Create a hedgehog-friendly garden

Last autumn, there were many disturbing reports about the large decline in hedgehog numbers. These spiny, insect-eating mammals not only look cute but are also very useful. They love to clean up the snails in your garden. Did you know that they can eat up to 40 of them in one night? Your vegetable garden will thank you for it. As we too would like to give the hedgehog population a helping hand, we have listed a few tips for you.

🦔 Provide hedgehog gates & leave the leaves lying around

The cause of the declining hedgehog population is still under investigation. What is certain is that increasing traffic and the decreasing number of insects are not exactly helping the hedgehogs. In fact, heavy traffic is the number one cause of death for these animals. So the first tip is to keep hedgehogs as far away from busy roadways as possible. This can be done by installing hedgehog gates and paths in your garden. This will allow them to move freely and safely from one garden to another without injuring themselves on a fence or falling under a car. Make sure that the 'gates' are about 15 cm wide and 15 cm high so that the hedgehog can easily walk through them but other animals cannot.

Hedgehogs like to hide between leaves so the more nooks and crannies in your garden, the better off they will be. It will also save you a lot of tidying up! If hedgehogs feel at home in your garden they will also make their nest. You are much more likely to see or hear a hedgehog during the day or in the evening/night (look for sounds such as squeaking, hissing and chirping although it may roll itself up into a ball for protection if you get too close)! You can give them a boost by providing a hedgehog house or basket in a quiet and sheltered spot.

🦔 Geen kieskeurige eter

The hedgehog feeds mainly on insects, snails & worms but is not fussy. It will eat anything to build up a warm layer of fat and survive the winter. It can also steal some eggs from the henhouse. You can also feed hedgehogs during periods when there is less food available. However, never give them milk as this can make them very ill. Bread is also not a good idea as it usually contains a lot of salt. Hedgehogs are very fond of cat food so you can give them a bowl of it. Mealworms are also very popular.

The best thing you can give your hedgehog is modified hedgehog food. This food is made from natural ingredients so that the hedgehogs get all the necessary nutrients. Please note that hedgehogs carry a lot of ticks and parasites. Do you want to handle them to move them to a safe place? Use gloves or wash your hands thoroughly afterwards.

Do you have a hedgehog in your garden or do you want to increase the chance of spotting this cute animal? Then take a look at our hedgehog product range to make your garden hedgehog-friendly! 👇

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