Hedgehogs serve as excellent indicators of environmental health; their simple needs can be met with some effort, allowing them to thrive, even in urban areas. If these needs are unmet, it may signal a broader habitat issue that could also affect other species, including humans!
Here are some wildlife-friendly tips to support hedgehogs:
- Encourage wild edges! Allow areas to grow naturally by creating habitats with log piles, leaf heaps, and overgrown edges, which provide food and shelter for hedgehogs. Always check for wildlife before mowing or tidying these areas.
- Install hedgehog highways! Create 13cm x 13cm gaps at the bottom of walls and fences to enable hedgehogs to access essential habitats; their territory is often larger than you might think!
- Make ponds safe! While ponds attract wildlife, ensure they have escape routes by adding sloped edges, ramps, or submerged rocks so hedgehogs can climb out.
- Watch out for litter! It’s harmful to wildlife. Even if your garden is clean, litter may be present in the surrounding area. Contact landowners where this is an issue and highlight the risks to wildlife.
- Provide water! All wildlife needs water, particularly during hot spells. Ensure there are clean, shallow bowls of water available for hedgehogs, and add pebbles for bees and butterflies to land on while drinking.
- Avoid using poisons and pesticides, as these can harm wildlife and disrupt the food chain.
- Beware of netting! It can entangle hedgehogs; store sports nets properly and keep garden netting elevated by 30cm so hedgehogs can move freely underneath it.
The Hedgehog
The European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) is not only one of Britain’s most beloved small mammals but also one of the oldest, having evolved over 15 million years ago. Once common in urban areas, hedgehogs are now facing serious decline due to habitat loss, urban development, and modern pest control methods. This small, spiny nocturnal mammal is a familiar sight in gardens and parks during spring and summer. Found across the British mainland and much of western Europe, the European hedgehog is one of 17 hedgehog species worldwide.
Hedgehogs typically measure between 20 and 26 cm in length and weigh between 500g and 2 kg. To survive hibernation during winter, they need to accumulate sufficient body fat in autumn. If a hedgehog weighs less than 500g as winter approaches, its chances of surviving the season are slim.
A hedgehog is covered with about 7,000 quills or spikes, which serve as its primary defense mechanism against predators. These spikes are connected to a single muscle that allows the hedgehog to direct them toward a threat.
In the UK, the hedgehog is affectionately known as the gardener’s friend due to its appetite for pests such as slugs, snails, and insects. Historically, it was even regarded as a culinary treat by the British traveling community, cooked in clay—thankfully, that was a long time ago. This little creature is also a staple in British folklore and literature. A notable example is Beatrix Potter’s “The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle,” which first appeared in 1906. Hedgehogs also have a place in “Alice in Wonderland” during the Mad Hatter’s tea party and bear a striking resemblance to the Wombles of Wimbledon Common, beloved characters from a classic children’s book series and TV show in the 1970s. Sega’s Sonic the Hedgehog made his gaming debut in 1991 and remains a cherished character to this day.
Reproduction
Hedgehogs reach reproductive maturity by their second year and can breed annually until they die. Their breeding season runs from April to September, with peak activity—known as “the rut”—occurring in May and June in the UK. Typically, they have one litter of four to six young each year. The baby hedgehogs, referred to as urchins or hoglets, are born after a gestation period of 35 days and are blind and deaf at birth. Mothers build a maternity nest from leaves, often found under hedgerows or, in urban settings, under sheds or outbuildings. Newborns come with a thin layer of skin covering their first set of spines. By the second week, they start to open their eyes and ears, and by eight weeks, they are ready to leave the nest and fend for themselves. Male hedgehogs do not aid in raising the young and can pose a risk to them.
Diet
Hedgehogs are scientifically categorized as members of the mammal order Insectivora, but they are actually opportunistic feeders. Their natural diet includes a variety of invertebrates, such as worms, beetles, slugs, caterpillars, earwigs, and millipedes. They also consume various other insects and occasionally scavenge for carrion, frogs, baby birds, bird eggs, and fallen fruit. Essentially, hedgehogs will eat almost anything they find at ground level. They roam extensively in search of food, often traveling up to two miles in a night.
For urban hedgehogs, these food-seeking adventures can be perilous. Roads pose a considerable threat, while suburban development creates additional obstacles. Neat gardens, impenetrable fences, and the use of pesticides severely restrict the foraging areas of these small creatures. However, urban hedgehogs may benefit from the abundance of food deliberately placed in gardens for them, such as dog or cat food, apples, and a limited number of mealworms. It’s essential to note that hedgehogs are lactose intolerant; milk can cause digestive issues leading to diarrhea and dehydration. Similarly, bread should be avoided for the same reasons. Specialized hedgehog food, like Spikes pellets, is available at many pet stores. If you plan to feed hedgehogs in your garden, consider constructing a feeding station—a simple box with an entry point the size of a can of beans—to ensure they have a better chance of accessing food before other garden visitors do.
