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Help Save The Hedgehogs

Over the years, I've spent some time working at a hedgehog rescue & rehabilitation centre. As we all know, hedgehogs are a gardener's best friend and there is estimated to be under 1 million left in the UK. Please sign this petition for a law protecting our prickly friends - https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/121264

Anyway, I thought it would be good to highlight a few things we can do to help.

- Make 5" round holes in your fences to allow hedgehogs to travel between gardens for food. One garden is not enough they can travel up to a mile a night. Talk to your neighbours and see if you can create a network. 

- Provide a shallow bowl of water and cat/dog meat flavoured dry biscuits, preferably in a feeding station (easy to create & stops cats/foxes) seen here: 

http://thehedgehog.co.uk/feeding-hedgehogs/how-to-stop-cats-dogs-and-foxes-stealing-the-hedgehogs-food/

- Leave areas of leaves, sticks & dead foliage in piles behind hedges or trees as shelter and homes. Alternatively, buy one from a garden centre or the internet.

- Placing piles of logs to rot and attract beetles (a great hedgehog food source). 

I'm happy to answer any questions, these form a basic start to helping. Thanks! 

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Posts

  • madpenguinmadpenguin Posts: 2,543

    Have signed the petition.image

    I have hedgehogs in my garden and help with a feeding station and hog house (all used regularly).

    Also doing all that I can to encourage other people to help if they can.

    My best birthday present 3 years ago was a day at Tiggywinkles on a hedgehog handling course.Brillant day!

     

    “Every day is ordinary, until it isn't.” - Bernard Cornwell-Death of Kings
  • rosemummyrosemummy Posts: 2,010

    done and will ask all my friends and family to do so

  • GWRSGWRS Posts: 8,478

    Mark56 , just had a quick look at site and saved it for later

    We do get hedgehogs in garden , don't often see them as they come around at night , do occasionally put meelly worms under a bench which seems to be there root into garden , always nice to seem them when sitting out in the evening in summer , you seem to hear them shuffling round by the hawthorn hedge 

    I known they have been round sometimes because next door showed me what there poo looked like image

    Does a mild winter cause them problems ?

     

  • GWRSGWRS Posts: 8,478

    Mark56 just signed partitionimage 

  • Mark56Mark56 Posts: 1,653

    Wonderful thanks guys, your help is really appreciated! image

  • Mark56Mark56 Posts: 1,653

     

     

    GWRS wrote (see)

    Mark56 , just had a quick look at site and saved it for later

    We do get hedgehogs in garden , don't often see them as they come around at night , do occasionally put meelly worms under a bench which seems to be there root into garden , always nice to seem them when sitting out in the evening in summer , you seem to hear them shuffling round by the hawthorn hedge 

    I known they have been round sometimes because next door showed me what there poo looked like image

    Does a mild winter cause them problems ?

     

    Sounds great! They are such a joy to watch (and listen to). A mild winter usually isn't too problematic but it does mean they have extra litters towards the end of autumn who are unlikely to survive if the weather does change (they need to be 500-600g for hibernation otherwise taken to overwinter at a rescue centre). A mild winter usually means prolonged food source and sometimes they won't even need to hibernate, which is a perk. Mealworms are perfect as a treat just not too many as they are high in fat image

  • madpenguinmadpenguin Posts: 2,543

    I signed and got a 'Government response' to the petition.

    Part of it said this:-

    Hedgehogs are protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 from being killed using prohibited methods such as a crossbows, traps and snares. However, further protection of hedgehogs by adding them to Schedule 5 will not support the species and may have unintended consequences because:

    1. the legislation makes it an offence to intentionally kill, take and injure and we have no evidence that this is currently an issue; 
    2. protecting such a generalist habitat from destruction or disturbance could have the unintended consequence of making it a criminal offence to tend gardens; and 
    3. it may deter the maintenance and creation of habitat for hedgehogs if there will be a restriction on land use as a result.

     

    I had never really thought about the 'unintented consequences' of adding hedgehogs to Schedule 5 .

    It could end up meaning that if you had them in your garden you would not be able to actually do any gardening.

    Sometimes things are not always as simple as they seem image

    “Every day is ordinary, until it isn't.” - Bernard Cornwell-Death of Kings
  • Mark56Mark56 Posts: 1,653

    I got this email response from the government too, which is a valid point but it does say if it reaches 100,000 another further discussion will be held (probably leading to more measures of help).

  • GWRSGWRS Posts: 8,478

    i will carry on putting the odd hand full of mealworms down for them image

  • rosemummyrosemummy Posts: 2,010

    madpenguin i got that respinse too, we've never had one in our garden, but extra measures to help them ( our garden is quite friendly but no pond ( 2 small children) have had a frog though!

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