When the temperatures are milder you can see lots of hedgehogs running through the gardens again. Tips on how you can support animals in your own garden.
In a natural garden, hedgehogs can find food and shelter after their hibernation. However, hedgehogs cannot do anything with lawns that are always mowed short, sealed areas and evergreen plants, according to the
Nature Conservation Association (Nabu)
in Lower Saxony. Little by little, the hedgehogs awaken from their hibernation, which, according to experts, usually lasts from November to mid-April at the latest.
Create “wild corners” with branches, leaves and brushwood in the garden
For the sake of the spiny animals, homeowners should pay attention to diversity in the garden: “This includes native shrubs and perennials, beds covered with leaves and a wild corner made of dead wood, branches, leaves and brushwood,” said
Nabu
. But a safe watering hole that is accessible to hedgehogs should not be missing in a hedgehog-friendly garden. “If you set up a water bowl, you should make sure that it is rinsed out regularly, preferably daily, and refilled with fresh water.”
In addition to sufficient food, the hedgehog needs shelter that it can use as a nest for its offspring and later in the year as a place to overwinter. For this he prefers a natural pile of leaves. But a hedgehog castle covered with branches and some leaves is also suitable. It is important, however, that the location of the hedgehog castle is never in a depression that is vulnerable to rainwater, as
Nabu
emphasizes, but rather is set up on slightly higher ground under bushes. A weatherproof and cat-safe hedgehog feeder is also more suitable for the hedgehog than an outdoor food bowl.
Eliminate danger spots for hedgehogs in the garden
In the garden, cellar stairs, open light wells and rain collection containers can also mean “dangerous traps” for hedgehogs, as
Nabu
Lower Saxony reports. Instead, you should protect the garden so that the spiny animals cannot get into it and, for example, cover ponds. When gardening with sharp tools, you should always make sure beforehand that none of the animals are hiding under the pile of leaves or the hedge. In addition, the garden should be “absolutely poison-free,” emphasizes
Nabu
in the statement, “that is, kept free of slug pellets, rat poison and pesticides.” If the hedgehog eats poisoned animals, it could also be very dangerous for him.
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Rely on native plants and natural meadows
To ensure that the hedgehogs do not lack food, it is generally important to design the garden in a natural way. Natural meadows are ideal, as are native bushes or wood such as rowan, rowan or viburnum. Such a natural garden offers a home for insects, snails and worms. And this in turn helps the hedgehogs find food. “Their menu includes earthworms, beetles, spiders, caterpillars, snails and other small animals, but also an egg from a ground-nesting bird species,” says Frederik Eggers from
Nabu
Lower Saxony, according to the statement. “The garden should be designed in such a way that insects feel comfortable. This is the only way the hedgehog can find enough food.”