Hurting Hedgehogs
Like any 90s kid, I played Sonic the Hedgehog religiously. He was uncannily fast, curled into a cool ball and tried his best to survive all of the obstacles in the game. Sadly, hedgehogs http://www.care2.com/greenliving/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-hedgehog-video.html in the U.K. don't have Sonic's super powers, and they have 2 major obstacles. What sounds like a video game quest is real life: Hedgehogs in the U.K. could go extinct in 10 short years, unless Brits do something now.
What's Hurting Hedgehogs?
This wasn't always the case. Hedgehogs used to be ubiquitous in the U.K. As reported in Mirror, http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/hedgehogs-could-extinct-just-10-6702875 in the 1950s, there were 30 million hedgehogs. But in 1 decade, "their numbers have fallen by ten percent, a rate of decline …show more content…
which will see them wiped out in a decade." Climate change is part of the problem; it's already working a number on the hedgehogs as their hibernation patterns are all out of whack. And straight out of a video game, fences and nets (more specifically, chain link fences, garden goal nets and garden netting) are problematic.
They're also still wild animals who have had their habitat invaded by humans. The hedgehogs are being pushed out of their habitats and onto our roads where they're extremely vulnerable. Simon Cowell, the founder of the Wildlife Aid Foundation, also warns that the anti-freeze that goes on roads and driveways is also hurting the hedgehogs as they are: "[A]ttracted to the sweet taste...Once they ingest it, they suffer internal injuries and die.”
Hedgehog experts fear that the next few months will be especially difficult for them.
Hedgehog babies might not survive the next few winter months because they can't put on enough weight. One wildlife center is preparing for as many as 200 underweight babies.
10 Ways You Can Help Hedgehogs from Your Home
But wildlife centers can't help them all, so experts are asking for the public's help, particularly to look out for the babies during these coming winter months. Here are a few tips you can use to help hedgehogs right from your home from the RSPCA: http://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/wildlife/inthewild/gardenhedgehogs
1. DO keep parts of your garden wild with piles of leaves and logs so they have food to munch on and comfortable nests.
2. DO create or buy a hedgehog house. They don't ask for much -- a piece of board against a wall is pretty cozy for hedgehogs.
3. DO leave fresh food and water. Hedgehogs enjoy fine delicacies like: small pieces of meat, non-fish dog or cat tinned food, crushed cat biscuits and boiled eggs. Remember to keep the food small and chopped for our small friends. DON'T give them milk.
4. DO cover drains, holes and swimming
pools.
5. DO check for hedgehogs before gardening activities, e.g. they could be hiding under a mower or in a compost heap.
6. DO remove any type of (sports or fruit) netting that's not on use to keep them from getting entangled and/or injured.
7. DO use slug pellets only as a last resort because they're poisonous. Try beer traps or ground up shells first. But if you do have to use slug pellets, then put them under a slate, so the hedgehogs can't reach them.
8. DO take care of the little ones. Juvenile hedgehogs can have temporary homes in garages or a large box with fresh hay, newspapers or dry leaves.
9. DON'T put hedgehogs on a metal grid or wire floor because their feet are sensitive.
10. DO learn about hedgehog hibernation. They usually hibernate between November and mid-March, so plan accordingly.
Bonus Tip: DO expect many visitors because: "As many as 10 different hedgehogs may visit a garden over several nights."
For more information, download the RSPCA's Caring for Autumn Juvenile Hedgehogs PDF and Helping Hedgehogs in the Garden PDF.
What's Hurting Hedgehogs?
This wasn't always the case. Hedgehogs used to be ubiquitous in the U.K. As reported in Mirror, http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/hedgehogs-could-extinct-just-10-6702875 in the 1950s, there were 30 million hedgehogs. But in 1 decade, "their numbers have fallen by ten percent, a rate of decline …show more content…
which will see them wiped out in a decade." Climate change is part of the problem; it's already working a number on the hedgehogs as their hibernation patterns are all out of whack. And straight out of a video game, fences and nets (more specifically, chain link fences, garden goal nets and garden netting) are problematic.
They're also still wild animals who have had their habitat invaded by humans. The hedgehogs are being pushed out of their habitats and onto our roads where they're extremely vulnerable. Simon Cowell, the founder of the Wildlife Aid Foundation, also warns that the anti-freeze that goes on roads and driveways is also hurting the hedgehogs as they are: "[A]ttracted to the sweet taste...Once they ingest it, they suffer internal injuries and die.”
Hedgehog experts fear that the next few months will be especially difficult for them.
Hedgehog babies might not survive the next few winter months because they can't put on enough weight. One wildlife center is preparing for as many as 200 underweight babies.
10 Ways You Can Help Hedgehogs from Your Home
But wildlife centers can't help them all, so experts are asking for the public's help, particularly to look out for the babies during these coming winter months. Here are a few tips you can use to help hedgehogs right from your home from the RSPCA: http://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/wildlife/inthewild/gardenhedgehogs
1. DO keep parts of your garden wild with piles of leaves and logs so they have food to munch on and comfortable nests.
2. DO create or buy a hedgehog house. They don't ask for much -- a piece of board against a wall is pretty cozy for hedgehogs.
3. DO leave fresh food and water. Hedgehogs enjoy fine delicacies like: small pieces of meat, non-fish dog or cat tinned food, crushed cat biscuits and boiled eggs. Remember to keep the food small and chopped for our small friends. DON'T give them milk.
4. DO cover drains, holes and swimming
pools.
5. DO check for hedgehogs before gardening activities, e.g. they could be hiding under a mower or in a compost heap.
6. DO remove any type of (sports or fruit) netting that's not on use to keep them from getting entangled and/or injured.
7. DO use slug pellets only as a last resort because they're poisonous. Try beer traps or ground up shells first. But if you do have to use slug pellets, then put them under a slate, so the hedgehogs can't reach them.
8. DO take care of the little ones. Juvenile hedgehogs can have temporary homes in garages or a large box with fresh hay, newspapers or dry leaves.
9. DON'T put hedgehogs on a metal grid or wire floor because their feet are sensitive.
10. DO learn about hedgehog hibernation. They usually hibernate between November and mid-March, so plan accordingly.
Bonus Tip: DO expect many visitors because: "As many as 10 different hedgehogs may visit a garden over several nights."
For more information, download the RSPCA's Caring for Autumn Juvenile Hedgehogs PDF and Helping Hedgehogs in the Garden PDF.