The key details of each project are outlined below. If you need further information, please email us using the relevant email address in each section.

Background

One of the biggest factors influencing the risk of rodenticide exposure is how often hedgehogs share gardens with rats and mice. However, we still know very little about how these species use the same garden spaces or which garden features attract them. Different garden features attract different types of wildlife. For example, dense vegetation provides shelter for small mammals, while spilled bird food may attract both rodents and hedgehogs. 

By collecting information from gardens across the UK, we can better understand how hedgehogs, rodents and other mammals use our gardens, identify factors that may increase the risk of rodenticide exposure, and help inform future conservation. This is where we need your help.

What will you do? 

We are looking for volunteers to monitor garden mammals for 1–2 weeks during late summer 2026 and/or winter 2026–2027.

• Use your own trail or security camera to record wildlife visiting your garden.

• If you live near Reading and don't have a camera, we may be able to lend you one.

• Place a tin of sardines in front of the camera as a wildlife lure. Two small holes in the lid will allow the scent to escape gradually.

• Leave the camera running continuously (day and night) so we can record both daytime and nocturnal mammals.

Your recordings will help us understand which mammals visit gardens, what attracts them, and how hedgehogs and rodents use the same spaces.

Who can take part?

• Anyone living in Great Britain or the island of Ireland with access to a garden and a motion-activated camera or security camera can take part. A limited number of cameras may also be available to borrow for participants living near Reading or Bracknell. 

• You do not need to have hedgehogs or rodents in your garden to participate, as gardens where these species are absent are just as important for the study.

• It is also fine if you do not know if any mammals visit your garden at all- this information is valuable too.

• Ideally, participants will survey in both summer 2026 and winter 2026/2027, but completing just one survey is absolutely fine.   

How to get in touch

Please email us at ratsandhogs@reading.ac.uk or click the link below to find out more or volunteer. 

Background

Scavenging may be an important way that hedgehogs are accidentally exposed to rodenticides. If poisoned rats or mice die above ground and are eaten by scavengers, the toxins can be passed on to other wildlife.

Although hedgehogs mainly eat insects, they are known to occasionally scavenge small animal carcasses. However, we don't know how often this happens or whether other scavengers, such as foxes, cats, crows and gulls, usually remove carcasses first.

To find out, we will use camera traps to identify which animals remove food baits and how quickly. This will help us better understand the risk of rodenticide exposure to hedgehogs.

What will you do? 

We are looking for volunteers to use a trail camera to monitor a rat and mouse carcass in their garden during summer/autumn 2026 and/or winter 2026–2027.

• Place a rat or mouse carcass in your garden and monitor it with a trail camera for up to 72 hours (it will often be removed sooner by wildlife).

• The carcasses are purchased frozen from pet shops, where they are sold as reptile food, and do not contain any rodenticides or other harmful substances.

• Use your own trail camera, or, if you live near Reading, we may be able to lend you one.

Who can take part?

• Participants with access to a garden in or near Reading, Wokingham, or Bracknell can take part. 

• All equipment required for this study will be delivered to your home. 

• If you do not have access to a camera, we can provide one for you.

How to get in touch

Please email us at urbanscavengers@reading.ac.uk or click the link below to find out more or volunteer. 

Background

Rodenticides must be placed inside bait boxes to reduce the risk to wildlife. However, some animals, including small hedgehogs and slugs, may still be able to enter these boxes. This means hedgehogs could be exposed to rodenticides either by entering bait boxes themselves or by eating contaminated slugs.

To better understand these risks, this project includes three related studies, and you can choose to take part in one, two or all three:

(a) Hedgehog bait box study – We will use non-toxic footprint tracking plates inside bait boxes to identify which animals enter them.

(b) Slug bait box study – We will investigate how often slugs enter bait boxes by using a harmless food bait and biomarker to track slug visits.

(c) Slug deterrent study – We will test whether simple slug deterrents can reduce the number of slugs entering bait boxes, potentially lowering the risk of rodenticide exposure to hedgehogs.

What will you do? 

These studies will take place during summer and autumn 2026. You can take part in one, two or all three.

Study 1 – Hedgehog bait box study

• Place a bait box containing a non-toxic bait and footprint tracking plates in your garden.

• For one month, check the plates daily and upload photos to our online form.

Study 2 – Slug bait box study

• Place a bait box containing a non-toxic food bait in your garden for 3 days.

• After, use slug traps to collect slugs around the bait box for 1 day.

• We'll use a harmless biomarker to determine how many of the collected slugs entered the bait box.

Study 3 – Slug deterrent study

Repeat Study 2, but with one of four randomly assigned treatments:

• Coffee grounds

• Spearmint oil

• Copper tape

• No deterrent (control)

At the end of the survey, help collect slugs so we can compare how effective each treatment was.

Who can take part

• Anyone within or near Reading, Wokingham or Bracknell can take part in one, two or all three of the experiments.

• All equipment required for this study will be delivered to your home. 

How to get in touch

Please email us at slugsandhogs@reading.ac.uk or click the link below to find out more or volunteer.