Creating a Hedgehog-Friendly Garden

Simple garden changes can transform outdoor spaces into safe habitat for hedgehogs, supporting one of Britain's most loved but threatened mammals.

Key Facts

Hedgehog populations have declined by over 50% since 2000 in British gardens
75% of gardens are inaccessible to hedgehogs due to solid fencing and walls
Hedgehogs travel up to 2 km per night requiring access to multiple gardens
Log piles, compost heaps and dense vegetation provide essential nesting and foraging sites
Ponds should have an escape ramp as hedgehogs can drown easily

Welfare Considerations

Garden hedgehogs face welfare threats from fragmented habitat, chemical use, physical hazards and direct human interference. Bonfires built before checking for sleeping hedgehogs result in horrific injuries. Strimmers cause severe wounds to hedgehogs sheltering in long grass. Creating safe connected habitat directly prevents individual welfare harms while contributing to population recovery. Garden-based conservation is one of the most accessible forms of direct welfare action available to urban and suburban residents.

What You Can Do

Cut a 13cm hole in garden fences to create hedgehog highways to neighbouring gardens
Provide supplementary food of meat-based cat food and fresh water
Check bonfires and long grass before lighting or strimming
Install a hedgehog house in a quiet corner with dried leaves for nesting material