Provide them with an easy escape route. So you have to … Hedgehogs swim very well, but if they cannot escape from a pool they will become exhausted and drown. Long grass, log and leaf piles and undergrowth provide foraging and nest places for the perfect hedgehog habitat. If you have a pond in your garden, ensure that at least one side slopes gently and there is a ramp so that hedgehogs can get out. Warwick puts it at more like 4km. While hedgehogs can swim, they can easily drown if they fall into a pond with sides too steep to climb out. Julie, a friend of a friend in Suffolk who can be found fostering a dozen hedgehogs at any one time, also told me that they can travel up to 12 miles in one night. Are hedgehogs naturally buoyant? Hedgehogs can actually swim fairly well. They can get drowned when they get tired. Hedgehog Pallet Home (Possibly Combine It With Your Compost): I love hedgehogs! In part, that’s something of the image Beatrice Potter’s Mrs Tiggy-Winkle, pine-cone Christmas-tree decorations, and a host of other hedgehog … Many are killed by motorists each year, and others drown in ponds, burn in bonfires, are injured by strimmers or poisoned by slug pellets in our gardens. A large fish tank would be better. Hedgehogs can come over as cute, happy-go-lucky minibeasts who do no harm and love a simple country life. Though they might be good swimmers, it is very - very - easy for them to drown and they should only swim for short periods of time. Will my hedgehogs drown Unfortunately, yes hedgehogs can drow this is due to overexertion or stress in your pet hedgehog. The life expectancy of a hedgehog is around 3-5 years. You can bathe your hedgehog in a sink or tub in your home. Provide a small wildlife area in your garden. Hedgehogs can swim but often drown in ponds or swimming pools but the simple addition of a hedgehog friendly ramp can enable it to climb out. Ways you can help. Therefore, you have to be with them all the time while they are in the water. Despite this fact many hedgehogs drown in domestic garden ponds for the simple reason that once they get in they can’t get out. Sadly, they can easily drown if they can’t climb up steep edges. Hedgehogs can swim but often drown in garden ponds because of their steep and slippery sides. By laying a ramp or by gently sloping the banks of your pond you’ll ensure the hedgehog’s escape or a length of chicken wire hung over the edge makes a good escape ladder.

As an alternative, you can use a silicon baking mat.

The primary reason for this is that garden ponds often have unnatural man-made sides.

Lining the tub or bath with a non-slip mat will keep your hedgehog safe during bath time. However, hedgehogs slip easily. If you have a pond, make sure there’s a sloping edge so they can escape (you can also use stones or planks of wood wrapped in chicken wire). 2 - Poisoned It's that old favourite again, the slug pellet. You may not see them doing it very often but Hedgehogs can swim, in fact they’re good swimmers. To answer some earlier questions, hamster cages can be good homes for hedgehogs, as long as they have more floor space. Many hedgehogs drown or become exhausted trying to escape from steep sided pools and holes. Make hedgehog highways Hedgehogs need to roam for food, nesting and mating. Hedgehogs are good swimmers but can eventually tire out and drown. These are non-slip, inexpensive, small enough to fit in a sink, and easy to disinfect. Once you take them out of the pool, give them a shower in clean water to wash off the chlorine. Hedgehogs don’t like climbing, and descending. And here is what you can do to make them a …