How to help hedgehogs in your garden in France

Spring sees the weather getting warmer – even breaking records – and nature beginning to wake up, literally in some cases as several species wake up from a winter hibernation. 

This includes hedgehogs (hérissons), often found in gardens across France. 

Hedgehogs can be beneficial for gardeners as they eat several insects that threaten plants and vegetables including slugs, snails, millipedes, etc.

Below are some tips to help the creatures not only survive but thrive in your garden this spring.

1: Build an anti-predator shelter 

Hedgehogs are vulnerable to attack from badgers and foxes, particularly after first waking up. 

They can also be threatened by owls meaning attacks can come from above or the ground. 

To this effect, building them a small shelter in your garden, in a quiet spot unaffected by winds, can help them find a safe space. 

This can be made with natural materials such as fallen leaves, twigs, and some stones, but you can also add tarpaulin to create a waterproof shelter, and have some straw inside to make a comfortable resting spot. 

You can also make a wooden structure or ‘hedgehog house’. 

Finally, ensure there are not too many obstacles preventing hedgehogs from moving freely around your garden, as this may hinder them from getting back to the shelter if they are under threat from a predator. 

2: Provide water 

Although they love to eat the insects infiltrating your garden, providing some fresh water can be helpful. 

This should be placed in a small bowl in a quiet corner of your garden, allowing the hedgehogs to come and go as they place. Refill it regularly. 

As for food, you should not often feed them, as it can negatively affect gut health if straying too far from their natural diet. 

However, the occasional walnut, hazelnut or almond crushed into small pieces, or a little piece of fruit is a welcome treat.

3: Adapt your gardening habits 

Hedgehogs are a protected species in France, benefitting from this protection since 1981. 

This means they cannot be hunted or killed, nor can their breeding grounds be deliberately targeted.

Transporting, capturing, and selling the animals is also prohibited, meaning if you have hedgehogs in your garden, there is not much to do except look after them.

You can help make your garden safe by: 

• Removing objects they might get stuck in such as wire mesh or netting, and filling in any unnecessary holes. Also remove rubbish left in the garden that may injure them such as plastic open cans, or glass

• Checking for hedgehogs before undertaking any gardening (see tip #5 for more)

• If moving woodpiles or other materials, do so in small increments as hedgehogs may be hiding inside

In addition, if you have a pond make sure there is a small ramp for a hedgehog (or any small animal) that falls in to get out.

Read more: Errors to avoid and how to help wildlife as you get your garden in France ready for spring

4: Avoid using chemicals in your garden

Using chemicals in your garden to deter pests can devastate a local ecosystem. 

Slug pellets and spray chemicals do not only kill the intended creatures, but potentially those which consume intoxicated animals or the chemicals directly. 

Natural alternatives, such as crushed eggshells and ash can ward off slugs and snails, coffee grounds to get rid of aphids etc. 

5: Take precautions when cutting the grass

Hedgehogs will naturally gravitate to the taller grass, and if you are not paying full attention may not see a hedgehog in your mower’s path – this is particularly the case for bigger mowers across larger gardens. 

Therefore, undertaking a thorough check of the part of the garden you plan to mow before you do so helps minimise the risk of accidental killings. Check nooks and crannies, leaf and wood piles etc, where hedgehogs often sleep or hide. 

Consider leaving a small piece of grass to grow taller and not mowing it. Not only will wildlife gravitate towards this (as it provides extra protection against predators), it will help biodiversity in your garden. 

If you use a robotic lawnmower, programme it to only run during the day (between 10:00 and 17:00 as hedgehogs are less likely to be awake and active in the garden between these hours. 

Read more: When and at what times can you mow your lawn in France?