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Hedgehog lawn damage

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  • We do not live in at the moment in ENGLAND we live in the foothills of the Apennines mountains in LUCCA Italia our family lives in England, New York, Texas, Miami, Singapore, Austria.  So any help you can suggest for our dilemma with our visitors Mr Hedghogh and family are Welcome !!!
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    We do not live in at the moment in ENGLAND we live in the foothills of the Apennines mountains in LUCCA Italia our family lives in England, New York, Texas, Miami, Singapore, Austria.  So any help you can suggest for our dilemma with our visitors Mr Hedghogh and family are Welcome !!!
    Leave them alone
    Devon.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Don’t use insecticides and make sure you have lots of rough areas with low growing shrubs … those areas will then contain the good necessary for the hedgehogs without having to dig

    We feed the hedgehogs around here with dried meat-based cat biscuits. We also make sure there are plenty of shallow dishes  of fresh water about for them. Hedgehogs get very thirsty.  

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Songbird-2Songbird-2 Posts: 2,349
    How are the hedgehogs getting into the garden? Block up their holes if you don't want them in the garden and thus rooting around on the grass. If you do want them to visit, do you have a Hedgehog Rescue Centre/ Hedgehog Society that maybe could advise you on how to stop them digging up the grass? Perhaps provide them with multiple areas of food and water for them, away from the grass? This may deter them from going looking for things amongst the lawn? Good luck.🙂

  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    I agree that the first step is to set up a trailcam to get info on exactly what is doing the damage. Then you can make a plan for how to deal with it.
  • februarysgirlfebruarysgirl Posts: 835
    edited October 2023
    As far as suggestions are concerned, I can't really add any more to those that have already been given. If you wanted to set up a feeding station to make a different part of your garden more attractive, there are ones you can buy or alternatively you could always make one yourself https://littlesilverhedgehog.com/2016/06/20/hedgehog-feeding-station/ or
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JW03Aue_wlI&ab_channel=GardenOrganic

    If you were dead set on making a small electric fence, how would you even determine what kind of voltage would be safe to deter an animal as small as a hedgehog without injuring or killing it? Trial and error? I don't have a clue about specific wildlife laws in Italy but there are EU laws regarding causing animal suffering. I feel it unlikely that electrocuting a hedgehog to prevent damage to your lawn would be considered justifiable in any court of law and I doubt you'd get much sympathy from the public either. Wildlife is frequently a pain in the arse. Blackbirds dig enormous holes in my raised beds in the spring and squirrels are currently having a go because they're burying food for winter. As frustrating as it is, I've never once considered doing anything to cause them discomfort just so I can keep the beds (which I should add, I've spent THOUSANDS on), looking perfect. Wildlife's gonna wildlife.
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    You can't resolve the cause of the problem until you know the cause of the problem.
  • We have the same problem here, also hedgehogs coming and using its snout to dig. But i think its grass grub destroying the lawns and hedgehogs and birds coming to eat them.. we used pesticides on our lawn and waiting for it to work, experts says it takes upto 6 months to completely eradicate.. 
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    Hopefully you won't eradicate whatever has been eating the pests too.😒
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • We saw the hedgehogs only after the treatment, we didn’t see them during the daytime
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