Food list for feeding wild hedgehogs
- Manufactured pet foods
- Insects (a natural favourite for our insectivore friends)
- Meat from the kitchen
- A favourite! Scrambled, hard-boiled or mashed up boiled eggs – no seasonings, no oils. ...
- Fruits & Veg
- Dairy. No milk – it causes diahorrea – however… Natural yogurt and cottage cheese work well!
- Definite don’ts! ...
What is the best thing to feed a hedgehog?
Recommended hedgehog treats include:
- mealworms
- boiled chicken
- scrambled / hard boiled eggs
- apples
- bananas
- berries
What foods are safe for hedgehogs?
- Romaine lettuce
- Arugula
- Dandelion greens
- Collard greens
- Spinach
- Broccoli
- Sweet potato
- Asparagus
- Radish, turnip
- Green pepper
What is the best food for a hedgehog?
- Live crickets, mealworms, or silkworms
- Bits of plain, cooked meat with no seasonings or salt (no processed meats)
- Raw or cooked vegetables and fresh fruit (no citrus)
- Unsweetened “stage 1” pureed baby food (no grains)
- Hard-boiled or scrambled eggs (plain: no salt or butter)
What human food can you feed a hedgehog?
- A ‘base food’ cat kibble or premium hedgehog food.
- Some other animal protein foods (could be different types of cat kibble).
- Some vegetables and fruit.
- Some insects.
- Supplements (optional).
- Treats (optional).
Should I feed hedgehogs in my garden?
Feeding hedgehogs in your garden should only be a supplement to their natural diet, or to help them during the harder Winter months, so it is important to not offer too much of any one type of food. Hedgehogs are lactose intolerant so milk can make them very ill and should never be offered.
What is hedgehogs Favourite food?
Beetles, caterpillars, earthworms, millipedes, snails and slugs are all favourites, but hedgehogs are fairly flexible when it comes to their diet. As well as chicks, bird eggs and even frogs, they will sometimes eat berries and other fruits if they come across them.
How can I help my hedgehog in my garden?
Here are 10 simple steps that will provide hedgehogs with food and shelter.Create access holes.Plant a hedge.Make ponds safe.Check before strimming.Avoid using slug pellets.Make a hedgehog house.Leave out extra food.Grow native plants.More items...•
What is safe to feed hedgehogs?
Apples, bananas, berries, and melons are popular choices among hedgehogs. Vegetables: Fresh tomatoes, fresh green beans, and cooked squash are some options that your hedgehog may enjoy. Starchy vegetables, such as corn, potatoes, and carrots should be avoided as well as dried vegetables.
What vegetables can hedgehogs eat?
Pet hedgehogs can eat:Courgette.Green pepper.Cucumber.Broccoli.Leafy greens.Peas.Corn.Carrots.
How do you make hedgehog food?
0:061:00How to make a hedgehog feeding station - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAnd just put some masking tape or some cardboard around the edges. So that they're not sharp. AndMoreAnd just put some masking tape or some cardboard around the edges. So that they're not sharp. And then inside there you can just place a dish of um meaty cat food or meaty dog. Food.
How do you take care of a wild hedgehog?
Handling and care Keep the box in a quiet, warm place: a hot water bottle filled with hot tap water wrapped in a towel can provide a gentle heat source – make sure it doesn't go cold! You can provide some fresh water and meaty cat or dog food, but don't try to feed the hedgehog directly.
What should I put out for hedgehogs?
Don't forget to put out a shallow dish of water too - it can be a lifeline for hedgehogs, especially during a hot dry summer....The best foods to provide are:Meat-based cat or dog food.Specially-made hedgehog food.Cat biscuits.
Do hedgehogs eat bird seed?
Bird Seed? Hedgehogs are often first seen in gardens eating spilled bird food under feeders. They will be eating the seeds as well as all the insects and invertibrates that gather there. Small quanities of seeds and nuts are not harmful to hedgehogs but can cause issues if eaten to excess.
What do you feed rescued hedgehogs?
