Hedgehogs and garden fences
Our hedgehogs are in massive decline. That is why many people do not even see as many dead hedgehogs in roads anymore, quite simply there are less of them to kill. Hedgehogs not being seen in many gardens due to concrete fence panels was an article I wrote some time ago that is proving to be a popular article. In it I said that I was looking at some ideas I had to help with this problem and I would write an article about what ideas I had. This is that article and this is my possible solution!
Hedgehog barriers, a typical garden fence panel with concrete base
No matter how they hard they try, this fence panel restricts movement and therefore food supplies and even making it difficult to find a mate for our dwindling numbers of hedgehogs.
Hedgehog friendly fence panel, my solution to this problem
This simple solution may well help hedgehogs to navigate much larger areas and gardens by using the above fence panel in place of the usual concrete base panel. If more people could do this we may well see more hedgehogs in our gardens! It may need two people to undertake this task but you will see how easy it is.
Hedgehog friendly fence panel, easily made, easy to replace concrete fence panel
Pull out the wooden fence panel. The hardest part is removing the concrete fence panel. I used a sharp hand saw to cut out the height of the hole and scored across the top of these cuts, snapping off the little pieces of the fence panel and hey, you have a hedgehog friendly fence.
Hedgehog friendly fence panel allows free movement from garden to garden of hedgehogs, frogs, toads, newts, etc.
My wildlife friendly next door neighbour wholeheartedly agreed with my suggestion, but could not use the concrete fence panel! Anybody want a concrete fence panel?!!
Go to Hedgehog Street http://www.hedgehogstreet.org/
and read lots more information about hedgehogs and how to help them, become a ‘hedgehog champion’ or get a free information pack.
Have you seen my new Hedgehog” Feed and Watch” station? see video of it in action. Does it work? Beautifully as do all of my products!
“All my articles and videos, available free, are funded by my teaching and sales of award winning bumblebee nest boxes, solitary bee boxes, and wormeries. Please help by spreading the word and forwarding this link to your friends and colleagues. https://nurturing-nature.co.uk Thank you!” George Pilkington
George – this is some ingenious DIY! It wouldn’t take much to improve opportunities for our wildlife, if only we could fight our anthropocentric ways. I doubt the gardens of many new-build properties have very permeable fences, for example. At least you have shown that residents can take things into their own hands. Keep up the good work!
Thanks Henry, yes people can easily do this simple improvement to their fences and help wildlife including frogs, toads newts etc. That’s why I put the link on re the fence retailers!
I had a wooden fence, have grown a hedge in front of it, so now there are no panels, have taken them out 🙂
Good for you, best option in my humble opinion! Especially if it is a holly, hawthorn hedge! Cheers George
Another factor – the lack of home composting, as people leave it to councils to collect green waste, so gardens get a one-layer of ecology instead of the myriad of levels you get when you let things rot.
That is a very true comment and another nail in the coffin for our ever decreasing number of hedgehogs. Depriving them of potential food resources and possible resting places does nt help their cause at all
How big a hole or small to let the hogs in but not let the dog out partner putting up new fences
Go to https://nurturing-nature.co.uk/wildlife-garden-videos/hoglets-in-my-wildlife-garden-feeding/ and see the bottom where you can find more info/links! Cheers, George
I have a chain link fence, if there is even a small hole my enormous Retriever can squeeze through somehow, I suppose the fence is stretchy when not complete, she has also made her way out through the bottom of the fence, so I have had to strengthen it with wood pegged down. I am desperate to find a way to make a hedgehog gate that is dog proof. I guess tunnels under my wooden re-enforcements might fit the bill.
That sounds like a very practical solution you would only need one which could be made of wood with holes in the bottom to allow for drainage and a sloping entrance / exit HTH cheers George
Hello, we have just discovered we have hedgehogs this week. Having never seen a hedgehog in this area, six months ago we put in a brand new fence with concrete panels (kicking self now). Instead of removing a concrete panel would it be possible to cut a hole ABOVE the concrete panel? Hedgehogs can climb can’t they?
Also, the concrete panel in places has a gap under it anyway, which looks pleasingly like it could give access to hogs? Can hedgehogs squash down like mice can? If so, I consider the holes may be big enough or us there a minimum size? We have encountered the hedgehogs since having the fence done so I’m hoping this is the case, and not a situation of having trapped hedgehogs into our garden!
No, they can’t squeeze through small holes like mice Jennifer and they cannot climb up concrete sheer cliff walls! Perhaps you could enlarge the small hole under the gravel board for hedgehogs? Cheers George