RELEASING MRS TIGGYWINKLE
How to re-release a hedgehog to give it the best chance of survival.
ALWAYS TRY to return a hedgehog to where it was found unless there are obvious reasons not to do so.
PUT OUT half a tin of meaty dog or cat food each night until no longer taken.
TRY AND KEEP the food out of reach of your local cat population – one way to do this is to place the food in a feeding dish underneath a paving slab supported by two bricks (so a hog can get at it, but a cat can’t).
GIVE YOUR hedgehog a hibernation and sleeping place – you can buy these in garden centres or build your own.
PUT IT in a shady, sheltered spot facing away from the worst of the weather (in a shrubbery works well). If you put it in a place that gets direct sunlight, hedgehogs won’t use it.
GET RID of all things that might endanger a hedgehog: any poisons (slug pellets or warfarin, for example) and garden netting, including things like football goals. If you use humane traps, you need to check them at least twice (but ideally more) a day.
IF YOU have a garden pond, make sure a hedgehog has access to it, but can also get out if it falls in – you can do this using chicken wire or a wooden plank.
KEEP AN EYE on your dog, if you have one, especially at night when hedgehogs are active.