Helping the Gardeners’ Friend

Entice regular visits to your garden by cultivating a wild corner or nature reserve and leaving out cat food and water. He will be pleased to eat your slugs and beetles in return.

But if you care about hedgehogs do not use slug pellets, insecticide or herbicide. Store chemicals, battery fluid and disinfectant with utmost respect.

Leave a graduated edge as an escape route from your pond or swimming pool. Re-site your bonfire prior to lighting and examine your compost heap before thrusting your fork.

Do not suddenly keep shed doors closed which have been previously left open for some weeks without first checking that there is no nesting hedgehog inside.

Never litter open tins, jam jars, yoghurt pots and keep drains covered.

Cattle grids, sumps, soak-aways, grain pits, garage inspection pits, holes for posts, footings foundations and cesspits – especially when water drains in – are obvious traps, and rolls of wire netting; strawberry nets, tennis and sheep nets.

Keep Fido and Tabby amused by their own toys, hedgehogs are not compatible playthings for your pets.

Without these deadly hazards our gardeners’ friends might be better able to negotiate the horrors of abundant and busy roads, avoid the agony from agricultural sprays and pellets; escape his natural predators and discover the luxury of the rare square yard of undisturbed earth into which he can build his humble home.

Further information and advice is available on request. If in doubt please telephone Hedgehog Care or a local vet.

Excerpt taken from Elaine’s book “Hedgehogs In My Care”