Dog or cat food - tinned dog or cat food, and cat biscuits or crushed dog biscuits, make good hedgehog foods. Good quality, meaty specialist hedgehog foods - these can be bought from wildlife food suppliers. Soak biscuits in water for very young hoglets that weigh less than 300g, as they can't eat dry food.
Do hedgehogs eat lettuce?
Dark, Green and Leafy Veterinarian-recommended hedgehog fruit and veggie mixes are based on nutritious greens. Kale, romaine or leaf lettuces and collard greens are all good choices.
Can I feed hedgehogs dry dog food?
Just like many of our other furry friends, hedgehogs need a diet that is high in animal protein. High protein cat food is packed with the essential nutrients to keep your garden visitors happy and healthy, and has a smaller kibble vs dog food, that's perfect for hedgehogs.
What kind of treats do hedgehogs like?
Suggested TreatsInsectivores by nature, hedgehogs typically love insects. ... The most popular insects of hedgehogs and hedgehog owners are mealworms, wax worms, silk worms and crickets.Treats can include live, canned or freeze dried crickets, mealworms (only one or two per day), wax worms or other insects.More items...
What do hedgehogs drink?
In terms of water, hedgehogs ingest water from their prey and natural sources like dew and puddles. Ponds also provide a water source so it's important to ensure garden ponds have sloping sides or an exit ramp so 'hogs don't fall in and get stuck.
What do hedgehogs like to play with?
Exercise Wheels. Your hedgie will enjoy having an exercise wheel in his cage. ... Mazes. Hedgehogs love to play in mazes. ... Cat Toys. Some cat toys are appropriate for hedgehogs. ... Boxes. Tissue boxes and other small boxes may be fine for your hedgehogs. ... Tube Tunnels. ... Stuffed Animals. ... Toy Dump Trucks.
Do hedgehogs eat cheese?
Hedgehogs are lactose intolerant. Milk and cheese will give them bad diarrhoea and can lead to serious illness as well.
What is the best food for hedgehogs?
Dog and Cat Food. Most dog and cat food is also a good choice for your hedgehogs. These pet foods tend to be meat-based, and therefore, although it isn’t specially formulated with the needs of hedgehogs in mind, it does a pretty good job of netting their dietary requirements.
What do hedgehogs eat?
What to Feed Wild Hedgehogs In Your Garden. Hedgehogs are insectivores; their main food in the wild is insects and other invertebrates such as snails, worms and slugs. But they are also opportunistic eaters. This means they will eat pretty much anything they can get their snouts into, whether it’s good for them or not.
What is the primary ingredient in hedgehog food?
When you choose a hedgehog food, it’s best to check the ingredients list. Look for meat, usually poultry, to be the primary (first listed) ingredient in your hedgehog food. Meat should be the primary ingredient in both wet and dry foods.
Why are hedgehogs so friendly?
And one of the main reasons for this is that more and more people are feeding hedgehogs and making their gardens hedgehog-friendly. Loss of habitat and increasing use of pesticides means that , even though they forage all night, it’s difficult for hedgehogs to find the food they need from natural sources.
Do hedgehogs like humans?
Like humans, hedgehogs will often prefer the tasty bits that are bad for them to the nutritious but boring bits. So it’s best to completely avoid feeding hedgehogs things that are bad for them – even as a “little treat” or a small part of a hedgehog food.
Is hedgehog food good for spikey?
Not all hedgehog foods, however, are quite so good for our spikey friends. When you choose a hedgehog food, it's best to check the ingredients list. Click To Tweet.
Can hedgehogs eat wet food?
Either wet or dry hedgehog food is fine. Lots of people say hedgehogs prefer the wet food. It certainly has a stronger smell and could do a better job of attracting hedgehogs to your feeding station in the first place. Of course, this also makes it more of a magnet for other animals.
Make a hedgehog a home
Leave areas of the garden wild, with piles of leaves, logs or compost. These are an attractive nest, as well as a home for the invertebrates that hedgehogs like to eat.
