If you’re an animal lover who likes to be out and about in nature, or you have your own garden that plays host to little visitors, then you may be familiar with the sight of a hedgehog or two. These prickly little creatures might not be something you see often, but it’s important to understand more about them so you know what to do if one happens to need your help.

Wild and free

Hedgehogs might be one of the most endearing animals that show up in your garden, but this does not mean that they should be pets. You should never try and make a hedgehog a household pet – human homes are not their natural habitat, and they will not thrive. Animals that you can keep as pets have been bred for thousands of years into becoming comfortable with humans – hedgehogs have not. Bear this in mind when approaching them.

How hedgehogs live

Hedgehogs are nocturnal creatures who travel by night. They can visit several gardens and other wild landscapes over the course of a few nights, meaning you may be seeing several hedgehogs. While you can buy hedgehog houses to try and encourage them into your garden, they usually live in burrows and nests that they have constructed themselves.

Care and feeding

If you happen to see a hedgehog spending time in your garden, it can be tempting to try and feed them in order to make their little lives a bit easier. While once upon a time it was common to leave out a saucer of milk for hedgehogs, they are in fact lactose intolerant – so don’t do this!

In the wild, hedgehogs eat well. They feed on beetles, earthworms and other insects, but you can leave out a little pet food for them, as well as a little dish of water. Tinned pet food is a good choice, as long as it has been well broken up – or you can buy hedgehog food.

Helping prickly pals

Sometimes you’ll find an injured hedgehog; it may have been attacked by a local cat, or else hit by a car. You should wear thick gardening gloves to pick the hedgehog up and place it in a deep box (one it cannot jump out of) or a cat carrier.

Providing your hedgehog with heat is a good idea, such as a warm hot water bottle or heating pad. Once the hedgehog is safe, contact your local vet or emergency vet, or hedgehog rescue facility if you have one local to you. They’ll provide more advice and enable you to maybe even save a hedgehog life.

Now that you know more about how to take care of the hedgehogs you see, make sure you take the best possible care of your own pets. Pet stress can be fairly common, and providing them with a natural remedy is one great way to keep them calm. The Pet Remedy range has calming products suitable for all mammals, birds and reptiles, and can provide immediate relief from stress without sedating your pet. Now you truly can take care of all creatures, great and small.