HI Vw
It’s lovely to hear that you have lots of hedgehogs visiting.
I agree with Buddy42 about not using any insecticides around hedgehogs, (or their nests, boxes, etc.) although of course if you have a problem indoors that’s a different matter, as Katzeye suggests. BHPS does have a fact sheet about ticks. It is really aimed at vets, vet nurses, hedgehog rehabilitators, etc. but others may find it interesting as well.
You can minimise the risk of ticks multiplying in the garden by, when you clean out any Hedgehog houses, feed boxes, etc., using boiling water so that it kills off any eggs which may be in the joints and cracks. It seems most likely that hogs would shed their ticks where they are sleeping or eating so cleaning out the boxes should help. Also with feed boxes make sure any adult ticks are removed daily. Make absolutely certain there is no hog in residence before considering cleaning out a box. Females are very sensitive when they have very young ones and may desert or kill them, if they are disturbed. So extreme caution is required.
If it’s any consolation, I have in the past had more hogs than you mention visiting my garden and have not had any problems with tick infestations. If you are worried, it is fairly straightforward to check your arms and legs to make sure there are none present before going indoors. I don’t recall ever finding any ticks on me which I could attribute to coming from my garden or the hogs.
With regard to fleas. There are many different types and hedgehogs fleas are host specific, so that if they ended up on another species they would be unlikely to stay for long.
Good luck and happy hog watching!
