How to help hedgehogs in your garden this autumn

By Sophie Sparkes · October 2026 · 7 min read

Autumn is the most important time of year for hedgehogs. They spend October and November eating as much as they can before hibernation, and a single garden can make a real difference to whether one makes it through the winter. Most of what helps is free, and some of it is simply doing less tidying.

Short answer: make a 13cm x 13cm gap in your fence so hedgehogs can travel between gardens, put out meaty cat or dog food and a shallow dish of water (never milk or bread), leave a wild corner with leaves and logs, and check any bonfire pile before you light it. A hedgehog out in the daytime, or a small one out in late autumn, may need help: contact a local hedgehog rescue.

Why hedgehogs need help

Hedgehogs have declined sharply in Britain. The State of Britain's Hedgehogs 2022 report from the British Hedgehog Preservation Society and People's Trust for Endangered Species estimated that rural populations had fallen by between 30% and 75% since 2000, and in 2024 the IUCN moved the European hedgehog to "Near Threatened" on its Red List. Urban numbers look more stable, which means gardens now matter a great deal. Together they form a huge network of feeding and nesting space, as long as hedgehogs can get from one to the next.

1. Make a hedgehog highway

This is the single most useful thing you can do. A hedgehog travels around 1-2km a night looking for food and mates, and solid fences and walls cut gardens off from each other. Cut or dig a gap of 13cm x 13cm (about the size of a CD case) at the bottom of your fence or wall. That is big enough for a hedgehog but too small for most pets. Ask your neighbour first, and you may find they want one too. Hedgehog Street, the BHPS and PTES campaign, keeps a map of registered highways.

2. Put out the right food and water

Natural food (beetles, caterpillars, worms and slugs) gets scarce in late autumn, just when hedgehogs need to fatten up. A supplement helps a lot.

• Good: meaty cat or dog food (chicken or beef rather than fish), plain cat biscuits, or specialist hedgehog food.
• Water: a shallow dish of fresh water, especially in dry spells and frosty weather.
• Never: milk (hedgehogs are lactose intolerant and it gives them diarrhoea) or bread (it fills them up with no nutrition).
• Avoid: dried mealworms, sunflower hearts and peanuts. The BHPS warns that a diet heavy in these can lead to bone problems.

To stop cats and foxes eating it first, put the food inside a simple feeding station: an upturned storage box with a 13cm entrance cut in one side, weighed down with a brick.

3. Check bonfires before you light them

A pile of garden prunings looks like a perfect hibernation spot to a hedgehog. With Bonfire Night on 5 November, this matters every year. The safest approach is to build the bonfire on the day you light it, or move the whole pile to a fresh spot just before lighting. If you cannot, lift the base gently with your hands or a broom handle and shine a torch inside. Never use a fork. Light it from one side only, so anything inside has a way out.

4. Leave somewhere to nest

Hedgehogs hibernate in nests of dry leaves under hedges, brambles, log piles and sheds. An untidy corner is worth more than any product.

• Leave a pile of fallen leaves and twigs somewhere quiet at the back of a border.
• Keep a log pile, which also feeds hedgehogs by sheltering beetles.
• Leave some seedheads and hollow stems standing over winter. Our guide to what to cut back in autumn covers which plants to leave.
• A hedgehog house helps too. Put it somewhere quiet and sheltered, with the entrance facing away from the prevailing wind, and add a handful of dry leaves. Then leave it alone: checking it disturbs them.

5. Remove the hazards

• Ponds: hedgehogs can swim but drown if they cannot climb out. Give steep-sided ponds a sloping edge, a ramp or a few stones.
• Strimmers and mowers: check long grass and the bases of hedges before cutting. Strimmer injuries are one of the most common reasons hedgehogs end up in rescues.
• Netting: raise sports and fruit netting off the ground, or tie it up when not in use. Hedgehogs get tangled in it.
• Slug pellets: metaldehyde pellets were banned in Great Britain in 2022, but it is still best to skip pellets altogether. Hedgehogs are slug control.
• Compost heaps: turn them carefully with a fork in autumn and winter, in case someone is sleeping inside.
• Drains and holes: cover open drains, gullies and deep holes they could fall into and not climb out of.

When does a hedgehog need help?

Hedgehogs are nocturnal, so a hedgehog out in the daytime is usually in trouble. The exception is a nursing mother in summer briefly gathering nest material. Also watch for:

• A small hedgehog out in late autumn or winter. Young hedgehogs born late in the year often cannot reach a safe weight for hibernation. The BHPS suggests that one under roughly 450g out at this time of year may need help.
• One that is wobbly, lying still in the open, injured, or covered in flies.

Pop it in a high-sided box with a towel, somewhere warm and quiet, offer water and meaty cat food (no milk), and call a local rescue or the British Hedgehog Preservation Society for advice straight away.

Hedgehog questions

When do hedgehogs hibernate in the UK?

Usually from around November to March, depending on the weather. They may wake and move nests during mild spells in winter, so seeing one in January is not always a sign of trouble, but a hedgehog out in the daytime is.

What can I feed hedgehogs?

Meaty cat or dog food, plain cat biscuits or specialist hedgehog food, with a shallow dish of fresh water. Avoid fish-based food, dried mealworms, sunflower hearts and peanuts.

Can hedgehogs drink milk?

No. Hedgehogs are lactose intolerant, and milk gives them diarrhoea, which can kill a young or weak one. Give water instead.

Is it bad to see a hedgehog in the day?

Usually, yes. Hedgehogs are nocturnal, and one out in daylight is often ill, injured or starving. Contain it in a high-sided box with a towel, offer water and meaty food, and call a hedgehog rescue for advice.

How big should a hole be for a hedgehog?

13cm x 13cm, about the size of a CD case. That lets hedgehogs pass between gardens while keeping most pets in.

Should I put a hedgehog house in my garden?

It can help, especially in a tidy garden with few natural nesting spots. Place it somewhere quiet and sheltered, entrance away from the prevailing wind, with some dry leaves inside, and resist checking it. A leaf pile under a hedge does the same job for free.

What month should you stop feeding hedgehogs?

You do not need to stop. Keep food and water out through autumn, and leave a little out in winter for hedgehogs that wake during mild spells. Food matters most in October and November, and again when they emerge hungry in spring.