Friends of Ancells Farm

Create a Hedgehog Street Around Fleet and Help ourHedgehogs!

Hedgehogs travel up to one mile each night looking for food and to find mates. Friends of Ancells Farm and Friends of Oakley Park are joining forces to start a Hedgehog Street Around Fleet to try to improve the lives of our local Hedgehogs. Joining in is simple!

If you already have small gaps at the base your garden fence or hedge about 15cm in height and width, or can create a small gap (ask your neighbours first!), simply email us at fleethedgehogs@gmail.com. Tell us your house number and post code and we will add a marker to our map of Fleet to createa Hedgehog Street Around Fleet.

This exciting plan is in response to a campaign created by two wildlife charities who have joined forces to research the reasons why hedgehog numbers are declining in the UK. Further details of this campaign can be found at www.hedgehogstreet.org

Although hedgehogs are common and widespread, evidence of a drastic decline is mounting. Surveys show that populatons have dropped by alost 50% over the last 25 years and the indication is that this decline is still continuing in England and Wales. If nothing is done to reverse thetrend then this mammal could be extinct from some areas by 2050. This worrying level of decline has led to the hedgehog becoming a UK Priority Species and conservation measures are being put in place.

View Fleet Hedgehog Network in a larger map

Helpful Advice

Breeding: 4-5 young (hoglets) are born generally in spring after a one-month gestation period. They weigh 11-25g at birth and are cared for by the female only. They are weaned at eight weeks. Sometimes a second litter may be born in mild weather though young may struggle to gain sufficient fat reserves to survive winter. Hedgehogs become sexually mature at one year and have a maximum longevity of ten years although it is usually less than 4 years in the wild.

Habits: Hedgehogs are nocturnal and hibernate through winter. They are solitary except for mothers with young. When threatened hedgehogs curl into a ball so their sharp spines can protect them.

Habitat & Distribution: Woodland, pasture, hedgerows, parks and gardens. Suburban and urban green spaces and becoming increasingly important refuges for hedgehogs. Hedgehogs are found throughout western Europe; including Britain and Ireland and have been introduced to some offshore islands in the past.

Link your garden: Hedgehogs need to roam across several gardens to find food and mates. Solid fences and walls often prevent their movement. Hedges and natural boundaries are better for hedgehogs as they allow them to roam free and provide shelter. If you already have a wall or fence, try creating a small hole, approx 15 cm in height and width which will enable hedgehogs to move between yours and your neighbours' gardens, without encouraging pets to wander.

Garden safety: Hedgehogs can become injured or trapped in netting. Make sure any unused netting (including sports netting) is stored off the ground and that pea netting is high enough from the ground to allow hedgehogs to pass under safely. Try not to leave shed doors open over night as a hedgehog may go inside looking for a place to nest or forage and then become trapped when you close the door.

Hibernation: Hedgehogs hibernate from November to April, when food supplies are scarce. They may use compost heaps and leaf litter, so please be careful when turning compost or digging leaf piles. If you disturb a hibernating hedgehog replace the nesting material. The hedgehog can then either repair the nest or build another elsewhere. If the hedgehog is hibernating and wakes up, put out some dog food and water each night until it starts hibernating again.

Diet & Food: Hedgehogs eat ground dwelling invertebrates, especially worms, beetles, slugs, spiders and grubs. You can put out dog food or special hedgehog food as this often makes for good hedgehog watching. It also provides energy for hedgehogs particularly during harsh weather (either hot and dry or very cold). However, ensuring your garden is a good habitat with natural foods such as earthworms, caterpillars and beetles is also very important. Plant flowers and shrubs that will encourage insects and this will benefit a wide range of wildlife. Provide several sources of water for wildlife around your garden.

Babies: It is unusual to see a baby hedgehog without its mother unless it is in trouble. This could be either because its mother hasn't returned or it is ill. If you see any hoglets make sure there are no adult hedgehogs close by before you potentially separate them from their mother. Once you are sure they have been abandoned please contact British Hedgehog Preservation Society as the hoglets may be too small to survive the winter hibernation alone. It is important not to disturb them too much as they are easily stressed. www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk

Leave a mess: Often gardens can be too tidy and leave little room for wildlife. Hedgehogs need somewhere to make a nice warm nest and to hide from predators. They also need areas abundant in gastropods (slugs and snails) in order to feed. Create a leaf pile behind your shed or greenhouse and leave a wild / scrubby corner of your garden un-mown or not formally planted so that hedgehogs have a safe place to rest and forage.

Check before mowing: Please be careful when using cutting equipment in your garden. Mowers and strimmers can wound or even kill hedgehogs hiding or nesting in vegetation. Before mowing or strimming, check in long grass, along rough edges and under hedges. If you do discover a hedgehog, please either postpone your mowing or carefully move it (using thick gloves!) to a safer place in the garden or place in a cardboard box temporarily until you have finished.

Bonfire night: Check any piles of wood or garden refuse for hibernating hedgehogs burning. Where possible re-site the pile on the day it is to be lit. If this is not possible, check carefully and then light from one side only so anything caught isn't surrounded by flames right away and has a chance to escape. Hedgehogs often use wood piles as a safe, sheltered place to spend the winter. They usually hibernate from November to April, but check for wildlife all year round.

Make a log pile: Log piles may be used for hibernation and nesting but they will also attract invertebrates into your garden for the hedgehogs to eat. Collect any old dead wood from your garden or ask the local park or wildlife reserve for permission to take some from their supply and pile it up in a quiet undisturbed corner of your garden. As the wood rots down, replenish the logs from time to time. Remember to check the pile for hedgehogs if you are going to move it elsewhere.

Don't use slug pellets: Hedgehogs may unwittingly eat slug pellets or poisoned slugs so ideally avoid using them (try alternatives e.g. beer-baited slug traps). If you do use them only buy those containing a dye or taste deterrent. Only put them out when and where you have a problem, preferably in a tube or pipe too small for hedgehogs to fit through and remove dead slugs. Remember hedgehogs eat slugs and other garden pests, so encouraging hedgehogs will help with the gardening!

Make Ponds Safe: Hedgehogs are good swimmers but can get stuck in ponds or swimming pools and may drown if they can't find a way out. If you have a pond or pool, ensure that there are escape routes should a hedgehog fall in. You could position a plank of wood at the pond edge or pile some rocks at one end so that it can climb out. When planning to dig a pond try to ensure it has gently sloping sides (which will also help our amphibious garden friends too).

Garden Chemicals; It is generally better for all wildlife not to use chemicals sparingly (or not at all) in your garden. Firstly, insecticides kill insects which hedgehogs feed on. This will reduce the amount of food available to them and other wild animals. Secondly, the chemicals themselves may harm hedgehogs if eaten and may have long term, unknown effects. Use environmentally safe wood preservatives on sheds and fences as hedgehogs often lick new smells or substances.