Hedgehog Friendly School
Did you know that hedgehog numbers in the UK have declined by around 50% since the year 2000? With this in mind, our school is working towards becoming a Hedgehog Friendly School. We have set up a small group of school councillors as our ‘hog friendly committee’ who have been doing a great job learning about hedgehogs, and exploring ways in which we can help them. We have audited the school grounds, looking for ‘hedgehog hazards’, and we have attempted to attract them by leaving food and drink in a secluded area of the field. We have two hedgehog houses. One of them was kindly donated by a year 3 child and the other was built by our eco-councillors at the Wirral Wide Eco Meeting. Here is some more information about our spiky friends:
Did you know?
· Hedgehogs are nocturnal which means that they sleep in the day and only come out at night.
· The ‘hedge’ part of their name comes from where they build their nests hedges, bushes and shrubs. The ‘hog’ part comes from the small snorting/ grunting sound they make which is similar to a pig.
· Hedgehogs have the ability to hibernate (although not all do), which makes them one of only three mammals that hibernate in the UK. Hibernating means that they hole themselves up and stay in a dormant state for winter.
· Hedgehogs are actually lactose intolerant, so milk should never be left out for them, water is perfectly fine.
· Hedgehogs have around 5000 to 7000 spines on their back. These can be raised and lowered to respond to threatening situations. Each quill/ spine lasts about a year before dropping out and being replaced.
· The hedgehog has a vulnerable stomach, which is why it curls up into a spiky ball when predators such as badgers are around.
· Hedgehogs venture out on their own after only four to seven weeks of nurturing from their mother. They usually then spend their entire lives alone with the exception of pairing up to mate with another hedgehog.
· Not only do they enjoy berries and fruit but the staple of their diet is made up from pests that are common in our back gardens such as beetles and caterpillars. This helps preserve the fruit and vegetables you may have growing in your gardens.Did you know that hedgehog numbers in the UK have declined by around 50% since the year 2000? With this in mind, our school is working towards becoming a Hedgehog Friendly School. We have set up a small group of school councillors as our ‘hog friendly committee’ who have been doing a great job learning about hedgehogs, and exploring ways in which we can help them. We have audited the school grounds, looking for ‘hedgehog hazards’, and we have attempted to attract them by leaving food and drink in a secluded area of the field. We have two hedgehog houses. One of them was kindly donated by a year 3 child and the other was built by our eco-councillors at the Wirral Wide Eco Meeting. Here is some more information about our spiky friends:
· When hedgehogs are out to forage in the evening, they can travel for up to 2 miles, that’s a long way for little legs!
How to help hedgehogs:
Do leave some areas of wilderness where the hedgehogs can snuffle for insects.
Do put out water for drinking.
Do put out a bowl of dog food or meaty cat food around dusk.
Do look to see if your hedgehog is limping or appears to be injured, or in late Autumn look out for underweight hedgehogs
Don’t put out bread and milk
Don’t pick up fit hedgehogs
Don’t use slug pellets or other chemicals, they may poison hedgehogs and other animals.
Don’t light a bonfire without checking to see if a hedgehog or other wild animal has moved in.
Don’t fork over compost heaps in case hedgehogs or other animals have taken up residence.
Don’t spray hedgehogs with dog or cat flea sprays. It will be detrimental to the hedgehog.
We hope that this information will help you to join us in looking after our hedgehog friends.
