How to build a hedgehog house using household items

Animal lovers are being encouraged to build hedgehog houses in their gardens in the run up to autumn.
Build your own hedgehog houseBuild your own hedgehog house
Build your own hedgehog house

The experts at GardenBuildingsDirect.co.uk are sharing their best advice on how to successfully create an inviting home for the small animals.

By providing safe and comfortable places for hedgehogs to live in your garden, you are far more likely to have sightings of the mysterious yet adorable creatures.

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Unfortunately, the number of hedgehogs in the UK has completely plummeted over recent years. Because of this, the small animals are becoming increasingly dependent on homeowners to make safe spaces for them in their gardens.

Factors affecting hedgehog population include loss of foraging and nesting habitat through urban development.

A spokesperson for GardenBuildingsDirect.co.uk said “We believe it is important for Brits to understand why the number of hedgehogs are decreasing and what we can do in our own gardens to help ‘em!

“These adorable creatures deserve to be looked after and given comfortable places to hide away and stay warm during autumn and winter months.

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“A huge bonus to helping out the hedgehogs is that you are likely to catch sightings of them regularly in your garden, especially in the autumn and winter months when we start getting darker evenings and darker mornings. These are definitely the best times to get hedgehog spotting with the family.”

Here are GardenBuildingsDirect.co.uk’s top tips for building a simple hedgehog house out of items you may already have in your home:

Find your resource

When making a house, try to recycle items such as a large sturdy cardboard box or large plastic storage container that is not being used. A plastic storage box is preferable for a longer term option.

Create access

On each side of your box, cut air vents about 15cm x 5cm. Also create an entrance which is about 15cm in diameter. If using a plastic box, use a small hand saw for this step and sand down all rough edges.

Location

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Place the hedgehog house in a quiet part of your garden, against a fence or wall if possible. Make sure the entrance isn't facing north or north east, this way the hedgehogs can avoid the cold winter winds and it increases the chances of the house becoming a winter hibernation home for some lucky hedgehog family!