We’re excited to announce the launch of a brand new product for Cosy Cabins - the NestGuest Hedgehog House.
NestGuest was invented by Nick Fairburn in 2021, after he started helping hedgehogs at a rescue centre in Gloucestershire. But just a year after its launch, world events impacted the cost of raw materials and the costs of production and Nick reluctantly put up the business for sale.
Two years later we decided to take on this great product and satisfy the demands of many of our customers who frequently find hedgehogs, foxes and other small wild animals making their home inside the Kitty Cabin.
Our Managing Director Claire Walker said: “We were being told by customers that they would find hedgehogs had made their nest inside their pet’s Kitty Cabin. And, charming as this sounds, the Kitty Cabin is not meant for them and is not the ideal house. The NestGuest has been really carefully designed to meet the needs of hedgehogs so it’s an ideal second product to add to our line.”
Nick explains the backstory to NestGuest: “I was building classic wooden hedgehog houses to rehabilitate hedgehogs from Newent Hedgehog Rescue Centre until Covid struck. Timber became scarce and very expensive so I looked into alternative materials.”
After much research, Nick eventually chose polyethylene – the plastic used in manufacturing such familiar items as plant-pots and litter bins. It’s safe for animals and very durable - Kitty Cabins are made in the same way.
Nick consulted with hedgehog experts from Vale Wildlife Hospital in Beckford, near Tewkesbury, and Wild Hogs Rescue Centre based in Frampton upon Severn, in order to create the perfect hedgehog home complete with predator protection and plentiful ventilation.
Nick adds: “It was a bit of a process to get the design just right but hundreds of happy hedgehogs prove that this design works. It’s important that we do what we can to preserve our endangered species, for the benefit of all.”
The NestGuest is now on sale.
Hedgehogs are native to the UK but are sadly endangered. Find out more about how you can help protect them and provide safe shelters and green corridors to allow them to roam.
