Hedgehogs will return to your garden again and again if you leave out two common food items, according to Fareham Borough Council. The Hampshire-based council has set out several ways to help hedgehogs during summer and encourage them to visit your garden.
Put out food
The first suggestion is to put out food. Appropriate choices include dry cat or dog food, or specialist hedgehog food, which is especially suitable.
Nevertheless, the council warned against fish-based food, as hedgehogs have an extraordinarily sharp sense of smell and experts observe they are often put off by the intense odour of fish, reports Wales Online. Fish protein also moves through a hedgehog's short digestive system exceptionally quickly and, while not dangerous, can lead to distinctly pungent, fishy-smelling droppings.
The council also warns against ever giving hedgehogs milk. Hedgehogs are extremely lactose intolerant, missing the enzyme needed to digest lactose, which means that drinking milk causes acute stomach cramps and serious diarrhoea. For a small creature, swift fluid loss from diarrhoea can lead to severe dehydration, which often proves deadly.
Offer fresh water
Instead of milk, the council suggests leaving out a shallow bowl of fresh water, which "can be a lifeline" to hedgehogs during warmer weather. Experts recommend placing the water dish near their food source, especially during hot summer evenings or extended dry spells.
Inspect before you cut or mow your lawn
The post encouraged people to carefully check long grass, bushes and undergrowth before using any garden equipment. Hedgehogs don't run from danger; rather, they roll into a tight ball. This natural defence response leaves them completely exposed to spinning metal blades and nylon cords, causing serious, often fatal cuts and injuries. Since hedgehogs are nocturnal creatures, they spend daytime hours resting in exactly the locations people typically want to tidy - such as long grass, thick undergrowth, bramble thickets and under hedgerows.
Water plants carefully
Watering plants carefully helps keep the soil moist, ensuring that earthworms, beetles and insects stay active close to the surface. This gives foraging hedgehogs a vital source of food during dry periods, when parched, hardened ground makes hunting particularly difficult. It also acts as a helpful prompt to refresh any shallow water dishes placed around the garden.
