The hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) has declined by approximately 50% in Britain since the millennium, becoming one of the most significant mammal conservation concerns of the 21st century. Garden habitats represent a crucial refuge for hedgehogs, and the actions of individual householders can meaningfully improve hedgehog welfare and population viability.
Hedgehog Decline and Its Causes
Hedgehog decline has been driven by multiple factors: habitat fragmentation from road networks and garden fencing, loss of rough grassland and hedgerows in the wider countryside, reduced invertebrate prey availability from pesticide use, and mortality from garden hazards including strimmers, bonfires, garden machinery, garden ponds, and slug pellets containing metaldehyde (now banned in the UK).
Garden hedgehogs face specific welfare risks from human garden activity. Nesting hedgehogs disturbed during hibernation or maternal nest periods experience acute stress; females disturbed during early lactation may abandon their hoglets.
Creating Wildlife-Friendly Gardens
Individual gardens can significantly support hedgehog welfare through habitat provision. Leaving areas of rough vegetation — log piles, leaf litter accumulation, rough grass corners — provides nesting and foraging habitat. Hedgehog boxes provide artificial nesting sites suitable for breeding and hibernation. Connecting gardens through hedgehog highway holes (13cm × 13cm gaps in garden fences) allows hedgehogs to access the network of gardens that constitute their home range — typically 1-2km on a summer night.
Removing or managing garden hazards reduces welfare costs directly. Checking bonfires before lighting, covering garden ponds with ramps to allow hedgehogs to escape if they fall in, and checking long grass before using strimmers prevent significant numbers of hedgehog injuries and deaths annually.
Supplementary Feeding
Supplementary feeding during periods of food shortage — early spring before invertebrate activity resumes, and late autumn when hedgehogs need to build fat reserves before hibernation — can support hedgehog condition and welfare. Appropriate supplementary foods include meaty cat or dog food; dry cat food; and specialist hedgehog food. Bread and milk, commonly offered historically, are inappropriate and cause digestive upset.
Hedgehog Rehabilitation
Hedgehogs found active during daylight or appearing disoriented require welfare assessment. Daytime activity, low body weight (below 450g approaching autumn), and obvious injury all indicate hedgehogs that need rehabilitation. Licensed hedgehog carers and British Hedgehog Preservation Society-affiliated rescue centers provide specialist care for hedgehogs requiring intervention.