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Hedgehog Haven

Stillingfleet Lodge Garden is a haven for wildlife. It is so good for wildlife that rescued hedgehogs are frequently released in here. Our latest hedgehog arrival is Pickles who was released this week and happily set off into the garden in search of food.

Not only are hedgehogs delightful creatures, but they are the gardener’s friend –  an important part of a wildlife friendly garden, playing an important role by eating slugs, caterpillars and beetles. Our other way of naturally removing pests from the garden is by having the poultry roaming free – slugs and many insects are on their menu too.

Come and find out more at the wildlife we have in the garden and how we manage the garden for wildlife at our Wildlife Day on 28th June.

  Garden hedgehog

Gardening for hedgehogs

There are many threats to hazards for hedgehogs, but the biggest risk to their survival is habitat loss. Hedgehog friendly gardens are increasingly important to their survival. If you want to encourage hedgehogs to your garden leave them with some piles of twigs or leaves. Put out food out sunset – you can include tinned pet food, crunchy peanut butter, raw or cooked meat leftovers and muesli. They should not be fed bread and milk.

They may go to sleep in long grass, so check it out before you mow or strim and check bonfires before you set them alight. Slug pellets are poisonous to hedgehogs, so try to avoid using them.

If you want to find out more about gardening with hedgehogs, there is plenty of useful information at the British Hedgehog Preservation Society

Hedgehog