Activity

Build a Hedgehog house

Build a cosy Hedgehog home to encourage them to rest, hibernate and raise their hoglets in your garden.

Lone Hedgehog sat on a rotting log, surrounded by golden, fallen leaves.

This Helping Nature activity can be completed as part of Schools Wild Challenge.

Estimated time: 3-4 hours Season: All year Skill level: Advanced

Instructions

Make your hedgehog home

Cut out sections as shown on the diagram and nail all the pieces together except the roof.

Whether you make your own or buy one, fill the chamber of your hedgehog home with a layer of dead, dry leaves. Hedgehogs prefer small leaves such as birch, oak, hawthorn or hazel.

Then screw the roof to the box so that you can remove it in future to clean the box out. Place the narrow drainpipe in the hole at the back for ventilation.

A lone Hedgehog sat on top of a moss covered log.

Where to put a hedgehog house

Now you’ve finished making your box, find somewhere suitable to put it. It needs to be in a shady and quiet spot where it won’t be disturbed. The front entrance should be out of the wind. A quiet part of the garden under thick vegetation or behind a shed is ideal.

Partnering with

The RSPB is a member of BirdLife International.More