Pets and hedgehogs
With their keen sense of smell, dogs often detect hedgehogs before we humans spot them. Sadly some dogs can harm or even kill hedgehogs, when instinct tells them to hunt prey. Try to keep dogs away from any hedgehogs in your garden as an encounter could lead to both animals being hurt.
If you know your dog is prone to attacking hedgehogs then try to warn hedgehogs visiting your garden when the dog is being let out e.g. turn on an outside light a minute or so before letting the dog out. For the dog’s final patrol of the evening consider putting your dog on its lead or supervising the trip into the garden to prevent any attacks. Hedgehogs do also have their own routine i.e. they appear at a certain time from a certain point. If you know the routine of the hedgehogs visiting your garden then keeping your dog in during those times will also benefit your dog and the hedgehog.
Cats are less of a threat as they will usually leave hedgehogs alone after investigating them.
Will the hedgehogs give my pets fleas?
Hedgehogs are renowned for having fleas. However, the fleas found on hedgehogs are actually hedgehog fleas (scientific name: Archaeopsylla erinacei) which are host specific, meaning they will not survive for long on any other species, be it pets or people.
If I put a hole in my fence, will my pets escape?
A 13cm x 13cm hole will be too small for most dogs. Many cats can climb fences. If you are worried about them going through a hole, turn the hole into a tunnel e.g. with a breeze block. Low tech savvy!
