Species
Species - Hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus).
Hedgehog
enlarge
Hedgehogs are our most familiar nocturnal mammal, seen as often in city gardens as in the countryside. Hedgehogs have changed little over the last 15 million years, being superbly adapted to their environment. However in our modern world they face many challenges to their survival. It is important that we understand how hedgehogs live and how we can help protect them from the dangers that they face.
Spiny Facts!
- There are 14 species of spiny hedgehog in the world, the one found in Britain is the European Hedgehog Erinaceus europaeus.
- The average hedgehog has approximately 6000 spines on their back.
- As hedgehogs are mainly nocturnal they have a good sense of smell and hearing but poor eyesight.
- Hedgehogs can eat up to 100 invertebrates a day including snails, slugs, and beetles making them a gardeners friend.
- Hedgehogs can run surprisingly fast - up to 2 metres a second! They can also swim and climb walls.
- Hedgehogs are immune to Adder venom, and will kill one if the Adder repeatedly tries to bite.
- Hedgehogs can travel as far as two miles per night, and may visit many gardens over the course of one night.
A Year in the life of the Hedgehog
- January - February: Hedgehogs hibernate throughout the winter months.
- March: Hedgehogs wake up and begin courtship which continues until September. Males attract females by 'dancing' and 'grunting'.
- April - May: Homes are made in undisturbed places with plenty of cover like tree roots or compost heaps.
- June: Hoglets are born in litters of 3 - 7. They are born with their spines under their skin which emerge after a few hours.
- July - August: Hoglets will start to feed themselves.
- September: Last young of the year born. Start fattening up for the winter, many young born now struggle to put on enough weight before hibernation.
- October - November: Hedgehogs look for somewhere dry and protected to hibernate i.e.: heaps of leaves, compost heaps, bonfires.
- December: Hibernation begins.
Do's and Don'ts of a Hedgehog friendly garden
- DO:
- Check long grass before using a strimmer or mower. Often Hedgehogs get injured or killed whilst sleeping in patches of long grass and vegetation.
- Clear away any netting, barbed wire or other garden rubbish; hedgehogs can get trapped and injured if caught up in them.
- If you have a pond leave a plank of wood or chicken wire at the side for hedgehogs to climb out of it if they fall in. They are good swimmers, but often drown in ponds if there is no escape route
- Cover all drains, which may be potential traps for hedgehogs if they fall in.
- Have a compost heap, hedgehogs may use it to nest in or search for food.
- DON'T:
- Use slug pellets and other pesticides in your gardens, they can kill hedgehogs through eating or indirectly through the food chain (eating snails).
- Over-tidy your garden, piles of leaves and grass cuttings make excellent homes for hedgehogs.
- Put out bread and milk for hedgehogs as this is bad for their health. Instead leave out dog or cat food or fruit and a supply of water.
Bonfires
Unfortunately every year many hedgehogs are killed after using a bonfire pile to hibernate in. There are ways you can help though!
- Always check your bonfire before lighting it, by using a torch and rake to carefully look through and turn over the dead vegetation.
- If possible make your bonfire, the day you plan to light it, or rebuild it on the day.
- Make sure that there are alternative places nearby which hedgehogs can nest in, and if necessary place hedgehog boxes in the surrounding area.
- Artificial hedgehog boxes can be bought or made to provide good homes for hedgehogs to nest in your garden. Place them in a dark and undisturbed area with leaves and grass in them to make them appear more natural. Instructions for a simple box are below.
Remember the hedgehog on the 5th of November and help conserve this ancient species.
Hedgehog Box Instructions
- 23cm high, 30cm wide at the bottom, 7.5cm wide at the top, 50cm long.
- An entrance hole of 10cm wide and 15cm high at one end.
- Ideally the box should be made waterproof, with roof felt. The wood used should always be untreated.
We Need Your Records!
There are some suggestions that hedgehogs may be in decline, but we don't know much about them in Cambridgeshire. We need your help to find out how they are doing in this area. If you see a hedgehog in your garden, or when you're out and about, please let us know. Fill in the online wildlife reporting form or download a wildife recording sheet and send us your records, we just need 4 pieces of information:
- What: Positive ID of species
- Where: Location, with grid reference or postcode
- When : Date
- Who: Name and Contact Details
(Cambridge Greenbelt Project processes personal data in compliance with the Data Protection Act and will not pass your information on to other organisations.)
Hedgehog Health
If you find a hedgehog and are concerned about its health please contact:
- St. Tiggywinkles - 01844 292292
- RSPCA - 08703335999
Download this hedgehog information as a PDF hedgehog leaflet.
Find out about what's been seen on our sightings page, or take a look at details of some of the projects and sites that we work on.
