Fun ways to make your garden Hedgehog Friendly

A small hedgehog (lat. Erinaceus europaeus) looks out from under the grass in a pine forest.

From the 3rd to the 9th May it’s Hedgehog Awareness Week, so we thought of two fun activities you can do to make your garden hedgehog friendly.

Make a Hedgehog House

What you will need

Cardboard Box
Delivered parcels on door mat near entrance

Scissors

cutting paper with scissors for collage art

Large Tube

pet mouse inside a cardboard tube

Compost

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Leaf Cuttings

brouette de déchets verts dans le jardin
Wild hedgehog, (Scientific name: Erinaceus europaeus) Native, wild European hedgehog in Autumn, leaving hedgehog house. Facing right. Head raised. Close up.  Horizontal, landscape.  Space for copy.

If you have any spare cardboard boxes available, why not create a house for your potential hedgehog visitors. Simply take a cardboard box and cut a hole in the front, then use a large kitchen roll holder or pringle pot style tube and create an access to the ‘door’. Put the house in the corner of your garden, maybe by some shrubbery or hedges and cover in soil, compost or leaves to create the perfect camouflaged home that is fit for a hedgehog king.

If you have a pet, dog or cat food in jelly rather than gravy safe for these little garden guests to eat, and be sure to steer clear of fish-based foods. Leave the food alongside a bowl of water or leave a small dish for them inside the house to make their stay even more memorable.

Decorative hedgehog eats dry food from bowl. Dwarf hedgehog at home . Nutrition and breeding hedgehogs at home.

Create a Hedgehog 'Play Area'

What you will need

Leaves

Man collecting fallen autumn leaves in the home yard

Branches

autumn leaves in a pile of branches

Small Toy

tiny toy car in garden next to real vehicle
Hedgehog and autumn still life of chestnuts and leaves under the sun.

Hedgehogs love to spend time in piles of leaves and sticks as well as bushes, that’s why it’s always best to check your hedges before strimming and trimming. If you’re looking to do some garden tidying, get the kids to collect up any loose leaves or branches and make a pile in the corner of the garden. It’s bound get the hedgehogs’ attention when they visit your garden, and it helps them feel safe and at home. Pile the branches and leaves loosely so they have easy access to get underneath the pile, so they feel nice and safe there. Why not add a little extra spark and put a small ball or toy that would be suitable for a hamster? There used to be such a thing as Hedgehog Olympics, so we know they like playing.

hedgehog in bright decorations of moss and flowers
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For more activities and ideas for your garden click on the link below and look at our Free Resources page.

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