Tips for a hedgehog-friendly autumn garden

Yet in the midst of cultivated landscapes and densely built-up residential areas, habitat for these spiny creatures is becoming increasingly scarce.

And with it, the food supply and retreat options for establishing their nests and winter quarters. Garden owners can easily help hedgehogs by designing their properties in a nature-friendly way. Nadja Michler reveals what a hedgehog-friendly garden looks like and when the animals also need human assistance.

Healthy, strong hedgehogs normally do not need human help with overwintering. But their habitat is becoming increasingly scarce and the dangers from cars or poisons are growing ever greater. We therefore ask garden owners to show some compassion for hedgehogs during their autumn tidying-up work on their properties. With just a few simple tricks, these spiny animals can be supported in their preparations for the colder months.

Nadja Michler, wildlife specialist at the animal rights organisation PETA

Here is how garden owners can make their garden hedgehog-friendly:

• Natural greenery: Bushes and hedges provide hedgehogs with shelter and food. Insects that gather there are an important staple food for hedgehogs, helping them build up reserves for hibernation.

• Wildlife-friendly garden care: When fertilising the garden, natural products such as compost and bark mulch should always be used. Chemical agents that kill insects and snails also harm hedgehogs as a result.

• Creating passageways: Hedges are a natural alternative to garden fences and allow hedgehogs to pass through to other gardens. This enables the animals to roam from garden to garden and find sufficient food.

• Setting up hedgehog houses: A weatherproof shelter padded with leaves is an ideal hiding spot and winter quarters. Piles of brushwood, covered leaf piles, gaps under the garden shed, hollow spaces under woodpiles or under the large roots of old trees are all suitable for this purpose.

These hedgehogs need human help:

• Sick or injured hedgehogs: Underweight, staggering, trembling, coughing and wheezing, rattling breathing, failure to curl up, and wandering around in broad daylight are all signs of poor health.

• Hedgehogs active in winter: During prolonged frost and snow, healthy hedgehogs are in hibernation to get through the cold season. Animals that are active in winter are usually sick, weak, or were unable to build up sufficient fat reserves in autumn. They generally do not survive the winter without human help.

Animal lovers who find a hedgehog in need of help should contact a vet, the local animal shelter, or a hedgehog rescue centre. There, the wild animal will receive professional care.