Hedgehogs are one of Britain’s most charming garden visitors, but their numbers have fallen dramatically in recent decades. Intensive farming, road deaths, tidy gardens and the loss of hedgerows have all taken a toll. In towns and suburbs, however, gardens can be a genuine lifeline. A single hedgehog may travel a mile or more in a night, so a connected network of suburban plots — with wild corners, safe passages and reliable water — can make the difference between survival and decline.
Encouraging hedgehogs is not about grand gestures. It is about small, practical changes that add up: a gap in a fence, a pile of logs, a shallow dish of water, and a little less tidying. The good news is that most of these changes are cheap, quick and beneficial to a whole range of wildlife.
The single most important thing you can do is to create a hedgehog highway. A gap just 13cm square at ground level is enough for a hedgehog to pass through comfortably, but too small for most pets. Cut a notch in the bottom of a wooden fence panel, lift a gravel board at the corner, or remove a brick from a wall. If you have a solid wall, a small tunnel beneath a gate can work well.
Position the gap where it will not be blocked by plants or rubbish, and keep it clear all year. If your garden is enclosed by concrete gravel boards, you may need to cut a notch with a saw or hire a contractor. Speak to your neighbours — if they also cut a gap, hedgehogs can move safely through several gardens without risking the roads. A few metres of connected habitat can transform your street into a hedgehog-friendly neighbourhood.
Hedgehogs love a slightly untidy patch. Leave one corner of the garden to grow wild: long grass, native wildflowers, fallen leaves and a log pile. This provides natural food, shelter and nesting sites. A log pile is especially valuable. Stack untreated logs loosely in a quiet, shaded spot, with the largest logs at the bottom and smaller ones on top. Leave the pile undisturbed — it will become home to beetles, slugs, worms and other hedgehog prey.
You can also build or buy a hedgehog house. A simple wooden box with a 13cm entrance tunnel, placed in a sheltered spot against a wall or under a hedge, makes an excellent nest. Put a handful of dry leaves inside and cover the roof with a layer of leaves or a piece of damp-proof membrane. Avoid treated timber and never use creosote or wood preservatives, which can be harmful.
Hedgehogs are insectivores, and a wildlife-friendly garden will supply plenty of natural food. You can supplement their diet, especially in dry spells or late autumn, with meaty cat or dog food (not fish-based) or specially formulated hedgehog biscuits. Always provide fresh water in a shallow dish — hedgehogs can drown in steep-sided bowls, so add a few pebbles or a ramp.
Never put out bread and milk. Hedgehogs are lactose intolerant, and bread fills them up without providing proper nutrition. Avoid slug pellets at all costs. They are lethal to hedgehogs, either directly or through poisoned slugs. Instead, use beer traps, copper tape, nematodes or simply hand-pick slugs at dusk. Avoid pesticides and rat poison too, as these can travel up the food chain.
A hedgehog-friendly garden is also a safe garden. Ponds need a gently sloping edge or a ramp of stones and twigs so hedgehogs can climb out. Cover drains and pick up netting, especially fruit netting and sports nets, which can entangle them. Check long grass before strimming, and always fork through compost heaps before digging in. If you build a bonfire, move the woodpile on the day of burning — hedgehogs often nest underneath.
Keep dogs under control at night, and avoid leaving out plastic rings from bottles or packaging. A little vigilance goes a long way. If you see a hedgehog out in daylight, it is usually a sign of trouble — contact a local wildlife rescue for advice.
In spring and summer, hedgehogs are active, feeding and raising young. Keep water available, leave wild corners undisturbed, and avoid cutting hedges between March and August if possible. In autumn, they need to build fat reserves for hibernation. Leave fallen leaves and don’t tidy too much. A hedgehog house lined with dry leaves makes an ideal winter nest.
In winter, resist the urge to clear everything. Hibernating hedgehogs may be tucked under log piles, compost heaps or dense shrubs. Disturbing them can be fatal. Come spring, you may be rewarded with a prickly visitor snuffling through your borders. With a gap in the fence, a wild corner and a dish of water, your suburban garden can become a small but vital refuge — not just for hedgehogs, but for the whole web of life that supports them.
The Seasonal Plot shares practical, down-to-earth guidance on british seasonal gardening and outdoor living for readers across the UK.
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