Predators
In the UK, badgers are the main natural threat to hedgehogs, as they are powerful enough to breach the hedgehog’s spiny armor. Research indicates that hedgehogs tend to steer clear of areas inhabited by badgers, and in regions with high badger populations, hedgehogs are often less prevalent. Although badger numbers have risen substantially in recent years, there’s insufficient evidence to prove that they are the primary cause of the decline in hedgehog numbers. Occasionally, foxes may hunt hedgehogs, but usually, an adult hedgehog’s spines provide adequate protection. From my observations over the past few years, I believe that foxes are not a significant threat to healthy hedgehogs, and they can often coexist happily, even sharing feeding areas. Tawny owls and golden eagles have also been known to occasionally hunt hedgehogs in Britain.
Hibernation
Hedgehogs are among the few mammals that truly hibernate. During this process, they aren’t truly asleep; instead, they reduce their energy use by lowering their body temperature, slowing their heart rate and breathing. By mid-winter, their metabolic rate drops to about 4% of what it would be during active periods, putting the hedgehog in a state known as torpor. This adaptation allows them to conserve energy when food is scarce. However, when hedgehogs are kept in captivity with constant access to food, they do not hibernate, irrespective of the temperature.
When hedgehogs hibernate, they create a winter nest that is typically more substantial than their summer nests. This nest is often built in dense vegetation, beneath piles of wood, or under hedges. The walls and base are made of tightly packed leaves, sometimes reaching a thickness of up to 180mm. Hedgehogs gather leaves during the night to construct their nests, making a new one each year, though most nests tend to collapse soon after the hedgehogs emerge in spring. Unfortunately, our modern habit of discarding packaging is impacting wildlife; two local nests have even included potato chip packets in their construction materials.
In the UK, hedgehogs typically hibernate from October or November until March or April. However, the specific duration of hibernation for each hedgehog can differ based on factors like size, health, weather, and food availability. Generally, hibernation lasts around 140 to 160 days but isn’t continuous; hedgehogs usually awaken every 10 days or so for a few hours. During these brief periods, you might spot a hedgehog and some may even change their nesting locations. In fact, they spend about 75 to 80% of their time in deep hibernation. Hedgehogs can lose 20 to 30% of their body weight while hibernating, which for an average adult means shedding about 150 to 175 grams of fat. Thus, if an adult hedgehog enters hibernation weighing less than 500 grams, it is unlikely to survive the winter.
Conservation
Hedgehogs are protected under Schedule 6 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act (WCA) of 1981, which forbids certain methods of killing and trapping, as well as under the Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996 and Appendix III of the ‘Bern’ Convention. In 2007, they were classified as a priority species within the UK Biodiversity Action Plan.
Several factors contribute to the decline in hedgehog populations in both cities and countryside. Modern farming techniques have resulted in larger fields and a decrease in hedgerows, causing a scarcity of natural nesting sites for hedgehogs. Additionally, the use of pesticides has led to a decline in invertebrates, which are a crucial part of a hedgehog’s diet. The increasing numbers of badgers, the main predators of hedgehogs, has also impacted their population.
In urban areas, development is a significant factor in hedgehog population decline. Fencing around gardens restricts the available foraging area. Many gardens are being transformed into parking lots or feature decking instead of natural vegetation. Our preference for tidy gardens results in the removal of scruffy areas with brambles, which diminishes nesting opportunities. The use of pesticides and slug pellets further reduces the natural food supply for hedgehogs.
Help
Assisting your local hedgehog population is quite straightforward and inexpensive. Hedgehogs require large territories to roam and search for food, so simply cutting a small 140mm square hole at the bottom of garden fences can create a “hedgehog highway.” Providing cover, such as low-growing bushes, can also help. Surprisingly, a good quality hedgehog house will often be used by them; it’s best to choose one with a separate inner chamber to keep curious cats away. When it comes to food, avoid giving them bread or milk; instead, offer cat or dog food with high meat content, specialized hedgehog food, and ensure there’s fresh water available at ground level. Hedgehogs are proficient swimmers and enjoy water, so if you have a pond, make sure it has a shallow edge or ramp to help them climb out. Additionally, always check for sleeping hedgehogs before using a strimmer or lawnmower in long grass areas.
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