Wild Hedgehog Garden Foraging: Supporting Urban Populations

Gardens have become vital refuges for hedgehogs as the species declines across the wider countryside, and individual garden management choices directly affect hedgehog welfare.

Key Facts

UK hedgehog populations have declined by over 50% since the year 2000
Urban and suburban hedgehog populations are now more stable than rural ones
Hedgehogs travel up to 2km per night foraging for earthworms, beetles, and other invertebrates
Slug pellets containing metaldehyde poisoned hedgehogs until the pesticide was banned in the UK
Bonfires, garden ponds, and strimmers pose significant injury and mortality risks to hedgehogs
Hedgehog highways - holes connecting adjacent gardens - allow vital movement between territories

Welfare Considerations

Individual hedgehog welfare in urban gardens is directly shaped by what people put in and do to their gardens. Pesticide use depletes the invertebrate food base hedgehogs depend on. Garden hazards including netting, ponds without escape routes, and bonfires cause traumatic injuries and drowning. Boundary fencing that prevents movement between gardens forces hedgehogs into isolation and inadequate territories. The good news is that garden-level changes make immediate, measurable differences to individual hedgehog welfare and local population stability.

What You Can Do

Create hedgehog highway holes (13x13cm) in garden fences to allow free movement
Remove or secure garden netting that can entangle hedgehogs
Install a pond escape ramp or remove steep-sided garden features hedgehogs can fall into
Check bonfires before lighting for sheltering hedgehogs
Avoid slug pellets and other pesticides that harm hedgehog prey and hedgehogs directly