(Header image created with microsoft co-pilot)
I wrote this short article for Issue 47 of the (Dutch) Dierenambulance Nederrijn magazine. By chance, a really nice article about hedgehogs in general was also submitted, so the two were combined. Here’s my original (in English)!
Note: Emma Kate Farley of littlesilverhedgehog.com gave us (Dierenambulance Nederrijn) permission to reproduce her hedgehog house plans for the magazine. As I didn’t specifically ask her for permission to use them on this site, I haven’t provided the graphics here – so please click through to her site and take a look!
How to Build a Hedgehog House
This is the time of year when many hedgehogs are found in trouble. Food becomes scarce from late autumn so hedgehogs hibernate to conserve energy.
But a hedgehog needs to weigh more than 600g (about the same weight as 12 large chicken eggs) to survive hibernation, so many small hedgehogs suffer in winter. And many more are unable to find adequate shelter that keeps them warm and safe from predators such as foxes and badgers, so they’re left in trouble.
A log pile or compost heap in your garden helps provide a warm, safe space for hedgehogs during their hibernation. And so does building a dedicated hedgehog house. These plans from hedgehog expert and rehabilitator, Emma Kate Farley, show how!
(This is where you click through…! 😉 )
Use exterior grade wood (painted with wildlife friendly fence paint to prolong its life) for construction, and roofing felt for the lid. You can drill holes at the top of the side walls for ventilation, and fill the hedgehog house with leaves and straw (not newspaper which can get soggy).
The tunnel and the interior wall help keep paws of predators away as well as wind and rain. To further protect the hedgehogs, insulate the house from the weather by covering it with branches, twigs and leaves, and face the entrance away from the direction of the prevailing weather – ideally in a hidden spot, for example, near a hedge or shrubs for natural camouflage.
A hedgehog house encourages hedgehogs into and stay in your garden and help control common garden pests like slugs and snails – but they won’t come unless they have access, so consider making a hole in your garden fence to help hedgehogs move around. Emma further advises cleaning the hedgehog house in Spring after the hibernation period, and before nesting begins in late April. But don’t clean it if a hedgehog is in residence though!
