Project Hedgehog
Hedgehog numbers in the UK are declining and the Lea Brook Valley are putting in place procedures to keep our hedgehogs alive. However, there are a few things you can do in your own garden to help our hedgehogs.
Our gardens collectively are the largest nature reserve in the UK, by making the most of them we can make a real difference for nature. Project Hedgehog is a go!
What you can do
Build a hedgehog home in a quiet part of your garden
Make something where a hedgehog could rest for the day, hibernate for winter or even given birth in and raise their hoglets. As long as it's out of the way, undisturbed, protected from the weather and has a hedgehog sized hole, then its good to go.
Put a pile of twigs/ logs/ cuttings/ leaves at the back of your garden
Let twigs, leaves and general garden mess build up for a bit in your borders. This provides a place for insects; is food for the hedgehogs.
Put out for and water for sustenance
Put out hedgehog food (semi-moist or dry) as their main source, try adding a few crushed unsalted peanuts. (Spike's hedgehog food, 2.5kg for £9.99 from Amazon, will last months!) They would also appreciate a shallow dish of water to drink, especially in hot weather!
Note: Bread and milk will make them ill!
Make a simple feeding station to prevent other animals, like cats from eating their food.
Check area for hedgehogs before working in the garden
Hedgehogs like to bed down for the day in long grass as this makes an ideal resting place, hidden away quietly. Before grass cutting or working with other garden machinery, check long grass and leaf piles. Strimmers can maim hedgehogs causing horrific injuries and even death.
Make your garden part of a hedgehogs nightly route
Make a hole about the size of a CD (~13cm x 13cm) in the fence, gate, gravel board, or other barrier to your garden. it will be too small for most pets but essential for a hedgehog to get in.
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Note: Hedgehogs wander up to 2 miles a night in search of food and a mate and many gardens are not accessible to them. It takes at least 20 gardens to support one hedgehog. In the summer pregnant females, new mothers and baby hoglets may depend on you for food. In the winter, hedgehogs trying to fatten up for hibernation may need your food and drink to survive.
Talk to your neighbours to see if you can link all of the gardens on your road. We can provide signs like the one of the right for you so the hole you make into your garden is not blocked and continues to allow hedgehogs to travel through.
Other Useful Hedgehog Information
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Hedgehogs can swim but get tired easily so a ramp in your garden pond may make the difference between life and death. This could be a piece of wood, slate or rocks so they can climb out of the water.
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Hedgehogs will eat slugs so can help with your slug problem. If you must use pellets, prop a paving slab up over 2 stones and place the pellets under there, where neither hedgehogs or birds can reach to eat them, but the dark place will attract slugs.
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Hedgehogs carry fleas but they are specific type that can only survive on hedgehogs, not dogs or cats. So there is no need to worry about hedgehog fleas on our 4 legged friends.
This is a project in partnership with A Rocha UK, they have given us a generous grant for us to build houses and purchase materials for our hedgehog project. We would like to thank A Rocha UK for all their help and support as we kickstart this project.
We have a Hedgehog Survey planned for 22nd July - 28th July, for more information about this or anything related to Project Hedgehog please: