How To Help Hedgehogs At Home This Autumn

A recent poll conducted by Center Parcs found that a quarter of Brits have never seen a hedgehog in real life before, with a further 78% not knowing that they are in fact endangered in the UK.

Luckily Alex Gray, Senior Conservation Ranger at Woburn Forest Center Parcs, has provided a useful guide for helping hedgehogs at home throughout autumn.

Why are hedgehogs endangered?

Hedgehogs have been in Britain for approximately half a million years, but in recent decades their numbers have seen a sharp decline. The latest State of Britain's Hedgehogs report quotes that numbers have fallen by up to 30% in urban areas and 50% in rural ones since the Millennium.

Habitat loss is one the greatest threats to hedgehogs through the loss of hedgerows and foraging habitats. Predators such as badgers also pose a threat, but an even greater one is road casualties with an estimated 335,000 hedgehogs injured on British roads each year2.

Alex's three tips for helping hedgehogs at home:

1. Garden access – Hedgehogs can travel up to 2km a night3 in search of food so having an accessible garden helps to keep them away from crossing roads.

Fence holes are a great way to do this to let them in and out of the garden. They don’t need to be huge, a hole approximately 13x13cm will do but always make sure to check with your neighbour first.

2. Shelter – Leaving a small area of the garden wild, with piles of leaves or long grass provides an excellent natural habitat for hedgehogs. An artificial home can also be created by placing a piece of wooden board against a wall to create a small outcove.

When clearing piles of leaves or logs make sure to take extra care of any nesting hedgehogs, and always make sure to thoroughly check a bonfire before lighting it.

3. Care – Avoid any slug pellets or harmful pesticides as these can potentially poison hedgehogs and remove their food supply. Natural remedies such as sprinkling used coffee grounds around plants you want to protect are much safer.

If your garden is home to a pond, make sure it has a gently sloping edge to help hedgehogs climb out if they fall in. Also, try to clear up any litter before nightfall to prevent hedgehogs from becoming trapped or entangled in anything.

f you come across a sick or injured hedgehog, carefully pick them up and put them in a ventilated box to take to a local vet, or speak to a local rescue group for advice.

You can find more advice on rspca.org.uk/reportaconcern or this helpful video guide shows you how to carefully pick up and transport a small animal: