Help our Hedgehogs!

Decline of the hedgehog. This much-loved creature has seen a harsh decline in the last 70 years. In 1950 there were an estimated 36 million hedgehogs in the UK. Sadly, reports last year suggested that had dropped to just one million in 2013, a third of levels at the start of the century

What has affected our hedgehogs? It is considered to be partly due to warmer winters that have affected their hibernation patterns, waking them up at the wrong time of year, before there is enough food around. New roads and building developments constructed in their habitat may also be a factor. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND

We can help in our own gardens Hedgehog-friendly gardening Cover drains and holes and place bricks at the side of ponds to give hedgehogs an easy route out. Cover swimming pools overnight and when not in use. Check for hedgehogs before using strimmers or mowers, particularly under hedges where animals may rest. Check compost heaps for nesting hogs before forking over. Build bonfires as close to time of lighting as possible and check them thoroughly before lighting. Remove sports or fruit netting when not in use to prevent hedgehogs becoming entangled, and getting injured. Slug pellets can poison hedgehogs and should only be used as a last resort. Instead try using one of many "natural" alternatives, like sprinkling crushed eggshells or coffee grounds around the plants you need to protect. If you have to use pellets, place them under a slate which is inaccessible to hedgehogs. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

Make a hedgehog a home Leave areas of the garden ‘wild’, with piles of leaf litter and logs. These are an attractive nest as well as a home for the invertebrates (slugs, beetles) that hedgehogs like to eat. Making an artificial home can be as simple as placing a piece of board against a wall. Or buy a purpose built hedgehog house

Feeding hedgehogs Food and fresh water will encourage hedgehogs to return. Leave out foods like minced meat, tinned dog or cat food (not fish- based), crushed cat biscuits, or chopped boiled eggs. Specialist hedgehog food can also be bought from wild bird food suppliers. Never feed hedgehogs milk as it can cause diarrhoea; instead provide plain, fresh water in a shallow bowl.

Did you know? As many as 10 different hedgehogs may visit a garden over several nights, which could mean ‘your hedgehog’ is a number of different individuals visiting at different times. Hedgehogs usually hibernate between November and mid March and animals must have enough fat reserves to survive hibernation. Making hedgehog homes in the garden and providing food will help hedgehogs This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND

Different Hedgehog homes It’s really easy to make a house for hedgehogs. Take a sturdy crate and turn it upside down. Cover it with stones, earth and wood, and make sure there’s an entrance. If it’s dry and protected, hedgehogs can use it to stay over winter. You can buy a wooden hedgehog box, or make one to a similar design. Whenever you buy wood, make sure it comes from a sustainable source. Make your hedgehog home a sturdy one as badgers and foxes will make a meal of a hedgehog, given half a chance. The easiest way to help hedgehogs find a home is to give them plenty of natural opportunity. Log piles, compost heaps and cosy spaces under a shed or hedge are all popular. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND

Where to put your hedgehog home……                                                     Where to put your hedgehog home…… Hibernating hedgehogs like peace and quiet. Put the house where it won’t be disturbed, against a wall, bank or fence if possible and under or near plant cover. The north wind doth blow, so face the entrance away from north or north-east and you’re more likely to encourage a guest. Hedgehogs like to furnish their own homes with leaves and garden debris – it’s part of their hibernation ritual - so don’t line the box for them. Don't disturb the box once it's occupied. You might frighten a nesting mother and cause the young to be abandoned. If you can, put your hedgehog home in or near a damp, untidy area so that hedgehogs are protected when they come out to forage.

What happens Next? An informative letter will be sent home detailing how you can help our hedgehogs. If you can plan with your parents a suitable space you can use in your garden to put a hedgehog home. Build a home- simple ones are as good as complicated ones. Photograph your ‘Hedgehog Home’ and send it into school. Then……Keep watch to see if a hedgehog moves in. Remember keep your distance…..use a tracker to see if it is used. (Sand sprinkled on the ground which will show the footprints of any creature which walks over it) Report your findings to Mrs Hodson or members of the Eco-council and Mrs Shaw. Photos will be placed on our school website. Remember every little action you take helps!