As hedgehogs begin to come out of their winter slumber, you may see them foraging in the garden for food – but keep a wide berth, experts advise.
They typically come out of hibernation in mid-March and April and while many gardeners and their children are fascinated by these spiky mammals, they shouldn’t attempt to pick them up, says Helen Baczkowska, conservation research and evidence manager at Norfolk Wildlife Trusts.
“It’s pretty warm at the minute and they might come out, toddle around for a few days and then, if there’s a really cold snap, go back to sleep for a few days, not into a deep hibernation, but this time of year can be variable,” she says.
Baczkowska offers the following advice:
Don’t touch hedgehogs unless they are clearly injured
“I would never advise people to pick them up and handle them or do anything with them unless they are obviously injured or trapped,” she says.
“Don’t encourage them in the house and don’t pick them up just because you can. It really stresses them, will frighten them away and they may seek another refuge somewhere else.
“They are much happier left to live their natural lives and are very good at finding what they need, as long as we don’t mess about with them.
“Hedgehogs don’t really like people. If you pick them up they can get stressed, if you handle them you can wake them up more than they are awake already.”
What about feeding them?
“Yes, we can feed them but if we leave them wild places in our gardens, playing fields and farms, having a wildlife garden that’s full of invertebrates is more important,” she says.
The British Hedgehog Preservation Society says you can supplement their natural food with a good-quality meaty hedgehog food, meaty cat or dog food, checking meat is the first ingredient listed, or dry biscuits for cats.
The conservation charity also suggests that it’s best to set up multiple feeding stations in different spots in the garden to reduce confrontations between hungry hedgehogs, or scatter small amounts of food in grass or undergrowth so hedgehogs can forage as they would naturally.
Baczkowska recommends placing the food somewhere quiet so they won’t be disturbed, perhaps even setting up a storage box with a little hole which visiting cats can’t access.
Only ever offer fresh water to drink and keep hedgehog dishes and cleaning equipment clean to reduce the risk of spreading diseases and parasites among them.
“Don’t give them bread or milk, like our grandparents used to, because it has nothing nutritious in it for them and they’re not evolved to drink milk, so it’s not good for them,” says Baczkowska.
Providing food is a good way of keeping a check on the hedgehog population, but the best way to feed them is to create wild spaces where they can forage for a more varied diet, she adds.
Can you tame a hedgehog?
“When I’ve had hedgehogs in rescue, they don’t become tame. They skulk at the back of their cage and hide. They don’t like human interaction very much. You can’t make a pet of them and I’d absolutely encourage people not to try,” says Baczkowska.
“At this time of year they can be a little bit slow coming out of hibernation so they might not look quite right, but they are probably just warming up and getting themselves going.”
Avoid pesticides and slug pellets
“Find other natural ways to protect your precious plants from slugs,” she says. “And learn to love your garden insects, which will be food for the hedgehogs.”
Delay spring cleaning
“If you really have to do it, and there’s a big mound of grass cuttings and leaves, just leave them because there could be a hedgehog in there. Don’t be in a hurry to tidy up your garden.”
However, remove old strands of gardening string, plastic ties and old netting at ground level, which hedgehogs can get caught in, she advises.
And if you see an injured hedgehog…
The BHPS recommends using gardening gloves or a folded towel to collect it up, bring it indoors and put it in a high-sided box with an old towel or fleece in the bottom for the hedgehog to hide under.
Fill a hot water bottle so that when it is wrapped in a towel there is a nice gentle heat coming through and put that in the bottom of the box with the hedgehog, ensuring it has room to get off the bottle should it get too warm.
Contact the RSPCA or local sanctuary. The British Hedgehog Preservation Society can provide details of local hedgehog rescues. If you’re unsure about what to do, visit the British Hedgehog Preservation Society website which offers a wealth of information on hedgehog care.
The Wildlife Trusts’ Hedgehog Walk, which runs from Mar 30 to April 30, aims to encourage families, schools and clubs to walk, wheel, crawl or roll 3km – travelling the same distance a hedgehog wanders in a single night – to raise funds for nature.