Since becoming a charity back in 2017, Prickles has released more than 5,000 hedgehogs back into the wild – not bad when you consider that numbers of this endearing little animal have plummeted from 30 million in the 1950s to less than one million today.

by Laura Batt, Prickles Hedgehog Rescue

Killing with kindness
It used to be a given that we left out a saucer of bread and milk for Mrs Tiggywinkle, but in fact hedgehogs are lactose intolerant. Instead, cat food (in jelly, and without fish), cat biscuits and specialist hedgehog food (Spokes is an excellent range) can be left out, along with plentiful fresh water.
Your back garden is a series of hedgehog dangers… Make sure your pond has an escape ramp for hedgehogs because although they can swim, they tire easily.
Check your garden before mowing or strimming, to avoid a lethal encounter. And again, check your compost heap before you stick in a fork, because they’re a favourite nesting site of hedgehogs. The same goes for bonfires. If you use netting to protect plants, check it regularly to ensure you can release a trapped hedgehog before it dies of exhaustion. Spills of antifreeze and oil should be cleaned up immediately, before they are mistaken for water. Carefully check for hedgehogs before closing garages, sheds or greenhouses so as not to trap any inside. Lastly, place covers over exterior drains to prevents hedgehogs falling in.

Positive steps
Hedgehogs are firmly nocturnal – if you find a hedgehog or hoglet out during the daytime then it needs to be rescued, because it will not survive until the next day. If you find one, please put it in a cardboard box with a piece of towelling in the bottom. Take to a local rescue centre or vet immediately. In June and early July, hedgehogs deliver a litter of hoglets, with a second following in September, so keep an eye out for little ones at these particular times.
There are positive ways to make your garden more hog-friendly… Leave a wild patch of long grass or wildflowers to encourage insects for hedgehogs to feed on. Log piles also offer fabulous habitat opportunity for hedgehog food sources. These spikey gardeners’ friends will much on the slugs, snails and other pests that can damage your prize plants. Come Autumn, leave a pile of leaves available for hedgehog bedding – and while you can buy hedgehog houses for hibernation, generally hedgehogs prefer to find their own sites.
Hedgehogs are protected by Law. If you ever see one advertised for sale on social media, please report the user to the Police or the RSPCA.
Prickles specialises in the rescue, rehabilitation, care and release of hedgehogs. It relies solely on donations and fund-raising events. If you would like to know more please contact Laura on 01934 863679 or laura.c.batt@talk21.com.

Did you know?
Blue slug pellets were banned in April 2022 and must be disposed of responsibly