October and November are really important months for hedgehogs in the garden. They are busy eating as much as they can to build up fat reserves for hibernation, while some younger hedgehogs might still be too small to survive the winter without help. The best way to help our prickly visitors is to offer food, fresh water shelter and a garden where they can move around freely and in safety.
Food
Supplementary hedgehog food is a great way to support their wellbeing. Put a little out each evening at dusk in a sheltered feeding station with a small entrance. A small, sturdy bowl is ideal. Check back in the morning to make sure it has all gone and remove leftovers to discourage flies and rodents.
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Fresh Water
Leave a shallow, stable bowl of water out throughout autumn and winter as hedgehogs still need hydration, even when the weather is cold. Avoid putting out milk as it can upset their tummies and bread, which has little nutritional value. Some people put bird food such as mealworms, peanuts and sunflowers out for hedgehogs, but this is not a good idea for regular hedgehog food as it is not nutritionally balanced for them.
Create a safe space for hibernation
• Hedgehogs use leaves and other garden materials to build insulated nests. Rather than raking up leaves and discarding them, leave them for the hedgehogs to use as construction materials.
• Keep an area of the garden quiet and wild with a pile of logs, or brushwood to create shelter.
• Provide a hedgehogs house and place it somewhere quiet and sheltered, away from direct sunlight and ideally near a hedge and vegetation. Resist the temptation to keep opening it up to check whether any inhabitants have moved in.
Hedgehogs usually hibernate between November and early spring, depending on the weather. During this time they can wake up to go looking for food and water, so it is a good idea to continue to putting some out for them.
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Make your garden hedgehog-friendly
• Make sure hedgehogs have a highway between your garden and others by leaving a gap at the bottom of fences and in hedges.
• Avoid the use of slug pellets and pesticides which can harm wildlife and reduce natural food supply.
• Check leaf piles, compost heaps and bonfire material before disturbing them. Check before mowing and strimming too.
• Make ponds safe with a gently sloping edge or escape way so that hedgehogs can climb out if they fall in.
When to worry about a hedgehog
A hedgehog moving around after dark, looking for food is normal behaviour. Please contact the British Hedgehog Preservation Society or local wildlife rescue organisation if you see any of the following:
• A hedgehog out in daylight, especially in autumn and winter.
• If a hedgehog is staggering, wobbling, lethargic or appears injured.
• A small, thin or weak hedgehog that is lying in an exposed area rather than sheltering in a nest.