Hedgehog numbers have collapsed across Britain, Ireland, and much of the English-speaking world. Garden surveys now record fewer than 1 million hedgehogs in the UK — down from an estimated 30 million in the 1950s.
But there’s good news. A well-managed garden can genuinely reverse this for your local population. So, it’s about understanding what they need to eat, where they truly shelter, precisely what kills them, and then transforming your outdoor space into a sanctuary they’ll return to every single night.
Hedgehogs are insectivores. Their natural diet is a shifting mix of beetles, earthworms, caterpillars, earwigs, and slugs — around 70g of invertebrates per night in summer.
So, a garden teeming with insects absolutely supports hedgehogs. Supplemental feeding then becomes totally redundant.
They’re also highly mobile. A single hedgehog covers 1–2km every night, moving between multiple gardens. And that territorial range means no single garden sustains a hedgehog — a network of connected gardens does. What happens in your neighbour’s plot matters every bit as much as what happens in yours.
Hedgehogs are most active between dusk and around 2am in summer. You’ll hear them before you see them — a distinctive snuffling, almost pig-like rootling through leaf litter, which is where the name comes from.
Solid fencing is the number one structural reason hedgehog populations fragment and collapse in suburban areas. If a hedgehog can’t move from garden to garden, it can’t forage properly, find a mate, or even escape predators.
The fix is simple and takes ten minutes. Sorted.
Walls are harder to solve, but a ramp of sloping wood on both sides of a low wall gives hedgehogs a route over. It doesn’t need to be beautiful. It just needs to work.
Supplemental feeding is non-negotiable in late summer and early autumn; hedgehogs need to reach at least 600g before hibernation. An underweight hedgehog — anything below that critical threshold — won’t survive winter.
Juveniles born late in the season are especially vulnerable.
The right foods are straightforward.
Never give hedgehogs milk. Never give them bread.
But they’re genuinely harmful. Milk causes diarrhoea leading to rapid dehydration, and bread is nutritionally empty at a time when every calorie properly counts. Mealworms? Not quite right in large quantities; they cause metabolic bone disease. So, offer them sparingly, if at all.
Feed at dusk. Leave food in a sheltered spot, well away from the lawn edge.
A brick placed over the bowl stops cats stealing it before the hedgehog arrives.
Hedgehogs nest in two situations: a daytime rest nest, used in summer, and a hibernation nest, packed tightly from October through March or April. Both need the same basic qualities — dry, dark, draught-free, and undisturbed.
A purpose-built hedgehog house works when positioned properly. The opening should face away from prevailing wind and rain — in the UK, that typically means facing south or east.
Tuck the house under a hedge, against a wall, or half-buried under a pile of leaves. Somewhere that feels genuinely hidden. Bang on.
No hedgehog house? A pile of logs, a stack of branches, or even a heap of dry leaves against a fence will be occupied.
Hedgehogs aren’t fussy. They don’t need luxury; just cover.
Slug pellets are the most documented garden cause of hedgehog death. But the issue extends far beyond, encompassing both metaldehyde pellets (now banned for amateur use in the UK) and ferric phosphate pellets, which are still sold as wildlife-safe but have documented sublethal effects on hedgehogs in peer-reviewed research. The safest approach is to pull off pellets entirely and shift to nematode treatments or copper barriers for slug control.
Other issues gardeners routinely overlook:
Also consult the guide to how slug bait is killing garden animals — the proper same risks that affect dogs apply directly to hedgehogs foraging at night.
A wildlife-friendly garden? It’s a hedgehog-friendly garden at its heart. Dense, layered planting — think native shrubs, log piles, and unmown grass margins — does wonders for the insect biomass hedgehogs truly depend on.
So, plant the garden for beetles and earthworms. The hedgehog then follows.
Specific planting choices that do wonders:
The RHS hedgehog guidance specifically recommends undisturbed leaf litter as the single most valuable habitat feature home gardeners can provide. Yes, it’s messy. Do it anyway; the difference to local wildlife is significant.
Southern Hemisphere gardeners: in June, you’re heading into winter. Hedgehogs aren’t native to Australia, New Zealand, or South Africa (and are actually an invasive species in New Zealand), but similar principles apply to attracting native insectivorous mammals and birds through layered, native planting and removing garden pesticides. Eliminating pesticides entirely sorts out this issue.
A hedgehog out in daylight is almost always in dodgy territory. Healthy hedgehogs are nocturnal.
A daytime sighting — especially if the animal is staggering, circling, or lying still — indicates the animal needs rescue within hours. Act fast.
Contact your nearest hedgehog rescue via the British Hedgehog Preservation Society helpline (01584 890 801) in the UK, or the RSPCA (0300 1234 999). Place the hedgehog in a high-sided box with air holes, a folded towel for warmth, and fresh water.
No food until you’ve spoken to a rescue. And never warm a hedgehog rapidly — a slow return to room temperature does wonders compared to a hot water bottle directly against the body.
Smart tip: A 13cm gap cut into your fence is the single highest-impact change you can make for local hedgehogs.
Meat-based wet cat or dog food (chicken or turkey) and dry cat biscuits are ideal. Always provide fresh water alongside — never milk; it’s properly harmful.
Look for dark, cylindrical droppings about 2cm long on lawns or paths — they resemble a small slug pellet but with insect fragments visible. A hedgehog footprint tracker (a tray of damp sand with cat food bait in the centre) gives clear confirmation overnight.
Cats rarely bother adult hedgehogs — the spines are effective deterrents. Dogs, especially terrier breeds, will attack hedgehogs.
The thing is, if your dog has free access to the garden at night, you’ll need to feed hedgehogs in a fenced area the dog can’t reach, or properly supervise evening access.
In the UK, hibernation typically begins in October–November and ends in March–April. Keep feeding through October — late juveniles need the calories urgently.
You’ll need to stop only once you’ve had no visits for a fortnight.
Any hedgehog weighing under 600g in October needs intervention — contact a local rescue immediately. A hedgehog found underweight in summer should be fed intensively: high-protein wet cat food twice daily, weighed weekly if possible.
