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Hedgehogs on the decline: what can we do?
Moll Flanders
Posts: 1,392 Forum Member
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I was only recently thinking that it has been years since I saw a hedgehog, and then the other day I read that, sadly, their numbers have dropped rapidly - there were 56 million of them in 1950 but only one million today. That's an extraordinary decline. I think it would be so sad if the cute little hedgehog died out.
Does anyone know what we can do about this? For example, how do you make your garden more hedgehog-friendly? How do you lure them to your garden and provide a safe area for them?
I really want to do all I can to save the hedgehog.
Does anyone know what we can do about this? For example, how do you make your garden more hedgehog-friendly? How do you lure them to your garden and provide a safe area for them?
I really want to do all I can to save the hedgehog.
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Personally although I love them I won't be encouraging them into the communal gardens here as they carry so many fleas ! Since the last hoggie died here (natural causes) my use of flea sprays etc has lessened to once or twice a year at most.
We do live semi rural and have gaps under the fence leading on to the fields, so perhaps this helps.
unfortunately there isn't much that can be done in my garden to help them. The area where I live is full of houses everywhere you look.
hedgehog fleas are host specific, they can only live on hedgehogs....can't say my dogs have ever really been bothered by hedgehog fleas. there's a little bit on it here and lots more on google.
http://www.sttiggywinkles.org.uk/hedgehogs.html
Then there are various pesticides (slug pellets etc) that are applied to gardens which hedgehogs (and other animals) can ingest either first or second-hand. If these pesticides don't kill a hedghog (or bird or small mammals) they can affect the animals' health causing shorter lives, less effective immune systems, smaller, less healthy litters, infertility, etc. With a less healthy hedgehog, this can mean they aren't fit enough to reach hibernation weight so can't survive a long winter.
People are often under the impression that hedgehogs' main diet comprises snails and slugs - it isn't and shouldn't be. Hedgehogs would naturally eat a high proportion of beetles, spiders, earthworms... slugs and snails are actually a bad choice for hedgehogs because they are a carrier for the lungworm parasite which can then infect the hedgehog and kill it.
There's a useful diet link here...
...then, if you want to encourage hedgehogs into the garden, first get yourself a hedge
I have raised decking on a slope (so gap underneath widens from about 8" - 3ft).
"My" hog over-winters under there.
And I love the excuse to leave some of the garden scruffy.:D
It's really sad that hogs are on the decline and sadly I do think they will die out within my lifetime.
If you want hogs to visit, make sure they have access into your garden, fences have a lot to answer for as hogs cant get over these, hedges are much more to their liking. Have a few shrubs in the garden where the hogs can take refuge if feeling threatened. Alot of gardens these days are so manicured, hogs prefer wild gardens with places to shelter (stacks of logs are good). Strimmers are not hedgehog friendly - the injuries these inflict are hideous
I have a hog feeder in my garden, its great as the cats cant get into it because of the internal tunnel, each night I put dog food and cat biscuits in a bowl, next morning its all gone. Remember to put a bowl of fresh water out, hogs drink LOADS!!
I also have a hedgehog house loacted under a shrub - over winter I had a visitor lodging
I think you will be able to tell that I adore hedgehogs and anything to encourage and help them is fine by me
I understand how you feel, i try to help and i care, but the neighbours get psychotic over obsessively trimming and strimming their gardens that it makes me cringe when i hear it in case there are any hedgehogs left, and they also use slug pellets and other chemicals. When spring comes you can guarantee the obsessive strimmer-wielders will be out in full force even though their gardens dont need strimming and trimming for the 4th time in one week
Here are some petitions, some of them really need a boost in the number of signatures:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/stop-hedgehogs-being-killed-by-strimmers-and-lawnmowers/
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/174/919/414/stop-royal-mail-elastic-bands-from-harming-hedgehogs/
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/252/118/760/protect-britains-hedgehogs/
I hate the sound of those strimmer's starting up
On the plus side my hedgie lodgers are getting huge now, really must cut down on portion size!
Oh yeah thats the thing, and i would hate to think how much of the hedgehog decline is due to careless people with their careless use of lethal gardening tools
The sound of them must be very frightening, the sound doesnt bother me personally even though some of my neighbours are really obsessive with the strimmers, but it concerns me for the safety of hedgehogs and makes me wince when i imagine there to be a hedgehog in the undergrowth.
You are so lucky to still have them, there are none left near me i dont think
Do you have a hedgehog house and stuff like that?
Really sad loss.
What a shame. Do you have an idea of why there's none left?
I have read it could be as simple as someone putting up a new fence and not leaving a little gap in the bottom which would block their access
Interesting you should say that, the back fence between us and the neighbour has been re-done (used to have holes in that the cats (yes, you Tigger) could squeeze through, but that was done up recently. But the front is wide open, and it was easy for Hedgie to wander up our gently sloping drive to reach the goodies at the back (no gate) and plenty of foliage (still is) for it to hide in.
Next door on the other side had a pond with lots of lovely froggies and toadies in, but the new ones have done away with that
How did you find out it had killed them?
I wish people wouldent use it. A lot of people are so disconnected from wildlife. Some of my neighbours use them
They say that you only need to make 5 inch gaps for hedgehogs to get through. Not sure if a cat can get through that lol.
You're lucky to have frogs! I used to get loads, and i havent seen any for a long time
I do have a hog house that I've placed under a large shrub, I can see that leaves and other things have been taken in as it sticks out of the door a bit.
I also bought a hog feeder from a chap who looks after them, its brilliant!! if anyone wants the link let me know.
Last night there were two hogs on my patio, huffing away at each other
To entice hogs to my garden I just make sure I have a supply of food and water all year round - they are not daft and will keep going back to where they can get an easy meal.
I have a hedgehog visitor, Just when i thought there were none left, being happy was an understatement when i discovered it
Its a great idea that you are letting a corner go wild.
Some might turn up. Dont give up
Also if you see certain droppings in your garden its a telltale reassuring sign of hedgehogs presence
Do they share the Iams cat food with the cats?
I have a feeding station so the hedgehogs can eat in private without their food being nicked by other animals. Im just waiting patiently for the new visitor to tuck in now
WE took them to the vet before they died to see if there was anything she could do, testing showed a poison which is very commonly found in slug pellets, we later found several trays of cat food with slug pellets mixed in which leads me to think that cats were the target for poisoning.