Hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus)

Everyone knows what hedgehogs look like with 25mm spines covering both back and sides. Their 5000 to 7000 spines are actually modified hairs. The rest of their bodies are covered in coarse grey-brown hair. They vary dramatically in colour from white to black but most are a darker brown in colour. They are nocturnal creatures which do the rounds of many gardens travelling upwards of a mile each night.

The males hibernation begins in October whilst females start a little later in November. Younger animals can stay active into December but all will wake from their slumbers between mid March and early April.

Benefits

Looking after Hedgehogs

There are a number of things you can do to ensure that hedgehogs are encouraged and remain safe whilst in your garden. It's simple stuff, but hazards created by lack of thought by the gardener can easily lead to death of these lovable creatures.

Avoiding dangers

If you feel you have to use slug pellets, use them sparingly and place them in pipes or under slates where hedgehogs can't get at them. Always collecet dead slugs as these are poisonous to hedgehogs too due to the build up of toxins in their bodies.
Use any garden chemicals sparingly and treat them as lethal to hedgehogs unless stated on the label.

Hedgehogs can swim but may drown if the sides of a pond are too steep. A chicken wire ramp into the water will enable them to climb out.
Take care when you are mowning longer grass as hedgehog families live there.
Before burning a bonfire or Pampus type grass, ensure that there are no hedgehogs in there first.
Netting of all kinds is dangerous to hedgehogs as they starve after becoming tangled.
Hedgehogs are very inquisitive creatures and rubbish like yoghurt pots, cans and 4 pack plastic can rings can all be deadly.

Encouraging Hedgehogs

Feeding

Hedgehogs eat a wide variety of food (very noisily) to form their diet. They naturally eat insects and beetles form a large part of their diet. They also eat catapillars, earthworms, spiders and centipedes. They also eat slugs but prefer the small ones rather the monsterous which you would prefer them to eat! If you wish to encourage them, commercial food mixes are readily available which you can leave in a saucer. Some people leave out a meat based pet food for them which they will enjoy to supplement their normal diet. Do not feed them the traditional bread and milk! They may eat it but it is not good for them and is prone to give them diarrhoea! The ones in the Kirman Design garden adore banana chips!

Make sure the food is placed so that rain will not get into the dish. Providing a dish of water however will provide them with drinking water, especially in hot or times of extreme weather.

Nesting material

Leaving an area of the garden more natural will help hedgehogs and other wildlife. Leaves, brushwood and other materials suitable for nesting will specifically encourage hedgehogs.

Hibernation

You can easily make a hedgehog house of your own or buy one pre built. Either way, it needs to be placed ideally against a bank or wall in a quiet part of the garden. To make it more enticeing to the hedgehog, it is best if the entrance faces south or southwest to avoid cold winds. In early April, tidy it out and wash it down using organic Pyrethrum powder which is used to clean out bird cages. If you are not sure if the hedgehogs are still in residence, then you can check by putting a light obstruction in front of the hole at dusk and checking in the morning. Do not creosote or treat the wood as the fumes are dangerous.

Further information about hedgehogs can be found at:

The British Hedgehog Preservation Society