Hedgehog warning as temperatures drop! Here's how to make your garden more hedgehog-friendly

Animal lovers, it's a good idea to learn how to make your garden more hedgehog-friendly –⁠ especially now that temperatures are dropping.

Hedgehogs might be nocturnal, and they might only come out at night, but that's no reason not to embrace our list of gorgeous wildlife garden ideas.

Why? Well, because you might just help a spiky (and very cute) critter make it through the winter, as well as add £30K to your house's value. We guess it really does pay to be kind...

How to make your garden more hedgehog-friendly

If you've been busily trying to figure out how to make your garden more hedgehog-friendly, you're not alone: plenty have been prompted to jump on this garden trend after a recent warning issued by Hedgehog Rescue Blackpool.

'As the temperature has dropped  it's more likely you will see sick hedgehogs who are struggling to survive and just about making it through, beginning to lose the battle and come out in the day time,' reads the Facebook post.

'They come out because they are dying, and hypothermia is a stage of the process. It makes them feel cold, so they come out in the day to get the sun's heat. It's an emergency.'

The post goes on to add that hedgehogs found wandering around in the daytime should be brought indoors, placed in a box with a hot water bottle, and covered with fleece and lots of scrunched-up kitchen roll.

'Put in a dish of water then leave the box in a quiet, well-lit room, and start ringing the rescues immediately,' it finishes.

Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to help prevent things from getting to this stage –⁠ and it all begins with learning how to make your garden more hedgehog-friendly.

Buy a hedgehog house:

Transforming your garden into a hedgehog haven needn't take lots of time and effort, but doing so could have an overwhelmingly positive impact on the rapidly declining species.

'Amidst the alarming decline of hedgehog populations in the UK, from 1.5 million in 1995 to fewer than 500,000 today, hedgehog-friendly gardens have never been more important,' says Vicki Hird, Strategic Lead on Agriculture at The Wildlife Trusts.

'Imagine your garden as part of a vital wildlife corridor, allowing hedgehogs to move freely. Whether you're in the city or countryside, offering food, water, and shelter helps hedgehogs thrive.'

Vicki adds that 'everyone can help to protect and preserve this charismatic species by providing them with spaces to nest, such as a hedgehog house, or even a log pile, or compost heap.'

Adrian Thomas, Wildlife Gardener for the RSPB, has also dropped a few ideas on how to make your garden more hedgehog-friendly.

1. Create a hedgehog highway

'Hedgehogs can roam up to one mile in a single evening –⁠ an impressive distance on such little legs!' says Adrian. 

'Help them out by creating small gaps or holes in fences, walls or bushes to allow them to move through your garden freely. A hedgehog-sized hole should be at least 13cm x 13cm and should be located low down, near the ground.'

2. Provide plenty of hiding places

If you're wondering how to make your garden more hedgehog-friendly, Adrian reminds us that 'hedgehogs love foraging amongst fallen leaves and twigs, so try to leave your garden a little wild and unkempt'. 

'Instead of binning all of your garden waste, create small hog-friendly mounds of sticks and twigs,' he says, noting that these will provide shelter and help to attract insects –⁠ a vital source of food for hedgehogs.

3. Avoid pesticides and herbicides

'Slug pellets and weed killers can prove deadly to our prickly pals –⁠ as well as their primary food sources; slugs and snails –⁠ so keep them out of your garden,' says Adrian.

'Wood preservers should also be avoided too, as hedgehogs love to lick freshly treated fences. Why? We’re not quite sure, but it’s worth bearing in mind.'

4. Supplement their diet

Still learning how to make your garden more hedgehog-friendly? One of the easiest ways is to offer them a snack.

'Hedgehogs need to fatten up before hibernation,' says Adrian. 'You can leave out dishes of wet cat or dog food, meat-based cat biscuits, or specialised hedgehog food to supplement their diet.'

It's worth tucking this away somewhere that only hedgehogs can get to, especially if you're trying to suss out how to stop foxes pooing in your garden.

5. Check for hidden hedgehogs

Before using garden equipment like lawnmowers or strimmers, check for hidden hedgehogs in tall grass or under bushes.

Adrian adds that, tragically, 'Bonfire Night is also one of the most dangerous times for hedgehogs, with seemingly safe unlit bonfires turning into a drastic danger for local hogs. This is especially shocking when you learn that many hedgehogs have a second litter in the autumn!'

Always, then, check your bonfire before you set light to it.

6. Remove hazards

On the hunt for yet more ways to make your garden more hedgehog-friendly?

'Clear your garden of any potential hazards like netting, plastic, or other litter that hedgehogs might get entangled in,' says Adrian. 

'If you’ve got a pond, be sure to modify it by placing a series of small steps, too. This way, if a hedgehog falls in, they’ll have a better chance of clambering back out.'

FAQs:

Remember, 'hedgehogs hibernate during the cooler months, usually from November to April,' says Adrian. 

'Giving hedgehogs somewhere to nest is one of the best ways to support the species.'

So, if you're looking for just one thing that will help you make your garden more hedgehog-friendly, it's that: a nice little den or house, positioned somewhere to help them get some much-needed shut-eye over the winter months.

Good luck!