Remember, remember....

Bonfire season is now in full flow. Whatever you do, remember hedgehogs and other wild creatures and take precautions as you plan your celebrations. As well as the little film below from the British Hedgehog Preservation Society, here are some tips on other things you can do to support hogs at what is a difficult time of year for them.

To prepare for bonfire night

1) MOVE the materials to clear ground on the day they’re to be lit

2) CHECK the pile carefully just before striking that match

3) OFFER an escape route by only lighting from one side – this gives anything hidden in the heap one final chance to escape.

If you do find a hedgehog in your unlit bonfire heap:

• Gather it up with as much of the nest as you can and place in a high-sided cardboard box with plenty of torn newspaper, towelling or straw. Ensure there are air holes in the lid and that the lid is secured firmly to the box, as hedgehogs are great climbers.

• Wear gardening gloves or use an old towel to handle them so as not to get human smells on them and to keep them calm as hedgehogs are easily stressed; it also protects your hands from their spikes!

• Put the box in a safe, quiet place such as a shed or garage well away from the festivities and offer the hedgehog some meaty cat or dog food and water.

• Once the embers are totally dampened down, release the hedgehog under a hedge, bush or behind a stack of logs near where it was found, with its original nesting materials.

And, don't forget, autumn is a key time for hedgehogs. They need to fatten up in order to survive their hibernation period. If you know you have hedgehogs and would like to support them, consider making a hedgehog feeding station. Here is a very useful video -

You can find out more about our recommendations for food here. Please also remember that hedgehogs need lots of nesting material so, this autumn, please leave fallen leaves on the ground as much as possible. If the hogs don't use them, they will become the home for lots of beetles, insects, worms and snails - a dream feast for a hungry hog.

And, if you see ANY hedgehog out in the day, remember - OUT IN THE DAY IS NOT OK. Hogs are nocturnal and they only come out during the day if they are desperate. If you see one in daylight, it is extremely likely that the hog is starving, ill or dying. So, please pick it up, put it in a box with some bedding and, if possible, a hot water bottle placed to one side (so the hog can choose to lay next to it), and call us!

At the moment, we have over 60 hedgehogs in our care, including some very poorly ones which may not make it through the winter. If you would like to support the work we do with this under-threat species, please consider donating here. We welcome all donations. Large or small, they all enable us to carry on our vital work.