It’s the time of year when lots of people think about having a bonfire – whether it’s to burn garden waste, to mark Bonfire Night or just to enjoy the dancing flames and sticky marshmallows.
To a hedgehog, a big pile of branches, leaves, bits of wood and other garden debris looks like the perfect place to spend the winter!
If you’re planning a bonfire, the best way to avoid harming hedgehogs is to leave building your fire until as late as possible. That way, they won’t have time to take up residence before you strike the match.
But if you have to build your bonfire in advance, please check it for prickly guests by giving the pile a poke with a stick (not a sharp stick), so they can wake up and make their escape.
A compost heap is another common place for hedgehogs to hibernate, so if you have one, try to avoid turning it over too often... hedgehogs don’t like to be woken up!
Give a hedgehog a home
If you have hedgehogs in your neighbourhood, how about making them a safe place to spend the winter? We’ve got all the tips and advice you need
Or you can buy a hedgehog home from our shop. In fact, we have hedgehog food too, so why not treat your prickly, snuffly friends?