Hedgehogs can’t squeeze through concrete. They wander, hungry, then give up. One tiny tweak fixes that, fast. It costs nothing. It looks like nothing. And it can bring a hedgehog to your doorstep before the kettle cools.
I first heard it as a soft scritch in the grass. The motion light blinked on, and something small paused by the flowerpots, nose quivering, like a punctuation mark come to life. I’d spent five minutes earlier with a handsaw and a cup of tea, cutting a neat square at the base of the fence. The night felt different after that. Air moved. The garden seemed to breathe again.
Then came the snuffle, the unmistakable shuffle of tiny feet across the patio stones. A quick sniff at the water dish, a polite snort at the cat, and the little shape vanished into next door’s shrubs. I stood there, barefoot, ridiculous, grinning. The visitors knew the route before I did. A hole you can make with a breadboard as a template had opened a whole hidden city. The trick is absurdly simple.
Why a tiny hole changes everything
Hedgehogs don’t live in one garden. They roam. A typical night might be a kilometre or more, mapped by scent and habit, stitched together by gaps, hedges, and the messy edges we tend to tidy away. Fences built without thought become walls. A 13 x 13 cm hole—about five inches square—turns a wall back into a gateway.
Ask anyone with a doorbell camera. One Bristol street set up a WhatsApp group, cut matching holes along a terrace, and watched a parade of prickly commuters appear within days. Another family in Leeds saw fresh hedgehog droppings the first dawn after they drilled a low gap under the gravel board. The latest State of Britain’s Hedgehogs report hints why this works: urban hedgehog numbers are holding on where gardens connect, while rural numbers have dropped. Connectivity isn’t cute. It’s survival.
There’s logic beneath the magic. Hedgehogs hoover up beetles and worms from damp borders; they follow edges because edges are rich. Continuous barriers slice their foraging into dead-ends, so they burn energy doubling back and get exposed on roads. Open a route and you knit food patches together. The scent carries. Safe paths form. One small square means less crossing tarmac and more time rustling under foxglove leaves. **A hole is habitat, not a shortcut.**
How to make a hedgehog highway tonight
Here’s the tweak. Cut a 13 cm by 13 cm hole at ground level in a wooden fence panel or gravel board. Mark a square with a pencil and a coaster, then use a hand saw or jigsaw to make a clean opening. Smooth rough edges with sandpaper so spines don’t snag. Place the hole where the soil is level, near cover like shrubs, not in the middle of a blinding patio spotlight. That’s it. You’ve built a hedgehog highway.
Worried about looks? Tuck the gap behind a terracotta pot or a low hosta. Nervous neighbour? Offer to cut the same square their side and share a quick note about the size. Hello brick wall? Scoop a shallow channel under it instead. Pop out a shallow dish of fresh water by night. If you want to be a star, a spoonful of meaty cat food helps, sparingly. Let’s be honest: nobody does this every day.
People trip up on the simple things. Don’t cut it too big; foxes don’t need an invitation, and 13 cm suits hedgehogs fine. Skip milk; they’re lactose intolerant, so stick to water. Avoid slug pellets—metaldehyde is gone for a reason—and try beer traps with lids or hand-picking instead. **Hedgehogs need highways, not prisons.** Keep netting off the ground, tidy stray loops of string, and check the hole stays clear after heavy rain. You’ll feel oddly protective of that square.
“The first night we cut the hole, we had hedgehogs on camera by midnight,” says Emma, a Hedgehog Street volunteer. “Once a garden is on the map, they remember.”
- Size: 13 x 13 cm (5 x 5 inches) at ground level.
- Tools: pencil, ruler, handsaw or jigsaw, sandpaper, gloves.
- Best spot: near cover, away from bright lights and busy doors.
- Extras: shallow water dish, occasional meaty cat food.
- Don’t: use milk, leave netting loose, or block the gap with planters.
A small gap, a big feeling
We’ve all had that moment when the garden feels tidy but a bit lifeless, like a showroom. Then a hedgehog arrives, and everything shifts. You start to hear the soft, private noises the night makes. You notice snail trails you never saw and the way damp soil smells different after midnight rain.
Connectivity brings back drama. Not fireworks—movement. The garden becomes part of a neighbourhood again, instead of a cul-de-sac with lavender. You talk to next door about wildlife like you talk about bins, and you text a photo of tiny footprints in the morning. **The smallest change is often the most generous.** It’s a good feeling to offer a way through when the world is full of dead-ends.
I left the kitchen light off last night and waited, holding my breath for that soft, reassuring snuffle at the fence. It came, right on cue, an ordinary miracle in a square the size of a paperback. You could cut one tonight and wake to crescent-moon droppings by the step, a little calling card on the path. If you do, tell someone. The map expands with every gap, and the night gets busier.
| Point clé | Détail | Intérêt pour le lecteur |
|---|---|---|
| The tweak | Cut a 13 x 13 cm hole at the base of a fence | Fast, cheap, visible results in days |
| Placement | Ground level, near cover, away from bright lights | Higher chance of visits and clear footage |
| Night add-ons | Shallow water dish; occasional meaty cat food | Helps tired, thirsty hedgehogs without harm |
FAQ :
- Will a hedgehog hole let in rats or foxes?At 13 x 13 cm, it suits hedgehogs and is less inviting for foxes. Rats can squeeze through much smaller gaps anyway, so blocking hedgehogs doesn’t keep rats out.
- Is it legal to cut a hole in my fence?If you own the fence or share it with a neighbour, talk first and agree in writing or by message. Avoid cutting into walls or shared structures without permission.
- What should I feed visiting hedgehogs?Fresh water nightly is gold. If you offer food, use plain meaty cat or dog food or a specialised hedgehog mix, and give modest portions. Skip milk and mealworms.
- When are hedgehogs active?They’re nocturnal from spring through autumn and hibernate in winter, waking on mild spells. Expect most movement from dusk until the small hours.
- How soon will they appear?Sometimes the same night, sometimes within a week, especially if neighbours also have holes. A wildlife camera helps you catch shy early visitors.
Followed your advice this evening—five minutes with a handsaw and tea—and by midnight: hedgehog! The 13×13 sweet spot definately works. Thanks for the clear, no-fuss guide.