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27 November 2023

Professional Pest Controller issue 113 (PPC113) out now

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Professional Pest Controller Magazine Issue 113

27 November 2023

FriendWatch: Hedgehogs

FRIENDWATCH | PPC113 November 2023

Contrary to popular belief, pest controllers love British wildlife. Julia Pittman, from Beaver Pest Control, is a particular fan of hedgehogs. She explains how perilous the current situation is in Britain, and how we can help.

hedgehogs hero

Native British hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) have been classified on the Red List for British Mammals 2020 as vulnerable to extinction, and are named on Schedule 6 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, giving some legal protections.

That’s a pretty serious position for these beautiful native animals – once a common sight in Britain, populations are declining rapidly with road deaths as high as 335,000 per year.

A 2022 report from the National History Museum said that “75% of all rural hedgehogs have been lost in the last 20 years”. The only bright spot is urban population numbers seem to be stabilising with human intervention.

Human interventions include:

Training and guidance – learning when to intervene is particularly important
Support feeding with high protein cat biscuits and water, as insect populations (their natural food source) are declining through pesticides
Create hog highways through fences in urban areas, as hedgehogs can travel up to two miles in one night and move surprisingly fast
Educate landowners – unfortunately, populations are still declining in rural areas
Care and advice from active wildlife rescues.

Badgers, loss of habitat, and road traffic accidents are common causes of hedgehog fatalities. They are also prone to parasites, mange and garden injuries. That’s a tough set of conditions for hedgehogs to deal with!

Biology and behaviour

Although primarily nocturnal, hedgehogs can also display ‘crepuscular’ behaviour, a funky word which means they can be active in twilight hours, early evening or early morning. They should not be seen in the day unless they are a nursing mother.

Female hedgehogs usually give birth in June and July, although if the weather has been mild then hoglet season can stretch from early spring right into autumn.

Generally, female hogs will give birth to one litter per year, consisting of four to five hoglets on average. They are born blind and become independent by eight weeks.

It’s especially important not to disturb nests. Mothers can abandon the nest or even kill the hoglets if disturbed.

If you inadvertently disturb a nest, leave it and quickly call a wildlife rescue for advice. Nest disturbances are time critical!

How can you help?

Check local populations via bighedgehogmap.org - this will tell you if you have hedgehogs in the vicinity.

Ask customers if they are aware of hedgehogs before using bait stations. You should always be minimising the risks to non-target species, including hedgehogs, when carrying out your work.

First, do an environmental risk assessment, then think about hierarchy of control – can you use non-lethal methods?

Small hogs and hoglets crawl into bait stations so use alternative measures like proofing and habitat management, or position the bait stations in areas where they are unlikely to reach. Hedgehogs can climb, but not as well as rats.

There are wildlife-friendly bait stations available which can be positioned off the ground and have tubes which rats will get into, but not anything else. I’ve tested them in my garden, and they work.

Educate yourself about hedgehogs so you can share information with customers and direct them accordingly.

And remember that hedgehogs hibernate, so if you plan bonfires, check for hedgehogs before lighting up!

When to intervene

Try to observe hedgehogs from a distance as handling causes undue stress, but intervene if:

There is an obvious injury – eg strimmers can cause terrible injuries
The hog is out in the day and is wobbly, walking in circles or staggering – hogs do not sunbathe!
It has flies around it – check for maggots or fly eggs and if it has signs of these (looks like rice grains) then collect in a high-sided box and call a rescue immediately, as this is time critical
It has more than ten ticks, a sign of a potential parasite infection (under ten ticks, just observe as it’s not unusual for a hog to have one or two)
If a hedgehog is in danger – eg on a busy road
If you see a very small hedgehog (the size of an apple) out when the weather is very cold – it will not survive winter without intervention.

Sick or injured hedgehog?

Using thick gloves or a towel to carefully pick up the hedgehog and put it into a high-sided box
Provide water but not food – if cold, you can provide heat from a small hot water bottle, but not if the hedgehog has fly strike (maggots or fly eggs) as they will hatch
Call your local rescue; vets do not always have specific experience in wildlife, so wildlife rescues are the best way to get help.

Thank you for reading this and helping to care for our endangered hedgehog populations.