Today is National Hedgehog Day – a day to celebrate Britain’s only spiny mammal.
Emerging at dusk to feed under the cover of darkness, hedgehogs are elusive, nocturnal creatures. Perhaps due to how little interaction we have with them, hedgehogs are often overlooked as a species in decline.
Hedgehog numbers have declined rapidly over the last two decades, leading to worries that they may be disappearing from the UK completely.
Loss of natural habitat and increasing pesticide use due to farming mean that urban green space is now an increasingly important refuge for these spiny creatures.
By making a few small changes, you can ensure that your garden or green space is a haven for hedgehogs, protecting the species for future generations.
Here are our 10 top tips to help hedgehogs:
1. Team up with your neighbours to create a hedgehog highway*.
A 13cm x 13cm square gap in the bottom of your fence will allow hedgehogs to move between gardens, meaning they have access to more food, shelter, and opportunities to mate.
2. Create a wildlife area in your garden.
Many features of modern gardens, such as decking, patios and artificial grass leave hedgehogs with little access to food and shelter. Letting an area of your garden grow wild, planting a hedge* or building a log pile will provide shelter and a natural food source for hedgehogs.
3. Build or buy a hedgehog house.
During the winter, hedgehogs hibernate in nests built throughout the autumn. If you want to lend a helping hand to hedgehogs in your garden, you could create a shelter for them to feed or hibernate in. The British Hedgehog Preservation Society have some great advice on how to create a hedgehog home.
4. Avoid using slug pellets and other pesticides in your garden.
Pesticides reduce the amount of food available to hedgehogs, whose primary food source is insects. If hedgehogs eat slugs or insects who have been poisoned by pesticides, this will poison the hedgehog too.
5. Make your pond safe with a ramp.
Ponds are amazing for wildlife, but deep water can be dangerous for hedgehogs if they can’t get out. Adding a ramp to your pond will allow hedgehogs to climb out of your pond if they fall in.
6. Provide food and water.
You can supplement hedgehog’s diets with good quality meaty hedgehog food, meaty cat or dog food or dry biscuits for cats. You should only ever provide water for hedgehogs to drink. This is especially important during long dry spells, or leading up to hibernation.
7. Be careful with bonfires.
Build your bonfire just before you plan to burn it, to reduce the chances of hedgehogs and other animals making a home in it. If this is not possible, thoroughly check the bonfire with a torch before lighting it. When you set the bonfire alight, light it from one side only to allow an escape route in case any hedgehogs have found their way inside.
8. Keep your garden free of litter.
Discarded litter can injure hedgehogs if they become trapped in it. If you have netting in your garden, for example to protect your plants, ensure that it is 22-30cms (9-12 inches) above the ground to allow hedgehogs to pass underneath without getting stuck.
9. Check grassy areas carefully before mowing or strimming.
Hedgehogs and other small animals may be sleeping in long grass or shrubs in your garden. You should check carefully to make sure there aren’t any there before using a strimmer to cut plants back.
10. Helping a hedgehog in need.
A hedgehog in need of help may be lethargic, unsteady on its feet, surrounded by flies, trapped, or obviously injured. A hoglet seen out in the daylight without an adult may also be in need of help.
If you find a hedgehog showing any of these signs, you should pick it up using a towel and gently place it in a high sided box with a hot water bottle wrapped in a towel. Place the box somewhere quiet away from children, pets and flies. Call the British Hedgehog Preservation Society on 01584 890 801 to find the phone number of your local rescue or look online for their contact details.
*Visit our gardening page to find out what your responsibilities are before making any changes to your outdoor space.
