Hedgehogs will begin to emerge from hibernation, having potentially lost a third of their body weight, over winter. This is the perfect time to consider how you can help within your garden and have some fun in the hedgehog town Dalbeattie in support of nature.
You can expect hedgehogs to emerge from March onwards. They are one of the few mammals that are true hibernators. During hibernation hedgehogs are not really asleep, instead they drop their body temperature to match their surroundings and enter a state of torpor. This allows them to save a lot of energy but slows down all other bodily functions making normal activity impossible. Our community of ‘Hedgehog Heroes’ and local residents are starting to put out supplementary food and water as hedgehogs will be extremely hungry. Cleanliness and hygiene at feeding stations is extremely important. Regularly wash out bowls and clean feeding areas. When you are putting out food for hedgehogs, you can replicate the hedgehog’s natural diet by providing any combination of meat-based dog and cat food, cat biscuits or hedgehog food (avoid grains, nuts, seeds and cereals as hedgehogs, being insectivorous, don’t eat those).
Prepare your garden to create a hedgehog friendly habitat ready for possible baby hedgehog (hoglet) visitors. Be aware that the mother is liable to desert her hoglets if she is disturbed. So allow them an undisturbed wild area in your garden. You could buy a hedgehog house from Dalbeattie Initiative charity shop to provide the perfect habitat for hedgehogs and hoglets. Hedgehogs are struggling because our property fences and walls are becoming more and more secure, reducing the amount of land available for them to forage for food and shelter.
Create access for hedgehogs to roam in your garden, and encourage neighbours to do the same, as hedgehogs can travel up to 3km per night. Creating a hedgehog highway in your neighbourhood is a massive help for hedgehogs. So too is allowing areas of your garden to grow wild: leave an area of grass for insects (wildlife food) to live, build a log pile, make a wildlife pond and plant wild flowers.
Lawn treatments reduce worm populations which are a big part of a hedghog’s diet. Pesticides, insecticides and slug pellets are toxic and reduce hedgehogs’ creepy crawly food. They are all unnecessary in a healthy, well-managed garden. Avoid the use of chemicals in your garden and let hedgehogs sort pest control.
Also why not join us on a guided Golden Hedgehog Trail walk on Saturday 28th March. You can further support wildlife by volunteering to plant trees in our new woodland on Sunday 22nd March. No experience needed – always a fun and engaging way to spend time outdoors, doing your bit to help nature thrive, within the Dalbeattie community.
Full details of how to help hedgehogs thrive, tree planting and joining a guided walk can be found at: https://theinitiative.scot/golden-hedgehog-news/
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