How To Look After Hedgehogs in Your Northampton Garden
Throughout many gardens of Northampton, you’ll notice that you probably have a wide variety of wildlife that resides within your garden space. Whether it be foxes, birds, rabbits, badgers or hedgehogs, you can be sure to see some wonderful wildlife. If you find that you have hedgehogs living in your garden, then there are a few things you can do to make your exterior surroundings more hedgehog-friendly.
If you want to find out more about how you can look after hedgehogs in your garden, then keep on reading. You can also contact our team if you have any further questions.
Making a Home for Your Hedgehog
Hedgehogs like their surroundings to be left wild. By leaving leaves, twigs and logs around your Northampton garden, you will allow them to make a comfortable and attractive nest for them to reside in. It will also help attract bugs including slugs, beetles and other invertebrates that hedgehogs like to eat.
You could also prop some wood or board up against a wall to provide extra shelter to keep hedgehogs dry in the wetter weather.
Should You Feed the Hedgehogs?
Even though hedgehogs are partial to bugs and invertebrates, there are a few items of food that you can also give them to encourage them to stay or return to your Northampton garden. The only liquid that you should not give to hedgehogs is milk, as this can cause problems for their health.
You can leave fresh water to keep the hedgehogs in your garden hydrated. In terms of food, you could leave out tinned dog or cat food as well as crushed pet biscuits.
Creating A Hedgehog Friendly Environment
There are a number of additional things you can do to help the hedgehogs in your garden. If you are an avid sports player, you should try and remove netting within your garden to prevent hedgehogs from getting entangled in the netting. You can cover drains and holes, as this will stop the hedgehogs from falling down and injuring themselves. You should also cover any swimming pools and ponds.
Did you know that slug pellets are poisonous to hedgehogs? If you have a slug problem within your garden, then there a variety of natural alternatives including crushed eggshells or coffee grounds around the vulnerable plants.
Finding an Injured Hedgehog
If you happen to find an injured hedgehog in your garden, then the best thing you can do is to find a nearby vet or wildlife rehabilitator. If you are unable to find somewhere to take the hedgehog, then you can also contact the RSPCA, who will be able to take in the hedgehog and help.
When approaching injured animals, you should be careful. In situations where they feel vulnerable and frightened, they are likely to bite and scratch. If you are worried, call the RSPCA and they will be able to come out and assist.
Contact Us Today
If you would like to ask us about any of the above or find out more about how you can care for hedgehogs that are living in your Northampton garden, then get in touch with our team today. You can give us a call on 01604 376 125 or fill in our online form.