Leaving pumpkins on the ground after the spooky season has ended is being highlighted as being a serious threat to our prickly friends. Sustaining Dunbar’s Pledgehog Project is giving advice about the best way to deal with any unwanted Halloween lanterns.
Jen Walker, Pledgehog Officer warns, “Many people believe that they’re helping wildlife by leaving unwanted pumpkins on the ground to be eaten or decompose, but sadly it can be fatal to hedgehogs. A hedgehog’s natural diet is to eat meat and insects but when they come across pumpkins they are tempted by the sweetness. Too much of this rich food then can cause bloating and diarrhoea which can then easily cause dehydration and death”.
Suggestions of what to do with your old pumpkins include digging them into the ground in your garden to naturally decompose and enrich the soil, putting them in your food waste caddy or on your compost heap. They can be left outside for other wildlife, but it is essential that they are high enough off the ground so that hedgehogs can’t reach.
Jen adds, “Autumn is a crucial time of year for hedgehogs to eat enough food to put on the vital weight needed before winter. If they become unwell from eating pumpkins then they’re unlikely to survive hibernation. I urge you to dispose of them in a hedgehog friendly way to avoid this danger”.
Jen continues, “Hedgehogs need our help and are now classed as at risk of extinction in the UK. There are many things you can do in your garden or outdoor space to make it more hedgehog friendly this Autumn. To start with you should check that you have a gap for them to get in and out (13 cm square is ideal) then create a big pile of logs, branches and leaves somewhere quiet, sheltered and shady all year round, and you could be lucky to have hedgehogs breeding or hibernating with you. We created a natural shelter like this at Dunbar Primary School Nursery nature garden and have recently been thrilled to find out that a hedgehog has now set up residence there”.
The Pledgehog Project has been funded throughout 2024 by Viridor, SafeDeposits Scotland and Belhaven Brewery. There is now additional funding to run in 2025 until April from the Hugh Fraser Foundation. It recently featured on BBC Landward earlier in the year which can be watched again on BBCiplayer (episode 3). To find out more about the Dunbar Pledgehog Project and how to make your own garden or outdoor space good for hedgehogs see: www.sustainingdunbar.org/projects/thepledgehog-project.