02/11/2022
If you are planning to leave your Halloween pumpkin out for the wildlife, please raise it off the ground!
Hedgehogs are looking for food at this time of year, they need to fatten up for their winter hibernation, but if they eat too much pumpkin they can get diarrhoea, meaning they lose weight and could potentially not survive the cold months.
So putting it where the squirrels and birds can reach it but the hedgehogs can't, is perfect!
The best way to do this is to hang it in the tree with string or chop it into chunks and place it between the branches.
If you have a garden, keep an eye on it and if it isn't eaten in a few days, take it down to ensure it doesn't rot.
If you are considering placing it in local woodland, don't leave yours if there are already lots there, maybe pop it in the green bin instead.
Hedgehog's are meat and insect eaters, so leaving out cat food is a much better option to help them survive the winter.
However, your pumpkin can help them in a roundabout way! If you compost it, that will attract worms and bugs to your garden, which for our hedgepig's is a real banquet!
