There are fewer and fewer places for hedgehogs in the wild. Thus, they hardly find a safe place for the long and cold winter to survive your hibernation safely. The solution here is the hedgehog house with rat flap. You can thus ensure that the Hedgehogs also next spring and summer comes again in your garden.

Rat flap as an extension of the sluice

In the past, hedgehog houses were usually equipped only with a lock. The hedgehog house with rat flap offers the mammal even more protection. Mice and rats now have no possibility to disturb the little fellow during his so important hibernation.

Especially in the months of August and September, when the little hedgehog babies come into the world, the hedgehog house with rat flap provides reliable protection for the little family. Thus, it is clear that the little house serves not only as winter quarters, but also to protect them from enemies.

How can you imagine the hedgehog house with rat flap?

In the inner part, the mammalian sleeping room is usually separated from the entrance by an additional airlock. This creates a kind of small hallway. This protects the lively fellows from snow blowing in or from rainwater. At the same time, thanks to the rat flap, this corridor provides additional protection from predators such as badgers, martens, foxes or the prowling house cat.

The roof of the hedgehog house with rat flap is made of roofing felt, so it provides protection from rain and snow. The wood for the house is most often used FSC-certified wood from sustainable forestry. The wood is not specially treated and held together with screws.

The ideal place for the hedgehog house with rat flap

If you have decided to buy such a house, then it is advisable to install it in early autumn. The place in the garden should be as quiet and protected as possible. Ideal would be under a hedge or near a bush. In September begin the Hedgehog with the search for an ideal winter home. So they have enough time until November to equip the hedgehog house with rat flap with straw, dry leaves and small twigs.

If you put a little of it near the hedgehog house, then you make it easier for the mammals. They can use their energy elsewhere. Especially when the hedgehogs have offspring until September, there is hardly enough time to build up enough winter fat. If you provide the little fellows with a hedgehog hotel, then the animals don't have to build the shelter first, they just have to set it up.

The preparation for hibernation

As a rule, the Hedgehog hibernation mid-November and then lasts about 4 months. During this time, sleep is very rarely interrupted. You should know that the hibernation of hedgehogs is not based on the calendar months, but much more on the temperatures. If the outside temperatures are between 12 and 6 degrees Celsius, then the animal just dozes off.

In this form of twilight sleep hedgehogs need the most energy. HE can hardly find any natural food and his heart rate is very high. At best, the hedgehog now finds a few nuts or some leftover fallen fruit. If the temperatures are sufficiently low, the hedgehog empties his bowels, curls up and falls into hibernation.

If he is awake despite the low temperatures, then he needs your help to survive. With a hedgehog house with rat flap you can actively do something. Once the hedgehog has made himself comfortable inside, you can provide him with some dry cat food as emergency rations. If the food is regularly empty and the temperatures rise, then you can be sure that hibernation is over.

What size should the hedgehog house with rat flap?

The interior should have a height of 22 to 32 cm and a diameter of about 40 cm. This allows the hedgehog to place enough filling material and still comfortably ball up. The entrance with the rat flap should not be larger than 10 x 10 cm.

What should you look for when buying a hedgehog house with rat flap?

If you do not want to build the hedgehog shelter yourself, you should consider some criteria when buying it.

• Form - If possible solid with an interior of 40 x 40 cm.
• Insulation - The roof should be waterproof. The outer walls must be frost-proof. In no case should not be accumulated heat. The house should be protected from the wind. Ideal is a model with a base plate. It additionally protects against ground frost and from predators.
• Durability - The material should be sufficiently waterproof. In case of permanent moisture, it must not become musty or even moldy.
• Security - If possible, the house should have a rat flap and a labyrinth entrance. Additional tunnel entrances also protect against predators.