Put 1 log pile outside: can this £0 garden tweak bring hedgehogs back 7 nights a week this autumn?

A small change could turn yours into a nightly wildlife corridor.

Hedgehogs are prowling for food and shelter before winter. Give them the right invitation and they return, night after night, using your patch as a safe stop between green spaces.

The autumn rush and why it matters

October and November mark peak movement for hedgehogs as they build fat reserves and search for secure winter cover. In towns, numbers have steadied. In the countryside, long-term monitoring shows steep declines since 2000. Gardens now act as vital stepping stones between fragmented habitats.

They travel surprising distances. A single hedgehog can roam up to one mile in a night, zigzagging through multiple gardens in search of beetles, worms and a dry, hidden place to bed down.

One cheap move makes a difference fast: place a stable log pile in a shaded corner and you provide both food and shelter in one hit.

The one thing to place outside: build a log pile that feeds and shelters

A log pile is more than a stack of wood. As it softens, it breeds beetles, woodlice and other invertebrates that hedgehogs relish. The gaps between logs offer snug, dry cavities shielded from wind and eyes.

How to do it in 20 minutes

• Choose a shaded, quiet corner, away from paths, dogs and bright lights.
• Use untreated logs and chunky branches; add some twigs and leaf litter for structure.
• Stack to knee–waist height with uneven layers to create cavities. Keep it stable.
• Let it be. Don’t tidy it over winter. Check carefully before moving anything in spring.

Cost can be zero if you use prunings or stormfall. If you buy timber offcuts, expect £10–£25. The pay-off: instant cover this season and a living buffet next year as the wood decays.

Before lighting any bonfire, dismantle the pile and rebuild on the day. Hedgehogs treat undisturbed heaps as ready-made bedrooms.

Make your garden passable: the 13cm gap that changes everything

Food and shelter help, but access decides whether a hedgehog ever finds them. Most gardens sit behind solid fences. A simple “hedgehog highway” fixes that.

Cut a 13cm x 13cm hole at the base of a fence panel or lift a small gap under a gate. That size blocks most pets, yet lets hedgehogs pass safely. Coordinate with neighbours to connect several gardens and you create an urban greenway.

• Mark the hole clearly to avoid accidental blocking during future repairs.
• Place the opening near cover, not a patio where predators watch.
• Avoid sharp edges; sand or cap with a short length of plastic pipe.

Food and water, not milk

Hedgehogs need reliable hydration and calorie-dense food before hibernation. Use a shallow, heavy dish of fresh water every evening. Top it up in frost and drought alike.

• Offer meaty cat or dog food, wet or dry, or specialist hedgehog biscuits.
• Avoid milk. Most hedgehogs are lactose intolerant and it can cause diarrhoea and dehydration.
• Skip bread; it fills them without nutrition.
• Limit mealworms and peanuts; they can unbalance calcium levels.
• Feed at dusk, then remove leftovers at dawn to deter rats.

Where hedgehogs choose to sleep

They favour dry, quiet corners under dense shrubs, sheds and compost heaps. A purpose-built box helps if you lack natural cover.

Placing a hedgehog house

• Site it under a hedge or behind a shrub, with the entrance facing a fence or wall.
• Raise slightly on bricks to prevent damp and add a short entrance tunnel if cats pry.
• Fill loosely with fallen leaves; keep the interior dry and undisturbed.

Bonfire night and other hidden risks

As celebrations approach, wood piles sit for days. Hedgehogs crawl in to sleep. Build bonfires on the day and keep materials off the ground with bricks until you light. Check with a torch and a long stick, and listen for rustling.

Strimmers and mowers can injure resting animals in long grass. Walk the area first. Keep netting, football goals and garden fleece at least 13cm above ground so hedgehogs don’t snag spines. Avoid blue slug pellets that contain metaldehyde; choose pet-safe alternatives and beer traps sunk flush with the soil.

How to know you’ve got visitors

• Shiny, dark droppings with insect fragments on paths or lawns.
• Small footprints in damp soil or flour sprinkled near the food station.
• Trail-camera clips between 10pm and 4am.

A quick plan for tonight

• Stack a knee-high log pile in a shaded corner with leaves tucked in.
• Cut a 13cm x 13cm hole at the base of one fence panel.
• Put out a shallow dish of water and a handful of meaty kibble at dusk.
• Dim security lights and lift netting off the ground.

When to step in and when to leave them be

If you see a small hedgehog out in daylight, or a thin one late in a cold snap, it may struggle to survive winter. A healthy adult should weigh around 600–1,000g before hibernation. Below roughly 450g, specialist care may be needed. Use gloves to place the animal in a ventilated box lined with a towel and seek local wildlife advice.

Healthy nighttime visitors need space and routine. Keep feeding consistent for a few weeks, then taper once frosts settle and activity drops. In mild areas, some hedgehogs stay active all winter. The water dish still helps them.

Why this matters to you and your street

Connected gardens support far more wildlife than isolated ones. Two 13cm fence holes on a terrace can link half a dozen plots. Pair that with one log pile and one water bowl and you create a safe circuit that hedgehogs remember. Share the plan with neighbours. The fix costs less than a takeaway and can run for years with little maintenance.

Think ahead to spring. Leave a “wild corner” where leaves, stems and deadwood can settle. Plant a small, leafy tree or a mixed native hedge for shade and foraging insects. The same features that help hedgehogs also bring birds, beetles and pollinators, easing pests naturally and cutting chemical use.