Why suburban gardens are a lifeline

Hedgehogs have declined dramatically across the British countryside, but the suburbs have quietly become one of their safest refuges. A street of thirty gardens, taken together, can offer more beetles, worms and caterpillars than a large arable field — the trouble is that a hedgehog cannot reach most of it. A single adult will roam up to two kilometres in a night, and a solid fence can stop one dead within a few metres.

The good news is that hedgehog-friendly gardening is not about rewilding your whole plot. It is about small, deliberate changes: keeping a route through, leaving a bit of mess in the right places, and removing a few hidden dangers.

Open up a hedgehog highway

The single most valuable thing you can do is cut a gap in your boundary. A hole roughly 13 centimetres square — about the size of a CD case — is enough for a hedgehog to pass through comfortably, while being too small for most pets to follow.

• Where to cut: at the base of a fence panel, through a gravel board, or under a gate. If you have a concrete gravel board, a notch cut at the bottom works just as well.
• How many: aim for one gap on each side of the garden, ideally in a corner where hedgehogs naturally follow the boundary line.
• Keep it clear: trim back ivy, brambles and long grass that grow across the opening, and clear leaves and debris each autumn.
• Talk to neighbours: a gap in one fence is only useful if next door has one too. A short note through the letterbox usually does the trick.

If you rent, or the fence is not yours, a gap under a gate is usually acceptable and easily reversed. You can also hide a gap behind a shrub or planter.

Make room for nests and shelter

Hedgehogs need somewhere dry, quiet and undisturbed to sleep through the day and to hibernate. Tidy gardens offer very little of this.

• Log pile: stack a few untreated logs loosely in a shady corner and leave them alone. The gaps between the logs create perfect nesting and invertebrate habitat.
• Leaf mound: sweep autumn leaves into a corner rather than binning them. A mound of dry leaves against a wall or under a hedge is prime hibernation real estate.
• Compost heap: excellent shelter, but always check the heap with a fork before turning it. A hedgehog may be sleeping inside.
• Hedgehog house: a simple wooden box with a short tunnel entrance, placed in a quiet spot and half-filled with dry leaves, gives a reliable nest site. Face the entrance away from prevailing wind and rain.

Leave one corner of the garden a little wild — a patch of long grass, a few nettles and some fallen wood will do more for wildlife than any number of ornaments.

Feed and water without causing harm

Water is more important than food. A shallow dish at ground level, refreshed daily, is a lifeline during hot, dry spells. Add a few pebbles so anything that falls in can climb out.

Supplementary food can help, particularly in autumn when hedgehogs are putting on weight before hibernation. Suitable options include meaty cat or dog food, cat biscuits, or a purpose-made hedgehog food. Never put out bread or milk — hedgehogs are lactose intolerant and milk causes serious digestive problems.

Mealworms are a popular choice but should only ever be a small treat, as large quantities have been linked to bone problems in hedgehogs. Put food out after dusk and clear leftovers in the morning so you do not attract rats.

The best food source, though, is the one already in your garden. Leaving leaf litter, allowing some slugs and beetles to thrive, and avoiding chemicals will give a hedgehog a natural, balanced diet.

Remove the hidden dangers

A few common garden habits do real harm.

• Slug pellets: metaldehyde pellets are lethal to hedgehogs, and even iron-phosphate pellets can cause problems when eaten directly. Since hedgehogs eat slugs, poisoning slugs is poisoning hedgehogs. Use barriers, copper tape, nematodes or hand-picking instead.
• Netting: pea netting, fruit netting and sports nets tangle hedgehogs badly. Keep netting at least 30 centimetres off the ground, or store it away when not in use.
• Ponds: a pond with steep sides is a drowning trap. Add a gently sloping ramp or a piece of trellis leaning into the water so a hedgehog can climb out.
• Strimmers and mowers: check long grass before cutting. A hedgehog curled up in the undergrowth is easily missed.
• Bonfires: build the pile on the day you intend to burn it, or lift and move it carefully first. A dormant pile is an inviting hibernation site.
• Drains and steep-sided holes: cover them or add a ramp. Hedgehogs fall in easily and cannot climb out.

Keeping it going through the year

Once the basics are in place, the routine is light. In spring, clear last year's leaves from your gaps and check nest boxes are still dry. Through summer, keep water topped up. In autumn, resist the urge to tidy — leave the leaves, check bonfires, and put out a little extra food. In winter, leave hibernating hedgehogs alone and avoid disturbing log piles or compost heaps between November and March.

You will know a hedgehog is visiting from the dark, shiny droppings left on the lawn, the rustling and snuffling after dusk, or a glimpse of a spiny shape crossing the patio. Even one small gap in a fence can turn a row of separate gardens back into a connected neighbourhood — and that is exactly what hedgehogs need.