Prickly feat
Hedgehogs are a gardener’s friend and you can pay them back and help numbers spike with little acts of kindness outdoors
Many have come out of hibernation now so they need a hand
You have to love hedgehogs. Those prickly paws prey on slimy slugs, keeping them off your plants and veg without resorting to chemicals.
I’ve recently been appointed as a patron of the Hedgehog Preservation Society, working to raise awareness of the decline in numbers.
With Hedgehog Awareness Week starting today, it’s more important than ever to start supporting the gardener’s friend.
Attracting and caring for hedgehogs in your garden will not only benefit plants but help to save this adorable species from becoming endangered.
Understanding these creatures is essential. They are very cute and can be inquisitive but they are not pets and must never be treated as such.
If you do see one in your garden, try not to disturb them and let them go about their business. If you suspect one is injured or needs medical help, use gardening gloves to gently collect it and bring it indoors.
Place it in a cardboard box with a warm hot water bottle wrapped in an old towel, some fresh water and a little meat-based cat or dog food and another towel for the hedgehog to hide under. Keep it somewhere quiet and warm and call the Hedgehog Preservation Society for advice and local contacts.
Signs of a hedgehog in distress include appearing to be sunbathing or lethargic or looking wobbly and as though they are drunk.
Hedgehogs sometimes come out during daylight hours – particularly at dawn and dusk on short summer nights – so this may not be a cause for concern, as long as they are scurrying about in the usual manner.
Many have recently come out of hibernation so it’s the opportune time to give them a helping hand.
Leave out fresh water and cat or dog food for hungry hogs after a long winter sleep – some garden centres even sell hedgehog food. Never leave milk or bread as these can cause an upset stomach.
Plant wildflowers such as ox-eye
daisy and red campion, which attract caterpillars – a great source of grub.
Remember, hedgehogs are wild animals that like to roam freely over a wide area, so perfectly tamed gardens and impenetrable fences are offputting. Leaving areas wild by creating log and leaf piles will be attractive, providing a hibernation or nesting spot, as well as a wealth of insects to feast on.
A hedgehog home is another great option and these can be bought online or from garden centres. Or make one yourself using bricks and old bits of wood. Work with neighbours to make hedgehog highways between gardens by creating holes (roughly 5in) between fences or channels underneath.
This will allow any local hedgehogs to roam between gardens, giving them a higher chance of finding food, nesting sites and a mate. Hedgehogs can travel up to a mile each night.
There are several things in the garden that pose a serious threat to the animals. Ponds should be covered or have a gentle sloping edge to let them escape after a quick dip. Hedgehogs can swim but drown if they cannot scramble out.
Always check any areas of long grass before strimming and mowing. A ready-built bonfire is very enticing to hedgehogs, who see it as a cosy home. So try to only build right before you are about to light it or thoroughly check before you do.
Finally, chemical pest control may seem like an effective way to kill slugs but it is also a very effective way to poison hedgehogs. Whether they eat
the pellets or ingest a slug that has already been poisoned, chemical pest killer is extremely bad news for hedgehogs. Try to use organic methods such as beer traps. I find a great way to keep slug populations down is by attracting as many hedgehogs as possible. The Hedgehog Preservation Society has loads more information about looking after them and # hedgehogweek and can be found at britishhedgehogs.org.uk