Advice on looking after hedgehogs in spring

[SkyBiggins]

Hi All,

I'm new here and have recently become fascinated by hedgehogs. But, I'm also wondering what they do in the spring/summer months.

Do they usually keep to themselves? I only really ever see them in Autumn (in the UK).

I've started by reading this ( How to make a hedgehog-friendly garden ), but I'm wondering if anyone has any other advice?

Thank you,

Sky

Sorry, I meant to provide the info I was asking about.

Spring and Summer they are nursing young. I have hedgehogs and we do see them around in the Spring and Summer as well as Autumn. You can leave out cat food for them (I don’t, as I have rats around ) but the best way to support them is not to be too tidy in your gardening. Make plenty of habitat for invertebrates, plenty of cover and cooler, shady places. Water too, a small pond that is hedgehog safe (so no steep or slippery sides, and escape ramps as they swim well but can get trapped in ponds and drown).
Taking care with electrical garden equipment like mowers and strimmers, is important too.

Thank you OP, I love a nice hedgehog thread. Can we have a few photos too please? My little hog teases me by only ever appearing in the front garden, toddling down the driveway as I return from a late shift. I drive slowly behind, with him/her in the dipped beam of my headlights. Then he disappears into the bushes.

Yay love the little hogs! You can help monitoring efforts by recording sightings at HedgeHog Street
www.hedgehogstreet.org/
Zero pesticides/slug pellets also important so you don't accidentally poison them

No problem there, I never seem to have time to tend to anything in my garden.

You could make a feeding station and put kitten biscuits inside. You'll be feeding them supplementary but they'll be very grateful. If you put plastic strips over the entrance rats won't go in.

I'm surprised by how many think hedgehogs eat slugs, they don't unless there's no other food as slugs can cause lung worm.

Nice wood piles and a don't keep your garden too tidy. I have rescue hedgehogs from our local rescue as they're old and blind so cannot be placed back in the wild and our garden is for now enclosed.

They're fun to watch but very messy! Enjoy them and thank you for helping them.

I think my hedgehog is back!!! I'm so excited. My partner and I spent a lot of evenings in 2021-22 in the garden or spying out of the windows to hear and see one, sometimes two hogs in my garden. Partner moved out last August and I never saw the hog again - partner subsequently died in November and the hog was our last real connection before his depression and alcoholism took over.

Yesterday evening I went to fill the bird feeders and saw what I thought might be hedgehog poo so left some food out on its normal path - this morning all the food is gone!!!! I'm putting more out tonight and so very much hope that the hog is back and has been hibernating, as before, under the shed!

I have two living in my garden, they were mating on my patio tonight. I felt a bit like I was imposing when I opened the door to try and get the cat in.

We've had hoglets every year for the past 5 years. I feel honoured to have such charming creatures in my garden. I love watching them waddle around the garden.🦔

Lol at interrupting a romantic moment with hedgehogs!
Last autumn I saw so many for some reason, after not seeing them for years and years.
A couple in our own garden (or maybe the same one twice), also in neighbours gardens a few times.
A good sign.

What are the slug pellets that don't harm them? I'd sort of given up on pellets. But the slugs are really ruining my salads and veg and when you weigh up a few dead slugs vs food miles, killing slugs alone seems less harmful

I used to use beer traps or go out there at dusk and flick them off (that was very satisfying). Richard Jackson does slug pellets that are safe though.

Thank you!

Something is eating every scrap of hedgehog food that I'm putting out so I'm really hoping that its one or two, maybe even with babies!! Haven't heard anything but I'm in a front bedroom this year rather than a back one which looks over the garden and made spotting and hearing them much easier!

I was pondering last night that now the nights are getting shorter, and hedgehogs only come out when it gets dark, does this shorten their window for hunting and food and suchlike? Is it just confidence in the food source that will bring them out during dusk rather than dark?

One of mine was literally waiting on my door mat the other night, so mine know where and when they get fed.

I would assume though because dusk tends to be when bugs come out the hogs would too. I've seen mine first thing in the morning just as it's getting light as well though.