How to attract and support hedgehogs in your own garden.

Gills Hog Blog.

by Gill Dixon PGCE,MA,BHScHons,RGN.

Hedgehog friendly gardens.

 I was recently asked by someone how he might attract hedgehogs to his garden and what he should do to enhance his space to suit them better. Such a great question and worth exploring a little.

Hedgehogs are wild, nomadic animals and as their name suggests they love hedgerows and areas of wilderness where they can hunt and nest and be protected from predators. They are solitary too (except during the bi annual mating rituals) and are not territorial. They will stay on a patch and become familiar with it but do not fight over it. The males will fight over females though during mating seasons.

Our gardens are fantastic sources of food and shelter for them, or they can be.

Over the years (and especially in the last 50 or so) we have encroached upon their environment drastically and they have had to learn to adapt as best they can to live along side us. They are not  doing brilliantly at that, but currently they are doing better in towns than they are in the countryside and this may be because they are being supported by residents.

They are on the whole harmless  crepuscular  animals (seen most at dusk and dawn ) and should not be seen in the daytime (apart from busy mums in Spring and Autumn who will be moving with purpose).

They are great for the garden, eating lots of the things we class as pests . Please avoid pesticides and slug pellets.

When we look at how to help them it is worth looking from the bottom up. They are insectivores, with a preference for caterpillars and beetles and our insectivore numbers have been declining drastically in recent years.

So the first thing we can do is to leave an area of the garden to grow wild. Even a small area will help enormously and if you can add some wild flowers to the mix to encourage insects all the better. Just stopping mowing a small section of lawn. 

An area like this takes very little management so it's less work for us too and is absolutely beautiful to behold so it really is a win, win investment.

Improve the habitat further by introducing a log pile which both beetles and hedgehogs love.

You may want to buy a hedgehog house , but it wont necessarily be used if you have other attractive areas). There are some lovely ones here https://hedgehogsrus.co.uk/shop/ols/products/hedgehog-house

Another hugely important consideration is a supply of fresh clean water. This should be available at all times and a plant pot holder makes a fantastic shallow container.

So many come into  rescues during the summer who are severely dehydrated. This simple addition to your garden really will save lives, so if you do nothing else, please do this

You may also want to feed your visiting hogs and they will enjoy some supplementary food. Cat/kitten biscuits are all you need to offer to supplement their diet and ideally you should do this in a feeding station which prevents cats and foxes from eating the food.( on the whole).

These can be  constructed really easily and there are a whole range to choose from . You can find more information here https://www.hedgehogstreet.org/cat-proof-hedgehog-food/

Hedgehogs do not become reliant on the food so don't worry if you are not going to be there.

So now we have considered  leaving a bit of grass to grow and sorted out food and water,  they have to be able to get to it. We erect walls and fences that prevent hedgehogs from entering gardens . So create a hedgehog highway. Chat with your neighbours and ask if they will do the same. A 13cm square hole in boundary fences is all it takes. Have a look here https://www.hedgehogstreet.org/help-hedgehogs/link-your-garden/

If we all did this we would save countless hedgehogs as they can travel safely in search of food (up to 2 kms a night) . It is estimated that some 350,000 hedgehogs a year die on our roads!

Great stuff! You have now created  habitat, food and water and a highway . I can almost hear the patter of tiny feet as our prickly friends approach, but having done these essential and fantastic things we really do have to be sure that our gardens are as safe as they can be for these precious and now endangered animals.

Hedgehogs have not had time to evolve to be able to cope with the rapid changes we have enforced upon them and if they can get into trouble, believe me they will do.  

 

So here are a few more things you might like to consider.....

• Ensure that any nets are lifted 12 inches from the ground at night time.
• Ensure drains are covered.
• Please walk through any area to be strimmed (if you really HAVE to strim). Hedgehogs do not have a flight or fight response and simply curl up in a ball when threatened, They are no match for garden machinery and will always come off worst. I will save you the trauma of the more gruesome injuries but every year rescues deal with them. All absolutely unnecessary.

• Keep an eye on your dogs, they can and do cause horrific injuries and during nesting times (spring and autumn) hedgehogs are particularly vulnerable. Just shine a torch around before you let your dog out for its last toilet trip or if you know that they will worry hedgehogs keep them on a lead. Watch for them sniffing around favourite nesting places under sheds, wendy houses and pallets.
• Garden ponds can be very attractive during dry periods and whilst hedgehogs are good swimmers, they do need to be able to get out of the pond. Please ensure there is a shallow slope or a ridged ramp that allows they to exit safely or they will most certainly perish. A plank of wood covered in chicken wire will suffice., or a slice of rubber doormat just laid into the water.
• Litter can also be an issue, especially if it smells of food. Elastic bands, baler twine , plastic can rings and discarded dog poo bags are all hazards.
• Disturbing nests can be an issue and as our days get warmer and longer we are keen to get out there and start those garden projects. Sadly it is also when hedgehogs have their babies and so please be mindful when dismantling sheds or lifting pallets or piles of leaves. Sadly when a nest is disturbed the mother very often kills her babies, so it can be a catastrophe. 
• Poisons, pesticides, slug pellets should all be labelled 'small mammal killers', whether they are eaten directly by hedgehogs or via the insects they were designed to kill, the effects are the same. Nothing can be done and the hedgehog dies a painful and protracted death as a result. 
• Rat traps, trap hedgehogs too, so if you have to use them, simply raise them 12 inches from the ground. rats are great climbers, hedgehogs less so.
• Check your garden litter before lighting a bonfire and light it from one side giving anything chance to escape if they are hiding/nesting there. Unfortunately fireworks celebrations occur just as hedgehogs are thinking of hibernating and bonfires are very attractive sleeping sites.

I am sure this illustrates that there are a huge number of hazards out there but small changes can have a huge and positive impact on our only indigenous spikey animals

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One other thing to note is that hedgehogs are very susceptible to stress and they do not want to be in contact with humans. If you HAVE to handle them do so wearing gloves, as they carry a number of diseases which are transmissible to humans.

Gill Dixon ran a very busy hedgehog rescue for a number of years  and cared for around 600 animals a year.