Fareham Borough Council has outlined ways to assist hedgehogs during summer and entice them to visit your garden. The advice includes leaving out suitable food, providing fresh water, and checking before mowing.
Leave out food for them
The first recommendation was to put out food. This can be either dry cat or dog food, or specialist hedgehog food, which is perfect. However, the council cautioned to steer clear of fish-based food because hedgehogs are known to possess a remarkably acute sense of smell, and experts say they are frequently deterred by the powerful odour of fish.
Fish protein also passes through a hedgehog's short digestive tract exceptionally rapidly, and while it does not harm them, it can result in particularly unpleasant, fishy-smelling hedgehog droppings. The council also cautions to never offer hedgehogs milk, as they are profoundly lactose intolerant.
Provide fresh water
Rather than milk, the council recommends leaving out a shallow dish of clean water which "can be a lifeline" to hedgehogs during warm weather. Experts advise keeping the water bowl close to their food, particularly during hot summer nights or prolonged dry spells.
Check before you mow your lawn
The post urged people to always thoroughly inspect long grass, shrubs and undergrowth before operating garden machinery. Hedgehogs do not flee from danger; instead they curl into a tight ball. This instinctive defence mechanism renders them completely vulnerable to rotating metal blades and nylon lines, resulting in horrific, often fatal lacerations and injuries.
As hedgehogs are nocturnal creatures, they spend daylight hours sleeping in precisely the spots people tend to clear - such as long grass, dense undergrowth, bramble patches, and beneath hedges.
Be wise when watering your plants
Watering plants thoughtfully helps maintain moist soil so that earthworms, beetles, and insects remain active near the surface. This provides foraging hedgehogs with a vital source of food during dry periods when hardened ground makes hunting particularly challenging. It also serves as a useful reminder to top up shallow water dishes positioned around the garden.
