Want to provide somewhere safe for hedgehogs to hibernate? Here are some ways you can make your garden somewhere hedgehogs will be safe until spring.
CREATE ACCESS HOLES
Make hedgehog highways – they basically allow hedgehogs access to your garden – all you need to do is make holes in fences and gates that are around 12cm wide and 12cm high – you’ll be surprised how far they can roam!
PLANT HEDGES
Hedges are a great way for hedgehogs to roam around, they are also great for foraging, building nests and hibernating.
BUILD A BRIDGE
If you have a pond, add some netting or logs around it so that any clumsy hedgehogs that fall in can also climb back out.
STRIMMING AND MOWING
Do a sweep of the garden before getting the mower or strimmer out – you never know what you might find!
DON’T USE SLUG PELLETS
Slug pellets might be useful at keeping your plants safe but they nare deadly to more than just slugs. Hedgehogs are actually great slug predators, so encouraging them will be much better for your garden in the long run.
LEAVE OUT SOME FOOD
Hedgehogs are quite happy with cat and dog food so if you already have pets, its quite easy to feed them. You can also buy hedgehog food at supermarkets – just don’t leave them bread or milk!
HERE ARE SOME WAYS YOU CAN KEEP WILDLIFE, INCLUDING HEDGEHOGS SAFE DURING BONFIRE NIGHT:
Leave building a bonfire until the day you are planning to light it so they have no chance to move in.
Even if you do leave it until the last minute, make sure to move the whole thing a few metres before lighting just in case.
Make a barrier around the bonfire using chicken wire or something similar as this will also deter animals from moving in.
