In back gardens and village greens alike, the nights draw in and the soil hardens. The insects hedgehogs depend on shrink away. A small animal that slept under your roses in July now faces a life-or-death problem. The good news: the help they need is easier than you think to give.
Leaves crisped underfoot. A shallow dish sat beneath a plastic storage box turned into a tunnel, its entrance cut neat as a letter slot.
Somewhere under the shrubbery, a small life is negotiating the cold. We waited, talking in whispers the way people do in churches and bird hides. Then a hedgehog appeared, surprisingly purposeful, snuffling straight for the food, ignoring us entirely.
The fix is surprisingly simple.
What hedgehogs actually need when the frost arrives
Hedgehogs don’t hunker down and sleep all winter as cartoons suggest. They drift in and out, rousing on milder nights to forage, often burning precious fat. A safe nest, steady calories, and water they can find quickly keep that rhythm from tipping into crisis.
In towns, their story is mixed. The British Hedgehog Preservation Society notes that urban populations seem to be holding, while rural hedgehogs have fallen steeply since the millennium. A single suburban street with three or four wildlife-friendly gardens can become a lifeboat. I’ve seen one spiky visitor make a reliable 10 pm call to three addresses, as if his route were stitched in thread.
That nightly circuit matters because a hedgehog needs to reach a healthy weight before and during hibernation. Think of it as buying time. The colder the snap, the faster the tank empties. Without nearby food, a long trek across fences and neat lawns can cost more energy than a hedgehog gains. That’s where we come in, with something small and close.
The easiest lifeline: a low-effort feeding-and-shelter station
The simplest setup is a weatherproof feeding station with water, tucked in a quiet corner. Use a plastic storage box turned upside down, cut a 13 x 13 cm entrance on one side, and weigh the roof with a brick. Slide in a shallow, heavy dish of meaty wet cat or dog food, plus a small bowl of fresh water. That’s it — no fuss, big impact.
Doors, not banquets, make the difference. Cut a “hedgehog highway” in your fence — the same 13 x 13 cm square — so they can actually reach your station. Feed at dusk and top up little and often. Skip fish-flavoured food, peanuts, and mealworms, which can cause bone problems if overdone. We’ve all had that moment when routine slips; keep it simple so the habit sticks.
Soyons honnêtes : personne ne fait vraiment ça tous les jours. If you miss a night, don’t quit — restart the next evening. Keep milk off the menu and think long game over perfection. A cheap trail camera can encourage you when motivation dips; seeing that snout on screen feels like a tiny miracle.
“The easiest help is still the most effective: food, water, and safe access,” says hedgehog ecologist Hugh Warwick. “You don’t need a meadow. You need a hole in the fence and a box that keeps the rain off.”
- Food: meaty wet cat/dog food or kitten biscuits; small portions, topped up at dusk.
- Water: shallow, heavy dish, refreshed daily; never milk.
- Access: 13 x 13 cm holes between gardens; mark them so neighbours copy.
- Shelter: leave a log/leaf pile or a purpose-built box in a quiet, dry spot.
- Safety: lift netting, build pond escape ramps, and check bonfires before lighting.
Leave a little wild, and let your street do the rest
One garden can help a hedgehog get through a cold snap. A handful of gardens linked together can stabilise a local population. If you do just one thing this week, cut a fence hole and leave a plate out. Then mention it on your street WhatsApp and share a snapshot when you catch your first visitor.
Wild corners do the quiet heavy lifting. A loose stack of logs, a lazy patch of ivy, an un-raked leaf pile against a wall — these create dry, insect-rich pockets where hedgehogs build winter nests. Keep the strimmer away from edges and check compost heaps with a stick before you turn them. Bold hedgehogs wander by day only when something’s wrong; if you see one sunbathing in winter, call a rescue.
Think of winter help as an invitation rather than a project plan. Light, local, repeatable. You make a doorway, a dry roof, and a small supper. The hedgehog handles the rest. When the frost lifts and the evenings stretch, you’ll know you helped a night wanderer cross from scarcity into spring.
| Point clé | Détail | Intérêt pour le lecteur |
|---|---|---|
| Food & water | Meaty cat/dog food, kitten biscuits, shallow water dish; no milk | Fast, cheap setup that keeps hedgehogs fuelled through cold snaps |
| Access & shelter | 13 x 13 cm fence holes; leaf/log piles or a simple box | Turns your garden into a safe stop on a nightly route |
| Safety habits | Raise netting, ramp your pond, avoid slug pellets, check fires | Prevents common winter injuries and needless rescues |
FAQ :
- What should I feed a hedgehog in winter?Meaty wet cat or dog food and plain kitten biscuits are ideal. Avoid fish flavours, mealworms, peanuts, and bread; always provide water.
- How do I know if a hedgehog needs help?If it’s out in daylight, wobbly, coughing, covered in flies/ticks, or small and underweight in late autumn, contact a local rescue. Place it in a ventilated box with a warm bottle wrapped in a towel while you seek advice.
- What weight should a hedgehog be to survive hibernation?As a rule of thumb, aim for at least 450–500 g by late autumn. Weighing isn’t mandatory for passers-by, but it helps if you’re feeding a regular visitor and can do so gently.
- How big should a fence hole be for hedgehogs?Cut a 13 cm by 13 cm square at ground level. That size is perfect for hedgehogs and too small for most pets to squeeze through.
- Is milk really bad for hedgehogs?Yes. They are lactose intolerant, and milk can cause diarrhoea and dehydration. Stick to fresh water in a heavy, shallow dish.
Just set up the upside-down storage box with a shallow dish and cut the 13 x 13 cm entry — way easier than I expected. I’ll share on our street WhatsApp tonight. Thanks for the clear, no-guilt approach; the “little and often” tip might actually stick. Thanks! 🙂
Honest question: doesn’t regular feeding risk making hedgehogs dependant on people and less wary? Our local rescue reccomends gaps in fences first, food only in cold snaps. Would love a bit more nuance or sources on long‑term effects.