The hedgehog is one of the most popular garden visitors. So what can you do to make him feel at home? At first you probably want to pet him, feed him or even take him into the house. However, this is completely wrong.

Hedgehog in the garden needs free space

The belongs to the wild animals and therefore also needs its free space accordingly. You should feed the hedgehog only if he looks visibly sick or emaciated. Without hesitation you can put a shallow bowl with water for him at any time. Especially in summer the Hedgehog in garden not enough water to meet its water needs.

What should or may you do?

Besides the bowl with the water, the hedgehog may be fed only in exceptional situations. These include food shortages in the fall or waking up early from hibernation. Then and only then should you give the hedgehog a bowl of wet cat food. As soon as the frost starts, but no later than November, you must stop feeding, because otherwise the hedgehog will find the Hedgehog not in the necessary hibernation.

If the hedgehog is severely malnourished or visibly ill, your first port of call is a hedgehog rescue center. There the animal will be examined and also fed up. In some cases you can take the hedgehog home again and look after it there as instructed. As soon as the hedgehog has recovered, you must release it back into the wild.  

Make life easier for the hedgehog in the garden

Transform your garden into a hedgehog paradise with a few simple steps. To do this, you just need to make sure that the hedgehog can get into other gardens. Ideal here are picket fences, where you remove a slat. Less suitable is a wire mesh fence, because here the hedgehog can get caught.

Offer the hedgehog a shelter made of brushwood, leaves and dead wood. If this is not available, you can also buy a hedgehog house.

Protect the little fellow in your garden from possible dangers. This means that you have to avoid slug pellets as well as weed killers and artificial fertilizers. A leaf vacuum cleaner or a robotic mower can also be dangerous for the hedgehog. If you have a garden pond, you should build a small ramp for the hedgehog so that he can get in and out on his own.

How long will the hedgehog stay?

If you implement the above tips consistently, the hedgehog will remain faithful to you and your garden. Hedgehogs are animals that are loyal to their location and, if possible, stay in the same place their whole life.

The Hedgehog Tunnel - An Experiment

If you want to know if there is a hedgehog in your garden, you can find out with the hedgehog tunnel. You can start the experiment from the middle of April, because then it is warm enough. Most hedgehogs have then finished their hibernation.

You will need the following materials for the hedgehog tunnel:

• Tunnel and test plate
• Paint powder (non-toxic children's paint)
• Cooking oil
• Brush
• Painter's masking tape
• a short piece of double-sided tape
• white DIN A4 paper
• large paper clips
• a small shallow bowl
• suitable bait food (e.g. wet cat food; no fruit!)

The following preparation is necessary:

• Mix 3 heaped teaspoons of color powder with 3 teaspoons of cooking oil.
• Using the paper clips, attach one sheet of paper to each end of the experimental plate.
• Attach the paper to the plate with masking tape and apply the mixed paint.
• Between the two colored areas you place a shallow bowl with bait food.
• You then push the construction into the tunnel.

Now your experiment can start. For five nights in a row, place the hedgehog tunnel in your garden. In the morning you can check whether a hedgehog has walked through the tunnel. You can see this by the traces of paint on the paper.