The prickly hedgehog is probably the most familiar and engaging of our nocturnal mammalian visitors. It is certainly the easiest one to watch as it trundles across the lawn in search of worms, beetles and other tasty morsels on a summer evening.
The hedgehog’s eyesight is not brilliant and you can usually get quite close to it; you don’t even need a red filter on your torch. The animal may roll into a spiky ball if you make sudden movements or sounds, but it is just as likely to sit quietly and stare back at you. However, if you take your eyes off it for just a moment, it will probably disappear without a sound; it is remarkably quick for an animal with short legs.
On the other hand, the hedgehog can be extremely noisy, especially when scratching for food in the hedge bottom or the herbaceous border: it is not called the hedgepig for nothing. Courtship is also a noisy and very public affair, with much grunting and squealing as the pair leap around each other on the lawn.
CJ Wild bird Foods/David White
The hedgehog’s spiky armour is formed from modified hairs. Although effective against most predators, it does make grooming difficult and hedgehogs are usually well endowed with fleas!
Hedgehogs often eat birds’ eggs and occasionally catch mice and frogs and even snakes, but invertebrates are their favourite food. Examination of their sausage-shaped droppings will reveal a high proportion of beetle remains. Caterpillars and earthworms are equally important, although they contain fewer indigestible remains. Garden hedgehogs will always appreciate some extra food, and a saucer of mealworms is likely to attract several animals. They are equally happy with a plate of dog food, garnished with some sliced apple or dried fruit.
CONSERVATION TIP
If you find a baby hedgehog in the garden after the middle of September, try to catch it and stick it on your kitchen scales. If it weighs less than about 450g (1 lb) it is unlikely to survive the winter in the wild, as it will not have enough fat on it. Take it in and feed it up, remembering to dust it with flea powder! Once it has reached 500g (1lb 2oz) or so, you can release it or keep it indoors through the winter. It won’t bother about hibernation if you keep it warm.
Bread and milk has long been the traditional snack for hedgehogs but, although nourishing, it should not be given too often because, like us, hedgehogs need a balanced diet. Extra food is very valuable in dry summer weather when worms and other creepy-crawlies burrow down out of reach, and also in autumn when the hedgehogs are preparing for their winter sleep. Additional food at such times can save their lives.
CJ Wild bird Foods/David White
Garden hedgehogs readily nest in boxes like this during the summer. Put the box in a secluded spot, half-fill it with leaves and then cover it with a sack or some branches. Do not use straw or hay as bedding as the sharp stems can cause injuries.
As the days shorten in the autumn, the hedgehogs fatten themselves up and search out suitable sleeping quarters – often in a hedge bottom, a log pile or a compost heap. Each animal busies itself gathering dead leaves and then packing them into a recess to form a ball up to 50cm (20in) in diameter. The hedgehog then burrows into it and settles down for the winter.
If you are any good at sticking bits of wood together you can help your garden hedgehogs by making them a box with a hedgehog-sized opening. Fill it with leaves and shove it into your compost heap. Alternatively, simply cover it with branches – a good use for leylandii trimmings perhaps – and one of the local hedgehogs will be more than happy to move in. If you are no good at working with wood, you can buy hedgehog homes at garden centres and pet shops.
CJ Wild bird Foods/David White
Hedgehog courtship, which can be witnessed through the summer, usually starts with the male trotting round and round the female and snorting loudly.