Why hedgehogs need our back gardens

British hedgehogs are in trouble. Once a familiar sight on mild evenings, their numbers have fallen sharply in recent decades. Fields have lost hedgerows, verges have been trimmed too hard, and rural gardens have become tidier. Suburban gardens now form a patchwork of safe havens, but only if they connect. A hedgehog can travel up to two kilometres in a night, searching for beetles, caterpillars, earthworms and slugs. It needs shelter by day, water to drink, and a quiet place to nest or hibernate. Your back garden may not look like woodland, but with a few deliberate choices it can work like a miniature woodland edge.

Create a hedgehog highway

The single most useful thing you can do is cut a gap in your fence. A square opening of about 13cm by 13cm at ground level is perfect. Cut it at the bottom of a gravel board or remove a brick from a wall. If your fence sits on a concrete base, dig a shallow tunnel underneath and line it with a piece of smooth pipe or a length of untreated timber.

Talk to your neighbours. One gap is helpful; a row of gaps is a highway. Hedgehogs follow edges, so keep the gap clear of pots, bins and thick plant growth. Avoid sharp wire edges. If you have a pond or a steep wall nearby, make sure the route is safe, with no drop that could trap a hedgehog. A connected garden is worth far more than an isolated one.

Build a log pile they can call home

A log pile is woodland craft at its simplest, and it is one of the best hedgehog magnets you can make. Use native hardwood logs: oak, ash, beech, birch, hazel or apple. Keep the bark on. Vary the sizes, from wrist-thick branches to larger rounds. Stack them loosely in a quiet, dappled corner, leaving gaps and crevices. Partially bury a few logs so the pile stays damp. Add leaf litter, moss, twigs and a few stones. Do not use treated timber, paint, creosote or old fencing.

A good log pile offers invertebrates to eat, a cool place to rest in summer, and a frost-free hibernation site in winter. If you have a bonfire pile, rebuild it before you light it. Hedgehogs curl up in the centre of dry wood and will not run. Check every layer by hand or with a torch. Better still, keep a permanent log pile well away from any burning area.

Offer shallow water and safe food

Hedgehogs need to drink, especially in hot, dry spells. A shallow saucer or plant dish is ideal. Keep the water no deeper than about 2–3cm, and add a few pebbles or a small ramp so a hedgehog can climb out. Check it daily and top it up with fresh water. If you have a pond, create a gentle slope or a ramp at one edge. Hedgehogs can swim, but they drown when steep sides trap them.

Supplementary food can help, but it must be right. Offer meaty cat or dog food in jelly, or specialist hedgehog biscuits. Put it out after dusk and remove any leftovers by morning. Never give bread and milk. Avoid mealworms as a staple, especially in spring and summer, as they can lead to bone problems. Fresh water is essential alongside any food. If you see a hedgehog out in daylight, it is likely ill or injured. Contact your local hedgehog rescue for advice.

Make your garden a night-time haven

Hedgehogs are nocturnal, so a dark garden is a friendly garden. Use outdoor lights sparingly, and keep a dark corridor along hedges and fences. Leave a wild corner: a pile of leaves, a compost heap, or a patch of long grass. Plant native hedging such as hawthorn, hazel, blackthorn, dog rose and honeysuckle. These provide cover, insects and berries. Avoid slug pellets, pesticides and weedkillers. If slugs are a problem, use barrier methods or hand-picking after rain.

Check netting carefully. Fruit netting, pond netting and sports nets can entangle hedgehogs. Keep nets at least 30cm above the ground, or store them away when not in use. A simple hedgehog house made from untreated wood can be a wonderful project. Site it in a quiet, dry corner, with a tunnel entrance. Put dry leaves inside. Do not disturb it between November and March. If you find a hibernating hedgehog, leave it be and cover it back with leaves.

Think like a hedgehog: check, check, check

Before you strim, mow, move a log pile, lift a compost heap or light a bonfire, walk the area and look carefully. Hedgehogs curl into a ball when threatened; they do not flee. A strimmer can cause devastating wounds. Check long grass by hand or with a torch at night. If you find a nest, leave it undisturbed. If you accidentally disturb a hibernating hedgehog, recover it with leaves and retreat quietly.

If you find an injured hedgehog, place it in a secure box with a towel, keep it warm and quiet, and call your local rescue. Do not offer food if it is injured, but a shallow dish of water is safe. With a gap in the fence, a log pile, shallow water and a little less tidying, your suburban garden can become a genuine refuge. The reward is a small, prickly visitor snuffling through the dusk.