Hedgehog house

[neiloneil]

I disturbed a hedgehog yesterday, and very nearly spiked him. I have built him a house to live in now, but have used tantalized timber, which is frowned upon in the hedgehog websites.
What is harmful to them? is it skin contact or breathing in the chemicals? I could line the inside of his house with thin plywood if its not going to harm him.

 

[blup]

Let him be

Blup

 

[sodthisforfun]

I disturbed a hedgehog yesterday, and very nearly spiked him. I have built him a house to live in now, but have used tantalized timber, which is frowned upon in the hedgehog websites.
What is harmful to them? is it skin contact or breathing in the chemicals? I could line the inside of his house with thin plywood if its not going to harm him.

You could coat it? Cuprinol garden shades are animal friendly, they advertise it's suitable for rabbit hutches and the like. Sometimes it takes a few years before they will use a box we make so don't take it personally if they don't go in it straight away

I think it's great you are trying to help our hedgehog friends as their numbers have declined sharply. Good food and water is very helpful if you can supply it, helps them put on weight to survive hibernation. Water in the hot weather is really helpful right now too and they drink a lot if you don't want to feed them.

They quickly learn where there is food tho and will visit most nights, so if you start feeding them, it's not fair to stop until the hibernate imo.

 

[Benmar]

I never realized that tanalised timber could be dangerous to animals, it's good to know, the problem appears to be Tanalith E which is the chemical forced into the wood when it is pressure treated, it contains copper and biocides. I bought a bat box from www.gardensite.co.uk recently, it says that no preservatives are used, there are also also animal houses made from other materials such as ceramic. My mother-in-law used to feed hedgehogs in our garden but I haven't seen or heard any for ages, and this hot weather must be really bad for them, so good luck with yours.