Hedgehog awareness week 2023

Are you lucky enough to have a hedgehog visiting your garden?

If you’re a gardener, you’ll be happy to know that hedgehogs can be your ally in keeping your garden healthy. These adorable creatures have a diet that includes beetles, caterpillars, worms, and other invertebrates that can damage your plants. If you see a hedgehog in your garden, don’t be quick to shoo it away – it might just be helping you out!

What is hedgehog awareness week?

Every year, a special event called Hedgehog Awareness Week is celebrated to raise awareness about these charming creatures. The main objective of this initiative is to increase public knowledge about hedgehogs and their dwindling numbers in the UK. The British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS) launched a campaign to raise awareness about the challenges that hedgehogs face and encourage conservation and protection efforts for this species.

Hedgehog Week is an excellent chance for people and groups to contribute to conservation initiatives. Activities like constructing hedgehog habitats, designing gardens that are welcoming to hedgehogs, and joining in with nearby conservation schemes are all ways to get involved.

Hedgehog Awareness Week aims to raise awareness about the challenges faced by hedgehogs and inspire individuals to take steps towards safeguarding and preserving this cherished and symbolic species.

The charity has recently launched a new campaign encouraging individuals to ‘Think Hedgehog!’ this year. As a hedgehog, your garden or greenspace can be a haven or a hazard. Even local parks and school grounds can pose a threat to hedgehog survival.

Why do we need hedgehog awareness week?

Sadly, hedgehog population numbers are in decline. According to the British Hedgehog Preservation Society, urban hedgehog populations have declined by up to 30%, and rural populations have declined by up to 50% since the turn of the century. However, these habitats are unfortunately dwindling, which poses a threat to their survival.  Many of them live in urban gardens, but many people aren’t sure how we can help these vulnerable animals.

What should hedgehogs eat?

Hedgehogs are fascinating creatures that have a diverse diet in the wild. As omnivores, they can consume a wide range of foods. However, their primary source of nutrition comes from insects, with beetles and caterpillars being their preferred choice. It’s incredible to see how these little creatures can adapt to their environment and thrive on such a varied diet. 

According to Brambles, a hedgehog is a nocturnal creature that can eat up to 20% of its total weight in one night!

If you have some furry visitors in your garden, you might wonder what kind of food is both tasty and safe for them to eat. Here are a few recommendations that we have for feeding these friendly creatures.

Brambles Crunchy Hedgehog Food

Brambles crunchy hedgehog food is made up of small kibbles with poultry as the main ingredient. If you’re looking for a way to support the health of wild hedgehogs, you might want to consider a complementary food specially formulated to provide the right balance of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals. Not only does this food help hedgehogs stay healthy, but its crunchy texture can promote good dental health.

Brambles Meaty hedgehog food

Consisting of a chicken and meat-based wet food, this specially formulated food is designed to provide the right balance of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals for wild hedgehogs. You can mix it with Brambles Crunchy Hedgehog Food for an even more complete meal. Give your local hedgehogs the nutrition they need to thrive!

Extra select hedgehog crumble

The Extra Select Hedgehog Crumble is a complementary feed for hedgehogs. It is made up of a natural blend of probiotic pellets, roasted suet granules, and dried black solider fly larvae. The pro-biotic pellets aid in the hedgehog’s digestion and overall health. It also contains a lot of natural proteins and lipids. This is safe for all native hedgehogs!

These are some ingredients to avoid when feeding hedgehogs;

• Honey – bad for their teeth.
• Dried Fruit – also bad for teeth
• Sunflower hearts/seeds – heavy in phosphorus, which can contribute to metabolic bone disease.
• Peanuts and other nuts – high in phosphorus. 
• Mealworms – high in phosphorus. 
• Lots of fillers – wheat and linseed are listed as ingredients in many hedgehog foods. They do not pose a health risk but have little nutritional value. They are merely fillers. So your hedgehogs will fill up on them and believe they don’t need to forage anymore that night, even when they haven’t consumed all the nutrients they require to survive and grow.

How can I help hedgehogs in my garden? 

To assist hedgehogs in the garden, make a tiny 13cm hole at the foot of fences and borders to provide a safe path to and from the garden and your neighbours. This will help the hedgehogs to avoid roads.

Leaving a peaceful section of your garden unused, or having a pile of logs, can provide a haven for hedgehogs, as can avoiding using chemicals like slug pellets and pesticides. It can be dangerous if hedgehogs consume insects that have come into touch with pesticides like these.

If you have a pond in your garden, ensure there is a way out for any hedgehogs that inadvertently fall in. Although hedgehogs are good swimmers, if they can’t get out of the pond, they will eventually tire out, so a few partially submerged rocks around the pond’s edges or a ramp will help them climb out.

Hedgehogs hibernate during severe cold spells, usually between November and mid-March; however, milder weather in recent years has meant they are often quite active. Therefore, it is best to leave food and water available during winter. Brambles Crunchy Hedgehog Food and fresh water are ideal for this time of year.