Why do I want hedgehogs in my Garden?

• Hedgehogs are a superb gardener’s mate.

• The Hedgehog is safe around children & pets

• Hedgehog numbers are on the decline

The hedgehog is undoubtedly in the hearts of the British nation. We have all since childbirth, grown up with the Hedgehog central to the stories we have read, the programmes and films we have watched and indeed, Sega even chose a Hedgehog called Sonic as their icon when electronic games consoles were first introduced into our lives. But what do we really know about them?

As Britain’s only spiny mammal, the hedgehog hails from the group, Erinaceus europaeus. The majority of the upper body is covered with up to 5,000 spines, which are actually hair that has evolved over the estimated 10 million years the hedgehog has been on planet Earth. Each spine grows to about two inches in length over a 12 month period, before falling out to be replaced by a new one.

Most Hedgehogs are brown, although the Island of Alderney boasts a population that are Blond and in other parts of Britain the rare Black hedgehog can be seen. They can in exceptional circumstances live to be 15 years of age, however in the main they have an average life expectancy of 5 years.

The Hedgehog is mainly nocturnal with the male able to travel up to 2 miles in a night. They can move extremely quickly, can climb and swim, so very few things pose an obstacle to them. They have very poor eyesight but this is compensated for with an acute sense of smell, taste and hearing all of which enables them to track and catch their prey.

The staple diet of the Hedgehog is beetles, slugs and caterpillars all of which really endears them to gardeners. In actual fact they can eat their own body weight in pests in one night so are vital in maintaining the environmental equilibrium. They eat most voraciously as hibernation approaches (late autumn-early winter) as they have to attain a minimum body weight of 450g to survive the winter.

Hibernation enables the creatures to conserve energy at the time of year that food is at it’s scarcest. The body has to minimise it’s draw on the fat reserves to enable the animal to survive through until spring. It manages to do this in several ways; the hedgehog stops moving, it’s heartrate drops to about 20 beats per minute, breathing is suspended for long periods of time, body temperature reduces to match the ambient temperature of the surrounding environment and internally the chemical composition of the blood and major organs alters to prevent non-essential burning of body fat.

One of the first signs that Spring has arrived is the emergence of the Hedgehog from it’s winter den. After eating, one of its first actions is to find a mate. After breeding the male goes in search of other mates whilst the female begins nest building. Between 30 and 45 days later she produces 4 or 5 blind and bald babies.

The litter remains in the nest for about a month during which time each hoglet will have grown and shed initial spines to be replaced by the natural colour as well as gaining the ability to see. Initially the mother will lead the youngsters on short foraging trips from the nest. The length of these gradually increases (in time and distance) until after about four weeks the young branch out on their own. Those that make it this far are lucky.

About 20% of hedgehogs die before leaving the nest, whilst half of those that survive to their first hibernation do not come out of it. So how can we help?

How can I help Hedgehogs in my Garden?

The simplest way is to leave a patch of your garden to grow wild; let the grass grow unchecked, do not use chemical control, leave fallen leaves etc. (as the hedgehog will use this as bedding) and site a wildlife lodge in accordance with the instructions. However there are many other things you can do firstly, to encourage Hedgehogs into your garden and secondly to make their stay more pleasant.

Leaving a bowl of water out will help, leaving a bowl of milk will not. Hedgehogs are unable to properly digest dairy products so do not feed them milk. It is good to leave out dog food for them, but be wary as other animals, including vermin, may be attracted.

Hedgehogs are particularly susceptible to garden chemicals, especially blue metaldehyde slug pellets. They consume dead Slugs and Snails that have been in contact with the slug pellets and over a period of time the poison builds-up in the hedgehogs body which can prove lethal. If you have to control Slugs, you should be aware that the hedgehog as a voracious consumer of them is a great method of control however, if you still feel the need for chemical help, then please look for the Growing Success Children & Pet safe logo. Any product displaying this seal of approval is perfectly safe for Hedgehogs.

The growth in garden water features has also proved a problem. Although Hedgehogs are good swimmers many ponds have sheer sides and this effectively traps the animal in the water causing it to drown. All new ponds should be constructed with gently sloping sides, whilst existing ones can be made friendlier by inserting a log or plank at an angle or by fitting some chicken wire into the water as a crawl net.

Bonfires and compost heaps are both attractive sites to hedgehogs, so before working on either, gardeners should check for signs of wildlife. Drains should always be covered and all garden netting should be housed at least 12” above the ground to prevent our friends becoming entangled in it.

Finally all rubbish should be securely tidied away. Hedgehogs have been found with their heads stuck in all manner of tins, tubs and pots. If possible put all rubbish in a lidded bin, but if this proves to be impractical then store above ground level.







Where do I put my Wildlife Lodge?

Wherever possible your Hedgehog House or Hibernaculum should be sited against a wall, fence or similar in a quiet part of the garden. To keep the chill winter winds out it is best to face the entrance way to the south.

Once sited you can help insulate the lodge by firstly covering it with some plastic sheeting and then topping it with soil and garden debris (twigs, leaves etc.). If you leave some hay close by, the resident will carry this in to make up some bedding. To protect their delicate feet please scatter the supplied bag of sawdust over the interior floor of the lodge.

You should clean the lodge out once a year, preferably at the end of winter before springtime nesting. Firstly check that it is empty by leaving some food in the entranceway. If it remains untouched for a night the chances are that the lodge has been vacated. When this has been established, you should clear the insulation materials from the roof of the lodge and then clean out the interior. Once clean, dust lightly with a pyrethrum based insecticide (i.e. Growing Success Safer Ant Killer) before re-covering the floor with sawdust and then re-insulating.

Under no circumstances should you be tempted to treat your lodge with woodstain of any description (including Creosote) as the fumes from such products can prove to be extremely harmful. The lodge is designed to be functional as opposed to ascetically pleasing (although we think it looks good!).

If you follow the above instructions and treat your lodge and it’s visitors with due care and attention you will get great rewards. Your garden will benefit greatly, the environment will benefit greatly and what’s more you will be doing your bit for one of nature’s true superstars.

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