There's a hedgehog living in my garden — can I feed it bread & milk, and how can I keep it safe?
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It’s a real treat to have a hedgehog visit your garden, particularly because it is believed hedgehogs are becoming less common in Ireland.
The Irish name ‘Gráinneog’ actually means ‘horrible one’ or ‘ugly one’, but is that fair? Anyone who has seen a hedgehog up close can appreciate its beautiful little face and bright eyes. And as for the ‘hoglets’ (baby hedgehogs), with their wrinkly skin and oversized coat of spines — what’s not to love?
Unfortunately sometimes when we think we’re helping wildlife, we can be doing more harm than good. Bread and milk actually cause serious stomach problems — despite the fact that hedgehogs will lap this up. It’s like humans who can’t resist chocolate or doughnuts — such a diet is not necessarily good for us. Bread and milk have no place in a hog’s diet. Hedgehogs are insectivores, feasting on beetles, earthworms, slugs, caterpillars, millipedes and earwigs.
If you do want to provide food for your spiky garden visitor, tinned cat food is best, and water. I have seen hedgehogs feeding from the same bowls as cats and even foxes! Their penchant for slugs makes them a welcome garden visitor who will help you protect your plants.
Gardeners should take care if strimming at the base of hedgerows or if burning garden vegetation in case hedgehogs have created a nest within. If you find a young hoglet at this time of year, it is best to leave it be, as its mother is probably close by. But if you are concerned about a hedgehog you have spotted during the day or which appears to be ill or injured, I’d recommend contacting an expert wildlife rehabilitator, via Wildlife Rehabilitation Ireland as they do require quite specialised care and it is illegal to keep or contain a hedgehog without a licence.
The hedgehog’s ability to hibernate over winter is quite amazing. During hibernation, its body temperature drops to 40°C and its heartbeat slows from 200 beats to just five beats per minute!
The European hedgehog is an ancient animal, first appearing in the fossil record about 15 million years ago. But its success over such a long time could be about to change. Research from Europe and Britain shows that hedgehog numbers are in steep decline, with British research showing numbers have fallen by nearly 50% in rural areas, and by 30% in urban areas in the last 20 years. Declines are thought to be due to loss of marginal habitats and hedgerows, pesticide use and increased road traffic, and because we have similar issues in Ireland, the Irish hedgehog population may be experiencing similar declines but we don’t have the evidence just yet.
The Irish Hedgehog Survey, run by the wonderful Elaine O’Riordan, launched in 2020, aims to assess our hedgehog population and everyone can get involved. There is a casual recording scheme, where you can report hedgehog sightings via the National Biodiversity Data Centre’s website.
The project also has a volunteer recorder element, which offers training in systematic recording. This involves placing 10 ‘footprint tunnels’ within a 1Km2 area overnight for five nights and checking them each morning for footprints. A footprint tunnel is a low corriboard/cardboard tunnel, baited with food at one end to attract hungry hogs. In order to reach the food, the hedgehog has to cross a puddle of ink so that it then leaves inky footprints on sheets of white paper, which can be identified the following morning. Elaine is running workshops to train up volunteers and it’s a great citizen science survey for individuals, community groups or families to take part in.
* Juanita Browne has written a number of wildlife books, including and .