All our Hedgehogs should now be awake and if not already, found a Mate to do what Hedgehogs do !
Indeed, the one Hedgehog I had hibernating in my Garden over Winter emerged and within two weeks I noticed he or she had found a friend.

Having their babies can present some problems with their survival though and the following are a guide to ensure the new families have a good chance of getting through Summer, hibernating and extending their population next year..

Compost Heaps and Bonfires

These are favourite places for Hedgehogs to either spend a night or have their babies in.
Special attention should be made when either getting compost out or lighting a bonfire.

Should a Mother just recently had her babies and she’s disturbed, this could lead to her abandoning them, even eating them.

Ensuring a food supply

If you live in an area where’s there’s lots of hedgerows, especially running along fields, then they should be able to fend for themselves.
If unsure, there’s no harm in putting some Meat Cat Food out for them – softer types are good, they have small teeth and find larger lumps hard to digest.
They love Mealworms !!

Access to food supply

One of the reasons for the population decline is road kill and to be honest, there’s not a lot one can do about that.
However, should Hedgehogs have good access from garden to garden or garden to field, there’s the possibility they won’t need to cross a road.
In the nicest possible way, should neighbours have solid fencing around their garden with no access, pop a leaflet through their door about the Hedgehog Highway.

Posters and other Information

The British Hedgehog Preservation Society are there to help us.
If you go to their main page, then to the link ‘Hedgehog Street’, you can register (free) and not only help them by mapping your Hedgehog, but download lots of helpful information and posters.

The word is getting around – the fight for survival is go !