My new hedgehog feeding station is an upgrade of my previous hedgehog cafe. I’ve created a new design that is aesthetically more pleasing and has so far deterred every cat. Its clearer design also means that I have got much better footage on the hedgehog night camera. Its the perfect addition to your nature garden.
You can use the box either way up but this box had a slight shatter in the top so I have used it upside down. It is also more stable this way up.
I started by measuring and marking out a 4.5″ square hole.
I talk in more detail about tools on my previous hedgehog feeding station blog. I would advise also wearing googles. The plastic often shatters during cutting. I scored all along the edges of the marked hole several times before cutting through. I finished off the cutting with the sturdy kitchen scissors.
I used clear Gorilla tape to seal all the sharp edges around the hole. This is essential because the plastic edges left after cutting are sharp. The clear tape gives a much more aesthetically pleasing finish.
In this new design of hedgehog cafe, I created an internal dividing wall using a piece of polycarbonate. I had this lying around from previously repairing a growhouse. I cut it to the exact shape of the box and cut a 4.5″ square hole out of the bottom side. I also taped this with the clear Gorilla tape.
The dividing wall has so far baffled all cats and it also looks more aesthetically pleasing than a brick to deter cats. I don’t think the cats are able to contort their bodies to get through the first door and then immediately round into the second hole.
Hedgehogs can also see if the feeding station is already ‘hoggupied’
The clear tape and dividing wall also mean I get better footage of hedgehog diners on the night camera.
You will need a weight on the top of your feeding station to help stop it blowing around or cats/foxes trying to get in. What a fabulous use for my old hedgehog boot scraper (the brush scraper bit long since disintegrated)
Here is some footage I took earlier:
I run a hedgehog rescue in York, England. I am also a passionate wildlife gardener.
My rescue work is entirely self funded. If you have found this information useful, please consider helping to support my vital work.
I also make wildlife inspired jewellery and you can take a look at my beautiful online shop here www.littlesilverhedgehog.etsy.com
Little Silver Hedgehog 
What can be done to keep rats out? The ditch at the bottom of our garden has been ratopolis forever, and it only takes them a couple of days to figure out there’s free food in the garden.
You’re so right about the plastic fracturing. My very old transparent plastic crates from the 1990s could be drilled & windows cut without fracturing & I used a battery run Rolson smoother to iron out any sharp edges. (These were used as snail homes.) This would be nearly impossible on the cheaper thinner plastic used now. There are heavier plastic crates available on the internet & from Homebase, but they are comparatively very expensive to buy (one popular model, sold in a lot of sizes, has blue handles to clip the box shut). The only ‘problem’ I’ve had is condensation.
I have been adopted by a hedgehog this year, and at the end of July I was lucky enough to witness the courtship dance on my path, so I don’t know how many I’m feeding! I love feeding them nightly, and gratitude is usually in the form of a black poo deposited near to my front door! Keep up the good work! Iris Walls JARROW
Hi
What size whole should I cut for it to enter? Seen them with pipes in/out, what size is best for an adult
Best to keep plastic hedgehog feeding stations out of direct sun during the day. Mine has lasted just under a year on the patio so my Mk2 will be moving to a shady area over the next few weeks … a bit at a time.
Love the little hog patiently waiting his turn! A bit like the way we’re having to shop today – one in – one out!
What a lovely video, your cafe is very popular.