Hedgehog Supplies

About a handful of food per hedgehog per night will be fine. Hedgehogs are regular foragers, they tend to come and feed for 5-10 minutes, then wander off, possibly visiting the feeding station 2-3 times a night. Their ‘little and often’ approach means that if one source of food dries up, they will already be aware of several sites to visit.

You can find a full rundown of what is suitable to feed hedgehogs in our Blog page.

With wildlife you cannot 100% guarantee the safety of your visiting hedgehogs. Placing food in a shelter with an entrance hole of 4 and half inches will deter most predators. It is also a good idea to ensure that any shelter is weighted or pinned down so they cannot be tipped over by any larger or stronger garden visitors. Badgers will dig and climb so you may also wish to ensure your perimeter is as secure as possible, again leaving a small gap for the visitors.

If your night-time visitor is round in shape when eating and looks the size of a grapefruit or larger then they are likely to be around 600gms, ready for hibernation.  If you are at all concerned about their weight, you can attempt to weigh the Hedgehog yourself.  Please use protective gloves and kitchen weighing scales are best.  Alternatively, you may wish to call a local carer, who can look after a younger, underweight hedgehog.

We recommend that you change the water daily and clean the bowl regularly.

Hedgehogs readily take up residence in appropriate hedgehog houses and for the best chance of success they should be situated in a quiet part of the garden, preferably against a wall or fence out of direct sunlight. Make sure the entrance is sheltered to avoid being exposed to drafts and strong winds.
Hedgehog houses may be used for winter hibernation, throughout the summer as lie-ups or, if you're very lucky, by a pregnant female making a nest to have her young in June. You can find more detailed information here.