Hedgehogs are one of the many wildlife animals that people love to see wandering around in their garden and the local park lands. Unfortunately, though they can find it hard to survive during the harsh winter weather. If only they had access to indoor heating like we do and specialists like Boiler service in Gloucester company hprservicesltd.com/gloucester-boilers/boiler-service-gloucester/ who keep our systems running smoothly for us. Hedgehogs can find it hard to find shelter and food sources during the winter season and can be more susceptible to illness and injury during the darker colder days and nights.
There are a number of things that you can do to help hedgehogs thrive in your back garden:
Placing some water and cat food out at dusk each day provides the hedgehog with a food source should they not be able to forage for enough insects and grubs naturally in the garden. You should never put out bread or milk as these are harmful to the hedgehog’s digestive systems. Hedgehogs are more active around dusk and you will often see flurries of activity from them during this time.
In order to provide some shelter, you can place a hedgehog home or pile of logs in a quiet part of the garden. You will often find that hedgehogs’ nest in any debris that you leave lying around which is why it is important to make sure that you check piles of grass and twigs and bonfires before you use a fork to move them or set them alight. Not only do they prefer to shelter in wood-based environments a lot of their natural food sources can also be found in these areas.
It can be tempting to pick hedgehogs up but unless they are injured you should leave them alone. If you come across a sick or injured hedgehog you should pick it up by using both hands to scoop it up from the floor You should always make sure that you have a pair of heavy-duty gloves on to do this. Once you have scooped the hedgehog up you should place them in a pre-prepared cardboard box that has been lined with newspaper with a towel or tea towel placed on the top so that they can hide underneath it. You should then arrange to take them to your local rescue centre where they can be taken care of and released back into the wild at a later date after some rehabilitation.