Simple garden management changes can make a significant difference to hedgehog welfare by providing food, shelter, and safe movement corridors.
Gardens represent a critical habitat network for hedgehogs in increasingly fragmented landscapes. Garden fencing that creates isolated enclosures prevents hedgehogs from accessing sufficient foraging territory, which in turn causes nutritional stress. Pesticide use that reduces slug and invertebrate populations removes key food sources. Bonfires, ponds without exit ramps, and strimmers represent direct welfare hazards for hedgehogs sheltering in gardens. Conversely, gardens managed with hedgehog welfare in mind — with gaps in fencing, pesticide-free management, and shelter provision — can support multiple animals within a connected community network and significantly improve local hedgehog population welfare.