Supporting Garden Mammals for Wildlife Welfare

Gardens and green spaces provide important habitat for mammals including hedgehogs, foxes, bats, and small rodents whose welfare can be actively supported by homeowners.

Key Facts

Hedgehog populations in the UK have declined by over 50% since 2000, with gardens providing refuges
Connected garden networks support hedgehog movement essential for feeding, breeding, and survival
Slug pellets containing metaldehyde have been associated with hedgehog and other mammal poisoning
Bat boxes on buildings and trees provide roost sites for pipistrelles and other common species
Compost heaps and log piles provide hibernation habitats for hedgehogs, slow worms, and small mammals

Welfare Considerations

Domestic gardens collectively cover an area larger than all UK national nature reserves combined, making them a critical resource for the welfare of small mammals and other wildlife. Hedgehogs in particular depend on networks of connected gardens for sufficient foraging territory, and population declines are strongly associated with garden fragmentation by solid fencing. Simple actions by homeowners can have measurable welfare impacts: making small holes in fences for hedgehog passage, avoiding slug pellets, providing supplementary food and water in dry spells, and creating shelter habitats. Bats benefit from specialised bat boxes and insect-friendly planting that supports their prey base. Individual garden actions aggregated across millions of households can have meaningful wildlife welfare impacts.

What You Can Do

Create a hedgehog-sized hole in garden fences or walls to allow wildlife movement
Avoid metaldehyde and ferric phosphate slug pellets harmful to hedgehogs and other mammals
Provide supplementary hedgehog food and a shallow water dish especially in dry periods
Install bat boxes on north or east facing walls away from direct sunlight
Create log piles and compost heaps as mammal hibernation and nesting habitats