How to make a hedgehog house

Hedgehogs hibernate during winter so they need somewhere safe and warm, away from hungry predators. If your child likes hedgehogs, tell them they can can help these little friends out during the winter time by building them a home out of materials you already have at home! Try out one of these ideas with your child.

What you’ll need:

Gloves to protect your hands
Dry leaves, twigs, straw, newspaper
A spade
Building material for the structure – bricks, boxes, or a pile of logs

Top tip! Build your hedgehog house in a quiet, shady corner of your garden.

Option 1: Brick House

If you’re using bricks make sure you help your child to overlap them to make the house stable
Together with you child, dig a hole about 7cm deep and 45cm wide.
Get you child to fill the hole with leaves and sticks to make it dry

Option 2: Plastic box house

Hedgehogs prefer houses with a tunnel entrance. Get you child to make a tunnel about 15cm x 15cm and help them cover sharp edges with tape!
If you use a plastic box, you won’t need to dig a hole but you will need to make some air holes with your child.
Tell your child to cover the box with lots of foliage to weigh it down

Did you know? Milk can make hedgehogs feel poorly! They actually prefer water and dog biscuits.

Option 3: Cardboard box house

Help your child dig a hole then cover it with an upside down box. Don’t forget to make an entrance and some air holes as instructed above
If you make a cardboard house, you can get your child to cover it with an opened plastic bag for extra warmth.
Weigh it down with rocks and sticks

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