Build a Hedgehog House Before Hibernation
- Hands on
- 190 min
- Season
- autumn
- Level
- moderate
- Makes
- one 30cm hedgehog house with a predator-proof tunnel entrance
October is when hedgehogs start looking for a dry, sheltered place to spend the winter, and a garden with nowhere suitable just gets passed over. A plywood box with a long tunnel entrance gives one somewhere safe from cats and foxes, and gives it a few weeks to weather and settle into before the cold sets in properly.
What you need
Step by step
-
Mark and cut the plywood into a 30cm base, a 30cm back panel, two 30cm x 30cm side panels, and a 34cm x 34cm roof, keeping every cut square so the box doesn't rack.
45 min -
Mark and cut a 13cm square hole in the centre of one side panel, low enough that the tunnel floor will sit level with the base.
15 min -
Cut and assemble four lengths of ply into a 13cm x 13cm tunnel, 30cm long, so a hedgehog can pass through but a fox or cat can't follow it in.
30 min -
Screw the base, back and two sides together into an open-fronted box, driving a screw every 10cm so the panels don't flex.
30 min -
Fix the tunnel over the hole in the side panel, screwing through from inside the box.
15 min -
Hinge the roof to the back panel so it lifts off for an annual clean, letting it overhang the sides by 2cm all round to shed rain.
20 min -
Cover the roof with roofing felt, stapling it underneath so no staples are exposed inside.
15 min -
Raise the finished house on four bricks in a quiet, shaded, sheltered spot, line the chamber with a handful of dry straw or dried leaves, and bank loose leaves and twigs over the roof and sides for insulation, keeping the tunnel entrance clear.
20 min
Afterwards
Leave the house alone over winter — don't lift the roof to check on an occupant, since disturbing a hibernating hedgehog can cost it fat reserves it needs to survive. Top up the bedding if wind scatters it, and only clean the chamber out in spring once you're sure it's empty, wearing gloves, as old bedding can carry fleas and ticks.
Questions
Will a hedgehog actually find it?
Not guaranteed, but siting it against a hedge, shed or fence on a natural hedgehog route improves the odds, and a gap under a fence panel helps them reach it.
Do I need to feed the hedgehog too?
The shelter works without feeding, but a shallow dish of meat-based cat or dog food and water nearby in autumn helps a hedgehog build fat reserves before it hibernates.
How do I know if it's being used?
Droppings near the entrance, flattened bedding, or a musky smell are the usual signs. A torch at the entrance at dusk is less disruptive than opening the house to check.
Is straw or hay better for bedding?
Straw, not hay — hay holds moisture and can turn mouldy, which chills a nesting hedgehog rather than insulating it.