Hedgehog highways: a 13 cm hole in the fence

A hedgehog house in a garden the animal cannot enter will stay empty. Hedgehog Street’s page on linking gardens is the source for the hole. Feeding and the house itself are on the house and feeding guide.

Why the fence matters

They say hedgehogs travel about a mile a night through parks and gardens, looking for food and a mate. An enclosed garden is in the way. One of the main reasons they give for hedgehogs struggling in Britain is that fences and walls are more secure than they used to be, so the land a hedgehog can reach has shrunk. The part you can change is the barrier you own.

The size of the hole

A gap of 13 cm by 13 cm is what they say is enough for any hedgehog, and too small for nearly all pets. Ways they list to make it:

• Take a brick out of the bottom of a wall.
• Cut a small hole in the fence if there is no gap already.
• Dig a channel under the wall, fence or gate.

They add the ordinary warning about tools, and about getting an adult to help if you need one. The fence is yours to cut; a shared fence or a rented garden needs the other owner’s agreement. That is not a sentence from their page. It is the practical limit on “cut a hole”.

If you want to go further, they say the better structure is a hedge instead of a wall or a fence. A hedge is shelter, food and a route, not only a hole.

Their feeding-station idea uses the same 13 cm square as a doorway in a plastic box, so a hedgehog can reach the food and a larger animal cannot. That is on the feeding page, and it is the same dimension.

What else the garden needs

A hole does not replace food and cover. Their homes page says that without a way in, the house will not be used, however well you build it. Compost, a log pile and a messy corner are the nesting places they prefer, with a box as an extra. Slug pellets and netting are not covered by the pages we opened, so they are not given a rule here. If a later guide adds them, it will be from a page we have read.

Talk to the neighbour whose side the hole opens onto. Hedgehog Street’s navigation includes “talk to your neighbours”; we did not need a separate claim about what to say. A hole into a garden that is promptly blocked up from the other side is not a highway.

Will my dog get through a 13 cm hole?

They say the hole is too small for nearly all pets. A kitten or a very small dog is the case to think about yourself; they do not list breeds.

Can I put the hole in a brand-new fence?

Yes, if you are allowed to alter that fence. Cut it at ground level so the animal does not have to climb. Their methods are a brick removed, a cut hole, or a dug channel.

Does the house need a 13 cm door as well?

Their 2025 house sheet says the simple box entrance should be 13 cm by 13 cm, the same size as the fence hole. A smaller slot defeats the point of the highway.