The Hedgehog House – Shelter for Spiky Detectives

In autumn, a lot is happening in the garden: Birds are searching for food and picking out the best earthworms from the rain-soaked soil. The leaves turn beautifully colorful, and under the falling foliage, a little spiky friend is digging around, who needs help during the fall and winter.

The hedgehog seeks shelter in many gardens and starts looking for a suitable spot as early as autumn. If you don't want to leave the leaf piles in the beds, you can offer the hedgehog a stylish new home.

Ideally, the new hedgehog house should not be placed right in the middle of the lawn. After all, people want their privacy, and even little hedgehogs don't want their new home sitting in the spotlight. A spot in a planted bed or against a house wall is perfect for the hedgehog house. Here, the hedgehog is largely protected from stray animals and the curious eyes of neighbors. In a bed, with the right decoration, the hedgehog house can blend beautifully into the overall landscape and provide the hedgehog with enough privacy. Once the right location is found, the construction can begin. Here's what you'll need:
• Stones
• 2 wooden planks (40 x 40 cm)
• Leaves
• A large trash bag

If the hedgehog house is being built in a planted bed, the ground should definitely be level. If it's not, the stones could wobble, and in the worst case, the hedgehog house might even collapse on top of the hedgehog. To prevent this, the ground should be leveled beforehand, or the hedgehog house should be placed on a flat spot. One of the wooden planks serves as the floor and should be placed exactly there. The stones are then arranged around the plank. A small opening, about 10 cm wide, should be left at a sheltered location. A second layer of stones is placed on top of the first layer, covering the entire first layer, including the gap. For regular bricks, three layers are usually enough to give the hedgehog house the perfect size for the little hedgehog.

Anyone who has ever slept in a bed that was too hard or too soft knows how important the right sleeping arrangement is. The same goes for the hedgehog, which is why the hedgehog house now needs to be filled. Straw is particularly well-suited for this, and dry leaves are also ideal for creating a warm and cozy bed for the hedgehog. Once the hedgehog house is properly furnished, the second wooden plank can be placed on top as the roof. The plank can overhang a bit to prevent rain from getting inside the new home. The trash bag is then cut open and placed completely over the hedgehog house as weather protection, securing it with stones on the sides. Finally, a pile of leaves is placed on top, and the garden resident now has a stylish and cozy home, protected from the cold winter.