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The hedgehog-friendly garden

Five jobs, most of them free. Do one this weekend.

  1. Cut a hedgehog highway

    A gap 13 cm × 13 cm (about a CD case) is all a hedgehog needs to pass between gardens. Hedgehog Street Ask your neighbours to do the same; a hole that leads into a sealed garden doesn’t help much. Hedgehogs roam an average of about 2 km a night; breeding males can cover up to 3 km. Home ranges average 10–20 hectares. Hedgehog Street

    A small hole cut at the bottom of a wooden garden fence
    A neat hole at the bottom of a fence.Photo: Professor Hog · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
    Little steps and a hole in a brick wall for hedgehogs on the Barnes Hedgehog Highway
    Steps and a hole on the Barnes Hedgehog Highway, London.Photo: The wub · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons

  2. Ditch the slug pellets

    Slug pellets, pesticides and poisons can kill hedgehogs and damage the food chain they rely on. BHPS Let the wildlife help instead.

  3. Make ponds safe

    Give ponds a gently sloping side or a ramp so a hedgehog that falls in can climb out. Hedgehog Street Hedgehogs are good swimmers but can drown if they cannot climb out of a steep-sided pond. Hedgehog Street

  4. Look before you strim, mow or burn

    Check areas thoroughly before strimming or mowing: strimmer injuries are among the most worrying calls the BHPS receives. BHPS

    Bonfires: build on the day, or move the whole pile before lighting it; light from one side; check with a torch and a broom or pole, never a fork. BHPS

  5. Leave a bit of mess

    Log piles, leaf litter and a wild corner give food and nesting spots. A hedgehog house helps too: Hedgehog houses should be untreated wood with an entrance tunnel or internal wall to keep predators out. Hedgehog Street

    A wooden insect hotel and hedgehog house in a Bristol community garden
    An insect hotel and hedgehog house in a Bristol garden.Photo: 14GTR · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons

Feeding

BHPS advice: offer good-quality meaty hedgehog food, meaty cat or dog food, or dry cat biscuits — and water. BHPS Never give milk. Hedgehogs are lactose intolerant and milk can make them very ill. Hedgehog Street More on the diet page.

Don’t “rehome” a wild hedgehog

Don't take a healthy hedgehog from the wild to "keep" in your garden — they range up to two miles a night and it is illegal to take them without good reason. BHPS

Kit that helps

A hedgehog house, a feeding station, proper food and a trail camera to see who’s visiting. Hedgehog houses · Feeding stations · Hedgehog food · Trail cameras. More on our kit page.

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