1. Provide Access – Make a 5″ hole (13cm) in your fence to allow hedgehogs to roam freely and ask your neighbours to do the same. They can travel up to 2km in one night.
2. Provide food & water – Leave a shallow dish of clean water out and change it daily. NOT milk, as this can make them poorly. Leave out a dish of food such as meaty dog food or hedgehog food.
3. No Slug Pellets – These don’t just poison hedgehogs, they damage their food chain.
4. Go Wild – Let an area of your garden go wild to offer protection, shelter and natural food by creating a mini ecosystem. Piles of leaves and branches will encourage hedgehogs to forage for food and provide excellent nesting material.
5. Be careful gardening – Always check bonfires for resting hogs before lighting and make sure they’re not hiding in your compost heap before turning it with your fork. Also, be particularly careful when mowing or strimming.
6. Remove garden litter – Get rid of anything that could be potentially harmful to hedgehogs, such as netting, wire or anything they can become trapped in or get their head stuck in.
7. Provide a home – Hedgehogs need a safe place to hibernate for the winter.
Build a hedgehog home for them.
Here’s a handy “How to guide” courtesy of Hedgehog Street.
or buy one….
Here’s one for sale courtesy of the British Hedgehog Preservation Society https://shop.britishhedgehogs.org.uk/product/hedgehoghome/