7 Ways to Attract Hedgehogs to Your Garden

Hedgehogs are charming, beneficial creatures that help keep garden pests under control. If you’d love to welcome these spiky visitors into your outdoor space, here are seven ways to make your garden a hedgehog-friendly haven.

1. Provide Shelter and Nesting Spots

Hedgehogs need safe places to sleep and hibernate. You can build or buy a hedgehog house and place it in a quiet, shaded corner of your garden. Piles of logs, leaves, or compost heaps also serve as excellent natural shelters.

2. Create Hedgehog Highways

Hedgehogs need space to roam in search of food and mates. Ensure they can move freely by cutting small (13×13 cm) holes in the bottom of fences or walls to connect your garden with neighboring green spaces.

3. Offer Fresh Water and Food

Providing a fresh water source, like a shallow dish, helps keep hedgehogs hydrated. Supplement their diet with meaty cat or dog food (not fish-based), or specialist hedgehog food, especially in dry seasons when natural food is scarce. Avoid bread and milk, as they can make hedgehogs sick.

4. Avoid Using Pesticides and Slug Pellets

Hedgehogs feast on insects, worms, and slugs. Chemicals in pesticides and slug pellets can harm or poison them. Opt for organic gardening methods or natural slug deterrents like crushed eggshells or copper tape.

5. Keep Your Garden Wild

A well-manicured lawn may look neat, but hedgehogs prefer a more natural setting. Allow some areas of your garden to grow wild with native plants, hedgerows, and leaf piles to provide food sources and nesting materials.

6. Provide Safe Passage and Reduce Hazards

Hedgehogs often fall into garden hazards like uncovered drains, deep ponds, and steep steps. Cover drains, add escape ramps to ponds, and create gentle slopes where needed to prevent accidents.

7. Check Before Tidying Up

Before using strimmers, lighting bonfires, or raking leaf piles, check for hidden hedgehogs. Many are injured or killed by garden tools when they seek shelter in piles of leaves and logs.

Conclusion

By making a few small changes to your garden, you can create a safe and welcoming environment for hedgehogs. In return, they’ll help keep pests under control while bringing a delightful presence to your outdoor space. Happy hedgehog gardening!