Thursday 30-07-2020 - 15:17

Hedgehog numbers in the UK have declined by up to a half since the year 2000, with fewer than 1 million left in estimation. Endangering factors such as roads, litter, lack of food, water and natural habitat have all contributed to the decrease.

 

To help combat the decline, here at Wrexham Glyndwr University and our Students’ Union alike, we’ve signed up to Hedgehog Friendly Campus. This involves taking important steps to ensure that our campus offers a safe place for hedgehogs to inhabit.

 

At our university, this includes:

 

- Implementing a joined-up habitat for hedgehogs to come and go as they please

 

- Providing hedgehogs with the opportunity to safely eat and drink

 

- Adding purpose-built hedgehog houses to keep them safe and dry

 

- Ensuring that our campus is litter-free

 

 

Hedgehogs are very much creatures of the night, so are seldom seen in the daytime. Providing them with a safe place during the hustle-and-bustle of the day could really help boost their numbers. 

 

As students, you have the opportunity to join a free webinar where you can find out more about providing first aid to a hedgehog. 

The webinar – which you can sign up to here on Microsoft Teams – is the first of a range of activities set to take place over the coming months, as a small team of volunteers work to help the University achieve Hedgehog Friendly Campus status. All that you need is an interest in hedgehogs and a willingness to help!

There will be lots of chances for staff, students and their families to get involved, including some fun activities and hands-on science, as well as the knowledge you’re helping the hedgehog populations – whether that’s around our campuses, your home, or across the country.

You can find out more by watching this 1-minute video, and there will be further details on how you can get involved on WGYou and in future Campus Talks.

The webinar will take place on Friday the 7th of August at 1pm and is expected to last one hour.

You could even go further, and convert your own garden into a hedgehog-friendly haven by following a few simple steps. As a result, your garden would offer a safe local network for hedgehogs to come and explore, eat, breed and hibernate. 

 

How to make your garden hedgehog friendly: 

 

 

Provide access – A small gap under a garden fence or gate can provide access for a hedgehog to search for food and/or mates. Garden fencing is a prime reason for hedgehog endangerment. 13 squared centimetres at ground level will give them enough space to come and go as they please. 

 

Remove hazards – Remove any drains or holes that could trap a hedgehog or cover them. Remove netting when it’s not in use to prevent them becoming entangled or injured.

 

Log piles – A safe and secure site for breeding and hibernating. They’re often home to lots of insects, too, providing a safe source of food for our spiky friends. Collect old dead wood from your garden and ask a local park or wildlife reserve for permission to take some from their supply and pile it up in a quiet undisturbed corner of your garden. Be sure to replenish the wood as it rots down from time to time. 

 

Compost heaps – An attractive nesting site for hedgehogs and creepy crawlies (aka hedgehog food). Be careful when turning them over so that you don’t harm an unsuspecting hedgehog!

 

Leaf piles – Another potential nesting site through their offering of bedding material. Be careful when tidying leaves as a hedgehog could be nestled in there. 

 

Overgrown corner – Be careful if you have an overgrown corner of your garden and want to remove it, as these are a popular hibernation site for hedgehogs and hedgehog food alike. 

 

Ponds – These are very hedgehog-friendly through their source of water for hedgehogs all year-round. They will also attract insects and amphibians (more hedgehog food). Use stones or chicken wire as a gentle sloping edge for the hedgehog to escape from. Despite hedgehogs being excellent swimmers, they could still drown if they don't have an accessible exit from their water source.

 

Trees - Hedgehogs are fussy over the leaves they use to build their hibernation nests. Plant deciduous trees (oak, apple, hornbeam), as these lose their leaves in autumn and are the right size for hedgehogs to build nests in time for winter. 

 

 

There are also a few things to be mindful of if you want your garden to provide the ideal habitat for this endangered species:

 

 

- Avoid pesticides as they can be poisonous to hedgehogs and always check for a hedgehog before using a lawnmower or strimmer. 

 

- Keep an eye on any pets you have if they come into contact with a hedgehog, as they aren’t likely to want to make friends! 

 

- Try not to wake a hibernating hedgehog if you come across one. If you do, leave some food and water within reach so that it can go back into hibernation. If you come across any hedgehog babies, avoid touching them. 

 

- Hedgehogs eat slugs, so avoid using slug pellets where possible. An alternative way to protect your plants could be using beer or placing obstacles down. 

 

- Hedgehogs are usually lactose intolerant, so please don't leave out milk or bread as this could make them sick. Instead, put out fresh water, buy either hedgehog food from a pet shop; wet puppy or kitten food; chopped-up cooked chicken; raw minced meat or chopped-up unsalted nuts.

 

 

Make your prickly visitors their very own hedgehog house!

 

 

You can make your own hedgehog home in preparation for their hibernating season from November to March. Learn how to do so here: https://www.hedgehogstreet.org/help-hedgehogs/hedgehog-homes/

 

If you’d rather buy a ready-made hedgehog house, you can buy one, alongside food and other accessories, from the RSPB Shop here: https://shopping.rspb.org.uk/hedgehogs/

 

 

Handy hedgehog house tips: 

 

 

- Be sure to place your hedgehog home out of direct sunlight, with the entrance facing away from the wind. 

 

- Put it in cover under thick vegetation or underneath the garden shed.

 

- Put it in a previously used nesting place, if there is one. 

 

- Resist removing the lid to check if the box is being used, as this could disturb and unsettle any residing hedgehogs. 

 

- It can take up to a year for a hedgehog to start using a hedgehog box, and they may not end up using it at all. However, it’s still good to leave the option open for them if they ever did want to take up shelter there. 

 

 

Happy hedgehogging! 

 

 

#HedgehogFriendlyCampus

 

 

Written by Lauren, Digital Marketing Assistant

 

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