General gardening topics

How to attract hedgehogs into your garden

Last updated on March 20th, 2022

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Creating a hedgehog friendly garden

Hedgehogs are one of the best animals to bring into your garden because they will consume pests like slugs so that you don’t have to, plus there adorable and don’t do any harm. They give a helping hand to your garden but how can you attract them so that they show up regularly?

Make it easier for them to get into your garden in the first place

Give them access. One of the biggest issues that gardeners have is that they don’t have a natural access point for hedgehogs or other wildlife. If you have a wooden fence with concrete bases right around your garden it doesn’t leave any room for the wildlife to meander in and out.

Hedgehogs have seen a big decline over the years so it’s in our interest to do what we can to help these animals, one way to do this is to encourage them to visit our garden, below we go other a few pointers to help the hedgehogs and offer a safe place for them to feed as well as hibernate and sleep.


Plant a hedge

If you can, replace any wooden fences you have with hedges. Hedges still give you privacy but they make excellent wildlife habitats for both hedgehogs and birds, providing colour and food for garden birds and giving things like hedgehogs an access route.


Create a small gap in your fence

Alternatively, you can simply create a gap at the bottom of your fence or lift your gate so that it stands 15-20cm above the ground. This will give enough room for the hedgehogs to crawl under. 


Leave some parts of your garden natural and unkept

Leave some parts of your garden unkept if you can. This will provide naturally fallen leaves, dead vegetation and other material hedgehogs will use to make nests. They also cultivate insects and slugs for them to feed on.

If you are unable to keep part of your garden unkept, you can alternatively create piles of old wood bits where the hedgehogs can hide or sleep. Pick a quiet spot for this so that if they hibernate in your garden, they can do it undisturbed with plenty of cover. 


Invest in a hedgehog house for them to sleep and hibernate in over winter

In order for hedgehogs to survive in the winter, they need shelter so having a pristine, well-manicured garden leaves hedgehogs no place to make a mess naturally. You can help with this by building (or buying) a house specifically for hedgehogs so they can sleep and hibernate in it over winter. It is important you look for models that are fox-proof. 

The Hutch Company Hedgehog House and Hibernation Shelter - Predator-Proof Outdoor Habitat, Feeding Station and Home - Felt Roof Cover and Full Wood Flooring - Best Pet Garden Hedgehogs Wooden Houses Hedgehog house available from Amazon.co.uk

We reviewed some of the best hedgehogs houses in this article.


Buy hedgehog food to feed them or simply use a small bowl of cat food out

Another important component is to give them enough food and water to get through the winter. Most hedgehogs will eat about half their weight every day in food. Hedgehogs that are born too late in the season won’t be able to build up enough body fat with the food that’s available to them so you can help supplement their diet by leaving out food and a bowl of water. You can buy specially formulated hedgehog food or just leave a small bowl of cat food out.

Spikes Delicious Complete Dry Hedgehog Food, 2.5 kg Recommended hedgehog food for feeding your local hogs


If you have a pond, provide a small ledge for them to climb out

If you have a garden pond, hedgehogs will no doubt come to take a swim. Create a sloping edge with wood or rocks so that hedgehogs can get in and out of your pond each time they swim. This will ensure it is safe for them and again, also help encourage them to your garden.


Don’t use garden chemicals or slug pellets – use animal safe alternatives

If you have a problem with slugs and you are using chemicals or pellets to get rid of the slug problem, this could be potentially fatal to the hedgehogs if they consume them. It is best to use organic pest control methods that won’t harm the hedgehogs, such as beer traps, eggshells and even copper rings around plants. This helps keep your garden safe from pellets and harmful chemicals, which will eventually help lure hedgehogs to it who will take care of your slug problem for you.

Slug banned large pack of 10

Learn more about controlling slugs here.


Check long grass and overgrowth before mowing or strimming

When you bring hedgehogs to your garden or are trying to do so, make sure you look out for them whenever you head out to the garden. When hedgehogs are in danger they will freeze up and curl into a ball. So, if you have a long grass area in your garden, hedgehogs will no doubt be hunting there for things like beetles and earthworms. Before you start mowing or using any other power tool, check for hedgehogs and other forms of wildlife.

Welcome to my site, my name is John and I have been lucky enough to work in horticultural nurseries for over 15 years in the UK. As the founder and editor as well as researcher, I have a City & Guilds Horticultural Qualifications which I proudly display on our About us page. I now work full time on this website where I review the very best gardening products and tools and write reliable gardening guides. Behind this site is an actual real person who has worked and has experience with the types of products we review as well as years of knowledge on the topics we cover from actual experience. You can reach out to me at john@pyracantha.co.uk

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