How to Encourage Hedgehogs to Your Garden
Hedgehogs, spiny mammals, are not only adorable but wonderful garden pest eradicator as well. These primarily nocturnal creatures are known as gardeners and garden helpers as they protect your garden from many common but disparaging pests by preying on them. You will find them chomping up slugs or snails and eating up the dung beetles, cockchaferers, weevils and earwigs etc around your garden. Hedgehogs cover hundreds kilometers during night and therefore do not live in one specific area. So, how do you plead your case in order to encourage them to your garden? This simple guide of step by step is the solution of your desire to Encourage Hedgehogs to Your Garden. Follow it, encourage the Hedgehogs to your garden and enjoy a pest free backyard:
Instructions
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1
Do less gardening
Hedgehogs fall in love with the overgrown areas like a garden with baggy shrubs, piles of leaves, wild patches and long grasses etc. Therefore, make sure not to wipe out the Hedgehogs’ favorite cozy nooks by severe mowing, raking or pruning.
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2
Provide a space for hedgehogs’ entry
Make sure to leave small openings in the boundaries and fences of your garden in order to provide the hedgehogs with spaces to get in.
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3
Install Hedgehog Boxes
Install some hedgehog boxes in different sites of your garden so that your garden helpers feel at home.
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4
Consider other sources of shelter
If you cannot afford the installation of Hedgehog Boxes, then simply place some log piles, compost heaps, or pile of twigs on various corners of your garden.
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5
Provide food and water
Make proper arrangements of food and water for the hedgehogs. Place the food and water in bowls and place them inside the Hedgehog Boxes. Specially manufactured hedgehog foods are available in the market. Otherwise, you can present them some bread and milk, dried cat or dog food, sultanas, chopped meat leftovers, mealworms, peanut butter and chopped peanuts etc.
A word of warning: Never make the mistake to give cow’s milk to the hedgehogs in your garden as they do not possess the capability to digest it.
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6
Take a look at the Garden Hazards
The hedgehogs will leave your garden the moment they find it unsafe. Thus, make sure to provide the hedgehogs with comfortable and safe environment in order to persuade them for long stay in your garden. Make sure that the sports nets are not too close to the surface of your garden. Provide them with some run off routes from deep water sources in your garden.
