes! Do your hedgehogs find this easy to work now? How big did you also make the hole? Thank you :)

@chloeoliver2314 3 жыл бұрын

And could you put the hedgehog food in the hedgehog house

@HedgehogsHollow 3 жыл бұрын

Generally, hedgehogs like a separation between their eating area and their sleeping area. I know there are some hedgehog house designs that seem to have two "rooms" but even in this instance, I'd personally suggest keeping food in a different place from their sleeping area. That said - it doesn't have to be at the other end of the garden - I've always just had my feeding bowls placed about a metre from the houses and the hedgehogs have been seemingly quite happy with that arrangement. But keep them separate.

@ayresc4 Жыл бұрын

Any idea how to out fox, the fox i had no idea they could flatten themselves so much i had to elongate the tunnel on the hedgehog house barricade it with sticks post and everything i can find but still it has not given up. HELP! It would have the plastic box in no time.

@hollyhedge9637 Жыл бұрын

Hi CJ - cant give any thoughts to deter a cunning fox but for my hedgehog feeding stations and the crafty neighbour cats we have now devised 2 tunnels into the feeding station with 2 bowls in each station (water outside) then facing towards a wall. With the night cam, hedgehogs munch happily every night with cats not liking or attempting the double tunnel entrance. 🦔🦔🦔 Hibernated now though in hedgehog house. Good luck.

@TheLmfish7 Жыл бұрын

Hi, I was told there needs to be a little opening on the other end of the box for air. Also, I have a really hard time cutting into these plastic boxes - I usually end up with multiple splits! Is there a way to avoid this? Thanks! 🙂

@ninjahflighttaktiks1467 Жыл бұрын

Use a mirror in front of the food box

@patriciatoft7286 3 жыл бұрын

I would not bother with the copper tape as the hedgehog will add them to his natural diet...better trap for slugs than beer or pellets.

@bethwk83 11 ай бұрын

will hedgehogs go in automatically if food in there or do they take time to get used to it?

@helenbenjafield7351 2 жыл бұрын

If you use a soldering iron to create the aperture,then you won't be left with a sharp edge.

@HedgehogsHollow 2 жыл бұрын

That's a great idea - thank you for that suggestion

@ninjahflighttaktiks1467 Жыл бұрын

I think copper tape doesnt actually do anything?

@SusieC510 Жыл бұрын

I have seen a rat go into the feeding station. Someone’s suggested putting a flap on. Any thoughts?

@amyterry35 2 жыл бұрын

Have you got any tips on keeping mice out of a hedgehog feeding station please?

@HedgehogsHollow 2 жыл бұрын

Hi Amy, I unfortunately don't. I have been incredibly fortunate in that, even though I know I've had a field mouse or two visit the garden, they've never actually become a pest with regard the food. I have seen them come visit the water bowl for a drink. Perhaps in this specific instance, having the neighbourhood cats around has been a deterrent and I have been fortunate. But I'm afraid I have no advice or experience of controlling mice.

@trevorbrown482 2 жыл бұрын

Hi Mike did the copper tape work and keep slugs out?I have slugs in my feeding station every morning 😊🦔👍

@HedgehogsHollow 2 жыл бұрын

Hi Trevor, The copper tape was good to a point. It was quite narrow, probably only about a 1cm wide strip, and I noticed slugs and snails doing all kinds of gymnastics to try to stretch over the tape. It is good it you use multiple strips, but you do need to replace it fairly often

@trevorbrown482 2 жыл бұрын

@@HedgehogsHollow Thanks Mike, going to give it a try 🙂👍👍

@citlalybaroni9150 Жыл бұрын

@@trevorbrown482 hello, why slugs are bad? I though hedgehogs liked eating slugs

@trevorbrown482 Жыл бұрын

@@citlalybaroni9150 They only eat slugs if they are desperate,slug mucus contains parasites 😊👍🦔🦔

@jodunn4996 3 жыл бұрын

Not the best feeding station! Much better would be to use a rectangular plastic box £3.99 Poundstretcher: L 21" x W14" x H7" . Cut a round circle 13cm x13cm. Tape edges. Using a circular long plastic tub (washing whitener powder e.g. Vanish) make it fit the hole as a tunnel. Tape securely. Position a brick inside the plastic box to creste a right angle, or baffle. Line with newspaper place feeding bowl at the other end to the entrance. SImples! I'd post a photo if I could.

@HedgehogsHollow 3 жыл бұрын

Hi Jo, thank you for taking the time to leave a comment. You're absolutely right, a longer, flatter box would provide more space for the hedgehogs. However, in these strange times, I think making these kinds of structures using whatever material we have the resources and ability to get our hands on, is what matters. Ultimately it's about ensuring the hedgehogs have a secure source of food - mine is a little cramped for them compared to what you're describing, but they've shown no discomfort, and made a bee line through my makeshift tunnel to the food. This video is about the concept - making sure we can provide for hedgehogs, regardless of the materials we have to hand. But I agree, your solution and feeding station is likely a more spacious offering, but still servers the same purpose in providing valuable food source for our visitors.

@jodunn4996 3 жыл бұрын

@@HedgehogsHollow I'm glad x

@MaryEllis119 3 жыл бұрын

I like the sound of your design. Is the plastic tunnel on the inside or the outside? Is the hole in the box at the end or the side of the box? Any chance of adding a pic? Thanks!

@TheWillpar Жыл бұрын

Wood is better by far. Those plastic ones sweat at night leaving a pool of water.

@joland119 2 жыл бұрын

If you want to keep cats out of your garden throw in a big bunch of chestnut sleeves. Food for hedgehogs and a total scare for cats. 🙂 Every autumn I collect a bag full (cos they degrade). Every spring i blow out the old and put in the new. Ever since, 0.0 cats have entered my garden.

@Sandra-Le-Vett 2 жыл бұрын

You should rename this video how to feed the neighbours cat..🤷🏼‍♀️😂

@jannash2905 Жыл бұрын

Cats are not the problem or slugs but rats are.

@TheLmfish7 Жыл бұрын

Yes, rats were/are a problem for my feeding box. But because the hedgehogs tend to come to feed at a regular time, most evenings, I don't put the food out until about 8-8:30 in the evening. And my dog will chase away the rats but not the hedgehogs (she is absolutely obsessed/fascinated with the hedgehogs).

@TheLmfish7 Жыл бұрын

But I do need to clear out the hoards of slugs everyday!

@ninjahflighttaktiks1467 Жыл бұрын

Conclusion. Cats are smarter than hedgehogs