Why do Hedgehogs need our help?
We are extremely lucky in Martinstown to share our village and its surrounding landscape with native hedgehogs. Hedgehogs have struggled during the hot, dry summer we have just experienced to find food. Many of the females who raised a litter during the summer, and their young hoglets, are likely to be underweight as a result. It is vital that they build up sufficient fat reserves during autumn, before they go into hibernation, or they simply won’t survive. They typically hibernate at any time from late September through to November, triggered by lowering temperature, food availability and body condition.
You can help hedgehogs put on a few essential extra grams this autumn by providing supplemental food for them in your gardens. If you can, keep putting food out for them until they stop turning up to eat, at which point they should be hibernating.
Access to your garden
Make sure hedgehogs can get into your garden to find the food you put out. If you have solid fencing, cut a 13 cm square hole in a gravel board so they visit.
What to feed Hedgehogs
- Bramble Hedgehog Food is available in our local shop.
- Other hedgehog formulated foods such as Ark Wildlife, Spike and Wild Things are all widely available and complete, nutritious food for your visiting hogs.
- Cat biscuits (crushed before putting out for hedgehogs)
- A good quality wet dog food. Avoid those ‘in gravy’ as they can mat into the hogs fur and spines
- Water in a shallow bowl. Hedgehogs can swim and will visit a garden pond, but please ensure you provide them with a safe exit route by placing stones, logs or a ramp at the edge of your pond.
What NOT to feed Hedgehogs
- Don’t feed human table scraps, biscuits, cakes, bread, crisps etc
- Don’t feed milk or any dairy products. They cannot process lactose and will suffer diarrhoea and dehydration as a result.
- Don’t feed dried mealworms, sunflower hearts, peanuts or dried banana chips. The above listed foods are of little nutritional value to hedgehogs and are also high in phosphorous, a surplus of which can result in bone density disorder.
How much to feed and where
Start with 100g of food, and if it all gets eaten you can increase the amount so that any late comers get a snack too. Don’t forget you are only supplementing their diet, they will find food elsewhere.
Hedgehogs are shy creatures so place food in a quiet location, away from the house and activity. A covered or enclosed space (feeding station) will prevent the food spoiling in bad weather, and enable the hedgehogs to feed in peace. Hedgehogs are nocturnal animals and start foraging around dusk, so put food out in time for them to find it.
A plea about bonfires!
A pile of logs or garden trimmings looks like an ideal hibernation spot to hedgehogs at this time of year. If you are planning to have a bonfire please build it on the day you are going to light it, and check for hedgehogs in the bottom couple of feet. If you have already built a pile for burning, move it before lighting.
Feeding Station Example
A feeding station should ideally be weatherproof, easy to clean and provide a secure place for hedgehogs to eat. There are many available to buy, but a home made version is perfectly acceptable to a hungry hog. Don’t forget to provide fresh clean drinking water too.
Above is an example of a home made version using a plastic storage box with a 13 cm square hole cut into one corner. The cut edges of the hole are sharp, so have been taped, and a piece of wood has been attached to the lid to provide a cat deterrent. A couple of bricks placed on the lid will deter a fox from overturning the box or dragging it away.
One other advantage of a clear plastic box is that a trail camera can film the hedgehogs inside.
