Hedgehogs are Listed as ‘Near Threatened’. Here’s How to Help Look After them this November

Hedgehogs are some of our cutest countryside companions, with their little snuffles and shuffling walks. They can be found all over our outdoors, but their numbers are in serious decline, now being listed as ‘Near Threatened’ worldwide, as well as in the UK and Europe. If you’re interested in helping them, OutmoreNI.com has created a list of things to do over November that can make their lives a little easier.

What are hedgehogs doing in November?

Hedgehogs settle down to hibernate in November, usually until March or April. To survive the winter, they need to have built up enough fat over the autumn period. This can be a real challenge for young hedgehogs born later in the year, as these ‘autumn juveniles’ are often still outdoors in November, desperately trying to get as much food as possible before the cold sets in in earnest.

Spot a hedgehog that needs help

Hedgehogs which weigh less that 450 grams will likely not survive hibernation without help. Any that are under 250g in autumn are most likely to be orphans and will need rescuing straight away.

Some signs that a hedgehog needs help are:

• If it’s outduring the day, even if it seems lively
• It’s curled up and cold, out in the open
• It’s wobbling, staggering or not eating

If you do find one, pop it into a high-sided box lined with newspaper and a towel, keep it somewhere warm indoors and offer it food and water. Then, get advice. Contact your local vet or get in touch with the British Hedgehog Preservation Society.

Do hedgehogs visit your garden at night?

If a hedgehog visits your garden at night, you can help it put on weight before winter sets in.

• Put out meaty cat or dog food, cat biscuits or hedgehog food, with a shallow dish of fresh water.
• Never give them milk or bread! Milk upsets hedgehogs tummies, and bread fills them up without providing any of the nutrition they need.
• Don’t lead out your leftover Halloween pumpkins – it’ll give them diarrhoea.

Make a Hedgehog Bed

You can make somewhere nice for hedgehogs to sleep by leaving a wild corner with piles of leaves, logs or twigs where they can built their winter nest. Be sure to check leaf piles and other garden waste before getting rid of them, and hold off on tidying hedges and borders until spring.

Make your garden hedgehog-friendly

Please do your best to avoid putting out pesticides or slug pellets in your garden, which harm hedgehogs and the beetles and worms they eat. If you can, build a ‘hedgehog highway’ – a gap of around 13cm by 13cm at the bottom of your fence of wall so that hedgehogs can roam between gardens to find food and mates.

Record your sightings

Scientists are still trying to determine how hedgehogs are fairing in Northern Ireland, and every record helps. You can log hedgehog spottings, alive or dead, through the CEDaR hedgehogs records form at: https://www2.habitas.org.uk/records/hedgehog

A little care from from even a few of us can make a world of difference so please, do keep an eye out for our prickly neighbours, and help give them the best chance of making it through to spring.

Find woodlands, nature reserves and wild places to explore across Northern Ireland at OutmoreNI.com.