Grow Your Own Magazine

I have a bit of a slug problem on the lottie and dont really want to resort to pellets so iam just wondering if theres any way of attracting hedgehogs?

My OH took our dog to the vet last weekend, there was a lady there with one of her pet hedgehogs, she has 7. Wonder how she attracts them?

You have to leave an undisturbed patch for them - dead leaves, uncut grass, that kind of thing. And there has to be routes for them - ie fences they can get under so that they have access from one area to another. Hopefully they will turn up for you. Keep your eyes open. You will see the little paths they make, and their droppings. Watch out for their nests. Just look like a pile of dead leaves and grass blown into a corner. So think and check before you tidy up. And keep your ears open. Sometimes you hear them snoring ! I hope you get some.

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From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.

aww, snoring hedgehogs.....how sweet! I bought a purpose built hedgehog house last year & lined it with leaves but so far no little visitors! It's best to place one where they won't be disturbed & will be camoflaged from predators.

I have a hedgehog visiting me, but I've never seen it, only it's poo (like a small cat poo, but full of half-digested woodlice and stuff).
I don't have any "homes" for them, just some old wood piled up in a corner of the plot that I never disturb. Bet he's in there.

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~ What do I think of Western civilisation? I think it would be a very good idea ~ Gandhi

I think a log pile and a little pond, (with at least one shallow edge so they can get to the water for a drink and get out again if they fall in) are enough to attract slug predators from far and wide.

As well as hedgehogs, frogs, toads and newts all eat slugs and snails, as do ground beetles, and they all love a logpile.

There are a number of hedgehog santuaries throughout the country which tend injured ones, rear young and then replace in the "wild" (Raven, there's def one such in Shropshire, Ludlow I think.) Quite what their policy is on placing in gardens and allotments I'm not sure but given that hedgehog's favourite food may be concentrated in vegetable areas it might be a workable arrangement to contribute to their work.... Whether they'd stay or wander off next door would be a chance you'd have to take.

I went into the garden one evening and outside the back door was one of those boot-cleaning gadgets in the shape of a hedgehog... "That's strange" I thought, "I haven't got one of those, who's brought me that?" And as I looked at it it ran off!

bb.

Walking down the path by the veg beds the other night a dark shape scuttled across into the open shed - thought it was a rat until we looked and saw a hedgehog in the grass box from the mower! Have to be careful now they're out and about tho, our JRT has a habit of bringing them into the house..........

Apart from leaving log piles & leaves around for them you can put food & water out for hedgehogs too, you can buy special hedgehog food or use cat food (not fishy though), if you use cat food though you might end up just attracting all the local moggies. We have hedgehogs, usually only one or two which I nearly trip over at night when I'm picking snails off the plants by torchlight, but I haven't seen any yet this year. They like gardens with plenty of undergrowth they can hide in & as Alice says you need to have little gaps under your gates or fences that they can squeeze under.

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Into every life a little rain must fall.

there are lots of hedgehog sanctuaries, and most of them want safe places to rehome their hedgehogs ....... theres a list here

Animal Rescue, Rehoming, and Sanctuaries across the UK

I had a hedgehog under my shed in my old garden, the shed was raised on railway sleepers so it got under easily, I just bought some straw from the pet shop( the stuff for rabbits) the hedgehog took it in and made its bed. My hostas we always great no slugs.

Now I've moved no hedgehog lots of slugs, maybe I should of packed the hedgehog!!