Help Save the European Hedgehogs

I thought it would be good to highlight a few things we can do to help the drastic decline in hedgehog numbers over the last 10 years.

- Make 5" round holes in your fences to allow hedgehogs to travel between gardens for food. One garden is not enough, they can travel up to a mile a night. Talk to your neighbours and see if you can create a network in the neighbourhood.

- Provide a shallow bowl of water and cat/dog meat flavoured dry biscuits, preferably in a feeding station (easy to create & stops cats/foxes), I place mine with a brick on top facing the garage/shed/fence & leave a tiny hog sized gap. Instructions can be seen here:

http://thehedgehog.co.uk/feeding-hedgehogs/how-to-stop-cats-dogs-and-foxes-stealing-the-hedgehogs-food/

- Leave areas of leaves, sticks & dead foliage in piles behind hedges or trees as shelter and homes. Alternatively, buy one from a garden centre or the internet & fill with hay.

- Place piles of logs to rot and attract beetles (a great hedgehog food source).
I'm happy to answer any questions, as I'm sure @Tetters will be. Thank you all

Another source of information & details of the nearest local rescue: Hedgehog Bottom - Hospital & Rescue

 

Good that you re highlighting the sad decline of out prickly friends. I support a local hedgehog sanctuary Wormit Hedgehogs | Helping Hedgehogs Survive it is run by a super old boy but he's getting very old. I hope someone will take over from himwhen he can't manage anymore.

 

Maybe that someone could be you silu. I bet that ''super old boy'' would be so glad to teach you all he knows.

 

For a very long time we never had hedgehogs then last year we had 3 this year we have only see two but we do feed and water them and if they want there is places to sleep, the worst bit is the road which has kill 4 in the last two years, i got a good feeling that some were released here for the quick numbers

 

We've a lovely little chap visiting our garden for over 8 years or so, he came for the slugs but stayed for the 5 star bed & board lol (he is spoiled if i do say so myself )only the best for our precious boy, he eats like a king ( Acana or Orijen dry food & natures diet or naturo wet food) plus whatever meaty leftovers. He has a choice of two houses to nest in & uses both regularly, he hibernates in the one attached to the shed almost every winter he has become a "pet" in a way, he comes when he's called & will allow us to lift him up without feeling the need to curl (not something we do often but sometimes he needs moving to his dinner if its something "special" like the lamb chop hes eating in the pic lol we do so love this little guy, he's such a wonderful little creature

 

I would willingly do at least some of what the sanctuary does but we have Badgers here which is bad news for Hedgehogs (natural predator). Having a small wood and living on a very quiet road I thought we would be an ideal release spot but no according to the old boy. We have lived here for 16 years and only once have we had a Hedgehog in the garden

 

We now have two every night, I put a plate of 'Mr Johnson's Hedgehog food' (from Wilkos) with a full bowl of water out every evening and we watch them from the conservatory.

 

Last night with had three visiters, fox,badger and hedgehog all by the feed bowls and not one wanted to fight, yet

But how would want to fight this little rascal