To keep hedgehogs safe on bin collection day, you must not leave bin bags on the ground in your gardens and should ensure they go straight into the bin. In search of food, hedgehogs can rumble through rubbish, tear holes in bags left outside, and climb inside, where they may become trapped or nestle in and be tossed into the collection truck on bin day.
Other Garden Hazards to Watch For
Beyond bins, other easily forgotten hazards can be addressed to help the nocturnal creatures. Keeping drains covered is one step, as hedgehogs can easily fall into a drain and become stuck. Covering them prevents this risk.
Bean trenches, footings, fencing holes and car inspection pits are all potential death traps for hedgehogs. Throughout autumn and winter, gardeners should make an extra note of these things to keep gardens as safe as possible. If these holes cannot be covered, providing an escape route, best done with a sloping plank, is recommended.
Securing Buildings and Creating Highways
Keeping things as safe as possible also means closing sheds, greenhouses and garage doors and keeping them closed at night. This stops hedgehogs from attempting to enter and nest inside, and trapping themselves.
One of the simplest ways to support hedgehogs and allow them to flow freely through gardens into next door or out onto the road is building 'hedgehog highways'. By inserting square holes into walls or fencing, gardeners enable them to come and go as they please and pass through without difficulty.
This method is recommended by the British Hedgehog Preservation Society, who advise cutting a 13x13cm (5x5”) hole specifically made for hedgehogs. Leaving a small space underneath garden gates is also recommended for easier access. Some gardeners take this a step further by painting the holes a different colour to their fencing or labelling it as a feature in their garden.
