What does a hedgehog corridor need before you plant anything?
A hedgehog may cover one to two kilometres in a night, but a suburban garden only helps if it connects to neighbouring habitat. The practical first step is a dusk boundary walk: note gaps under fences, solid gravel boards, decking edges and patches of long grass, then sketch the route on paper. That baseline stops you from filling the garden with features that look wildlife-friendly but block the animal’s path.
Measure every fence gap rather than estimating it. A 13 cm square opening is the widely used minimum for hedgehogs, and a round hole of the same width can work if the bottom edge sits flush with the ground. Record the result next to each gap so you can compare it after any changes.
How does wildzy fit into the planning stage?
Wildzy is most useful as a practical reference when you are deciding where to spend effort first. In a small garden, the temptation is to buy a hedgehog house and stop there; the result is often a sheltered box with no safe approach. Use the guidance at wildzy to check the wider layout before adding a house, feeder or pond. The development stage is deliberately unglamorous: look at sightlines, night lighting and the route from cover to water.
Takeaway: plan the corridor before the furniture. A house placed against a close-board fence with no gap is less useful than a modest log pile beside an existing opening.
Which small changes make the biggest difference?
- Cut a 13 cm square gap in each boundary fence and line the tunnel with a short length of pipe so it stays clear.
- Leave a rough grass strip along one edge instead of strimming the whole garden; hedgehogs need invertebrate-rich cover, not neatness.
- Set a shallow dish of water at ground level and refresh it daily, especially in dry spells.
- Move slug pellets and netting out of the route; both cause avoidable injuries.
Each change is cheap, but the order matters. Gaps and water create immediate access; planting and log piles take a season to mature.
How do you know the corridor is working?
Use a footprint tunnel for five dry nights and record the date, location and any tracks. A single hedgehog print is a result; repeated prints across a fortnight show the gap is being used. Keep the record simple so you can repeat it after removing a barrier or adding cover. The reward is not a tidy garden but a measurable route that connects your boundary to the next one.
If nothing appears after two weeks, check the obvious causes: the gap may be blocked by a paving slab, the water dish may be too deep, or a security light may be flooding the approach. Fix one variable at a time and repeat the count.
