WITH the rich colours and falling leaves of autumn decorating the landscape, spare a thought for the hedgehogs that may be secretly snuffling around your garden.

These cute, though not exactly cuddly, and inoffensive little mammals are one of the UK’s favourite garden visitors. However, they face a daily battle for survival with more than half of them dying before their first birthday.

At this time of the year hedgehogs are particularly vulnerable to being swept up with piles of leaves or even caught up in bonfires of garden rubbish where they have settled down for a snooze.

Hedgehogs hibernate from November until mid-March, so this is the time of year they are looking to settle down. They usually like to nest under sheds, hedges and among brushwood, but if these are in short supply they will gladly take up residence in a specially-built hedgehog house.

If you’ve got one of these special garden guests, you can put out some specialist hedgehog food and a bowl of fresh water. Don’t be tempted to put out a bowl of milk, because hedgehogs find it incredibly difficult to digest.

At this tiome of year be on the lookout for any hoglets and provide them with specialist food and clean water. If you do find a struggling infant or injured hedgehog call the RSPCA on 0300 1234999 or the British Hedgehog Preservation Society, 01584 890801. Alternatively take it to the nearest wildlife centre.

How to keep a hedgehog happy

Here are some other safety points to bear in mind if you have hedgehogs in your garden.

Check garden rubbish before burning and compost heaps before forking over in case a hedgehog has moved in.

Check long grass before mowing, strimming or burning.

Avoid using slug pellets and if you do use garden chemicals, use them sparingly.

Keep netting a foot off the ground to prevent entanglement.

Keep shed and greenhouse doors closed and poisons out of reach.

Cover drains to prevent hedgehogs from falling in.

Provide some sort of ramp or part-submerged rocks to help hedgehogs out of steep-sided ponds or cattle grids.

Follow these tips and you’ll be sure to have happy hedgehogs.