I love hedgehogs and this time of year I always think about them and what we can do to help them out. Hedgehog populations in the UK have fallen by approximately two thirds in the last 25 years in urban areas and fallen by half in rural areas. They are in serious decline, however there are some ways we can give hedgehogs a safe retreat in our gardens.
Hedgehog Hibernation
If you are lucky enough to have a hedgehog choose your garden as their home, or have seen them mooching around in the evenings now is a good time to give them a helping hand. Hedgehogs will be going into hibernation anytime between now and the end of November depending on how mild the weather is. As the temperatures have suddenly dropped they may start settling down for winter sooner. Hedgehogs rely on their fat reserves to survive over winter, so keeping your hogs chunky will give them a healthy chance of survival into hibernation. Underweight hedgehogs will still try to hibernate but if the body fat is too low they will not survive.
What to feed your garden visitors
Hedgehogs are insectivores and their natural diet consists of bugs and grubs found in your garden.
We can supplement their food intake by giving meat based cat or dog food in shallow dishes, and also cat biscuits. Hedgehogs are opportunistic feeders and with their fantastic sense of smell will be able to find the food easily. To prevent other animals or your pets from taking it, you can place the food under a sturdy box with a hole big enough for a hog and weigh it down with some bricks. Hedgehog houses are a fun winter activity and can be made from simple materials, and what a rewarding feeling if they chose your home to rest in!
Hedgehogs are lactose intolerant so avoid feeding bread or milk, these can make them very ill. Mealworms in large quantities can also cause health problems.
A shallow dish of fresh water will also help your hogs, if you have a pond then ensure they have a ramp so they can climb out.
Hogs will wake from hibernation if their fat reserves deplete and will go search for food, so if you notice one out and about late into winter, they may be in trouble and it’s a good idea to offer some food.
Extra help for hoggies
To help them further you can encourage insects into your garden to increase the invertebrate prey for your hogs. Compost heaps, log piles and allowing areas to become overgrown will encourage insects and help the hedgehogs thrive.
You can also help them by creating a hedgehog highway, with permission, a space of about 13x 13cm in fences allows access into your garden, and more areas for them to travel to forage for food.
If you have any pictures of your hedgehog houses or highways, I’d love to see them in the comments and thank you for thinking of the hedgehogs!
