Where should I put the hedgehog house?
Position the Hedgehog home somewhere quiet, out of the prevailing wind. Under shrubs is an ideal place as it will help to ensure the hedgehogs are undisturbed. Cover the shelter with leaves and brushwood to camouflage it and create a cosy den.
When will hedgehogs use this home?
Hedgehog houses may be used for winter hibernation, throughout the summer as a safe shelter, or, if you're very lucky, by a female making a nest to have her young.
How can I encourage hedgehogs?
- Consider making your garden more wildlife friendly. Hedgehogs need to be able to get from garden to garden to look for food. Solid fencing all-round will prevent them being able to travel between gardens so ensure there's a gap or that you choose natural hedging in places instead of solid fence.
- Provide them with suitable habitats: They like thick dense undergrowth and a variety of lengths of grass.
- Hedgehogs have a varied diet and you may also be able to provide them with some supplementary hedgehog food. This is particularly useful during periods of drought when natural insect foods may be harder to come by. You can try Brambles hedgehog food, part of this bundle deal but also available separately from RSPB Shop (online and in store) and some other retailers.
- Avoid giving hedgehogs milk, bread, and mealworms.
Garden dangers to watch out for
- Toxic chemicals. Slug pellets can be particularly detrimental.
- When putting preservative on garden sheds, fences and other wood furniture around the garden use non-toxic brands. Hedgehogs often lick new smells and surfaces.
- Hedghogs habitually hide themselves in piles of leaves, grass cuttings, pampas grass, compost heaps and bags of rubbish. Always check these before burning, cutting, strimming, mowing, putting a fork into or disposing of them.
- Many plastic items can trap, ensnare or cut a hedgehog. These include netting, plastic can holders, large necked bottles, plastic pots and barbed wire.
- Hedgehogs can also easily fall down holes, into water troughs, ponds, swimming pools and other types of water vessel. If you cannot prevent them from falling in, then make sure there is always a way for them to get out. Dogs can injure hedgehogs, so make sure you know what your dog is doing when in the garden late at night.
What happens if I disturb a hedgehog?
If you accidentally disturb an active hedgehog nest, carefully replace the material. The hedgehog will soon repair or move the nest elsewhere. If there are young in the nest, avoid touching them. Similarly, if it is a hibernating adult, avoid waking it. Should it wake, you may want to leave it some food nearby until it hibernates again.
