Encouraging Hedgehogs into a Town Garden

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20 Aug 2026

Encouraging Hedgehogs into a Town Garden

Why Hedgehogs Need Next-Door Neighbours

Hedgehogs are one of Britain’s best-loved garden visitors, but their numbers have fallen sharply in recent decades. A town garden can be a genuine refuge, yet a single garden is rarely enough. Hedgehogs are restless travellers and can cover a mile or more in a single night, following familiar routes through hedgerows, gardens and allotments. In built-up areas, those routes are easily broken by solid fences, walled gardens and neatly paved front gardens. If you want to encourage hedgehogs, think beyond your own boundary. The aim is to create a chain of safe gardens that a hedgehog can move through after dark.

Build a Hedgehog Highway

The single most useful thing you can do is make a gap. A hole roughly 13 centimetres square—about the size of a CD case—at ground level is enough for a hedgehog to pass through but too small for most pets. Cut a notch in the bottom of a wooden fence panel, lift a gravel board, or remove a brick from a wall. If a fence meets a wall, a small tunnel underneath can work well. Check with your neighbours first, especially if the fence is shared, and explain that you are creating a wildlife route rather than a gap for rats. In practice, a well-used gap stays clear and worn.

Look at your garden as part of a route. Can a hedgehog get from the front to the back? Are there gaps under gates, or could you fit a small archway? If your garden is sealed, ask two or three neighbours whether they would be happy to make one gap each. A terrace of connected gardens becomes a much richer habitat than a collection of isolated plots. Keep the route clear of obstacles, and avoid blocking it with plant pots, bins or paving.

Offer Food and Fresh Water

Hedgehogs are omnivores and need meaty food. The best offering is a small dish of meat-based cat food in jelly, or dry cat biscuits, plus a bowl of fresh water. Specialist hedgehog food is also widely available. Put food out after dusk and remove any leftovers in the morning to avoid attracting rats, foxes or cats. Do not give milk or bread: hedgehogs are lactose intolerant, and milk can cause serious digestive problems. Fish-based cat food and rich gravies are best avoided, and mealworms should only be a rare treat, as they are low in calcium and can lead to bone problems if fed regularly.

Water is just as important as food, particularly during hot, dry spells. Use a shallow dish with a rough surface or a few stones in it, so that a hedgehog can climb out if it falls in. Change the water daily and scrub the dish regularly. If you start feeding, try to be consistent, as hedgehogs may come to rely on the supply. A little food every night is better than a huge feast followed by nothing.

Provide Shelter and Nesting Places

A hedgehog needs somewhere dry, quiet and safe to sleep during the day and to hibernate in winter. A purpose-built hedgehog house is ideal, placed in a shaded corner away from prevailing wind and flooding. Look for one with a tunnel entrance, which helps deter cats and foxes. You can also make a simple nest box from untreated wood, or leave a wild corner with a log pile, a mound of dry leaves and a compost heap. Hedgehogs often nest under sheds, decking or dense shrubs.

Resist the urge to tidy every leaf. A pile of leaves in a quiet corner is a five-star hedgehog bed. If you have a compost heap, check it carefully before turning it, as hedgehogs may be sleeping inside. Keep nesting areas undisturbed between November and March, when hedgehogs are most likely to be hibernating, and avoid cutting back dense shrubs in spring and summer.

Make the Whole Garden Safer

Even a well-connected garden can be a hazard. Hedgehogs are curious and slow to escape. Avoid slug pellets and pesticides, which can poison hedgehogs directly or through the creatures they eat. Use barriers, copper tape or nematodes instead. Check long grass before strimming or mowing, and always check bonfire piles before lighting them. Cover drains and light wells, and provide a ramp or gentle slope in ponds so that hedgehogs can climb out.

Keep netting and plastic loops off the ground, as hedgehogs can become tangled.
Leave a wild patch of long grass and native flowers for insects and shelter.
Position a shallow water dish near a hedge or wall, not in the open.
Keep dogs away from a hedgehog that is curled up or moving slowly.
Check sheds and garages before closing doors at night.

Watch, Learn and Share the News

Hedgehogs are nocturnal, so the best time to look is just after dusk. Sit quietly with a red-filtered torch, or simply listen for rustling in the undergrowth. If you see a hedgehog out in broad daylight, it is usually a sign that something is wrong—especially if it is small, wobbly or lying in the open. Contact a local wildlife rescue for advice. Otherwise, enjoy the visit and let your neighbours know what you have seen. A shared hedgehog highway, a few dishes of water and a leaf pile can turn a row of town gardens into a lifeline for these remarkable animals.

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5 Comments

Robert Sonny says Jul 21, 2024 at 10:00am

I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system
Reply
- John Abraham says Jul 21, 2024 at 10:00am
  
  I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system
  Reply
  - Robert Sonnysays Jul 21, 2024 at 10:00am
    
    I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system
    Reply
Robert Sonny says Jul 21, 2024 at 10:00am

I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system
Reply

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