Create hedgehog highways
Hedgehogs can travel around a mile every night, so they may need help to get into and out of your garden. Try cutting holes in fences, removing bricks from walls, or digging tunnels under the garden boundary. Hedgehogs can travel through gaps as small as 13x13cm, so these gaps don't need to be large.
Feeding hedgehogs
Supplementing a hedgehog's natural diet by leaving out food and fresh water is a great way to encourage local hogs into your garden. If you're thinking of feeding your local hogs, remember:
What to do if you disturb a hedgehog
If the hedgehog is hibernating, gently put it back into its nest, re-cover it with the nest material and leave it alone. If this isn't possible - for example, because the nesting site has already been destroyed - then place the hedgehog in a part of the garden where it will be safe and sheltered, with as much of the original nest as possible.
A favourite!
Scrambled, hard-boiled or mashed up boiled eggs – no seasonings, no oils. If scrambled, cook with a teaspoon of water for the best results.
Fruits & Veg
Fruits and veg are great for hedgehogs in the wild, but they need a little preparation for the following reasons:
Start by Considering What Is Attracting the Rats
The rats may be coming for other food sources in spite of the hedgehogs. Rats look for three things: food, water, and shelter. If they can find them in your garden, they will move in.
How to Feed the Hedgehogs and Not the Rats
Once you are certain that other food sources aren’t drawing the rats to your garden, there are ways that you can feed the hedgehogs to deter rats from coming and eating their food.
How to Deter Rats Without Deterring Hedgehogs
If you have tried cleaning up the garden and choosing your feeding times to deter the rats, but you still have them eating your hedgehog food, you may need to try to deter the rats. There are several different things you can do, and a few you should avoid.
Hedgehog Habits
Hedgehogs are nocturnal, and they move around between two and three kilometers each night as they look for food. During the day, they make nests where they sleep.
Understanding Rat Behavior
Both black and brown rats are nocturnal, and they are most active at night, especially a half hour after sunset and a half hour before the sun rises. They are more agile than your average hedgehog, as they can climb over fences, crawl through holes, dig tunnels, and climb up straight metal poles.
Best Way to Make Your Garden Inviting for Hedgehogs Without Attracting Rats
When you want to attract the hedgehogs to your garden, but not the rats, the best thing to do is to create an environment that will have the natural foods that hedgehogs love to eat. You will want to create areas with brush and plants that cause these natural foods to be in your garden.
Final Thoughts
Most people are aware that if you put food out in the garden, it will attract more than hedgehogs. Rats are scavengers and they will move in if they can find food, water, and shelter.
HABITAT
There are a few things to know about hedgehogs when trying to attract them to your garden. The first thing to know is that hedgehogs live up to their name — they like living under hedges, bushes, and the brush that surrounds woodlands and fields.
RANGE
Hedgehogs are highly mobile creatures with fairly large territories. A nocturnal creature, hedgehogs can wander up to 2 or 3 kilometers each night, and their range can reach 10 or 20 hectares in size.
ACCESSIBILITY
To attract hedgehogs to your garden, you will want to be sure to include a few hedgehog holes. Some 13 by 13-centimeter holes made into doorway-arch shapes (cut out from the bottom of your wooden perimeter fence ) will make your garden hedgehog-accessible.
PLANTS
Your garden plants — especially flowers, and of course, hedges — will provide hedgehogs with cover to travel, rest, nest, and breed. You will want to choose native flowering plants like cornflower, poppies, red campion, oxeye daisy, common knapweed, and wild white clover.
WAYS TO ATTRACT HEDGEHOGS
If you are still wondering about “how to attract hedgehogs to my garden”, the answer is not too difficult — hedgehogs are partial to the right types of food, shelter, and comforts as other creatures.
FOOD
A hedgehog’s natural diet consists mainly of worms, slugs, ground beetles, pill millipedes, black millipedes, and caterpillars — and may contain some plant (i.e fruit) and fungal matter.
HOUSING
You can easily provide hedgehog housing by placing a flat bit of rock on top of a few bricks. Stack the bricks high enough so that a hedgehog can get inside (and other animals can’t). Put a brick or two on top, and line the inside with some dried leaves, grass, or straw.
What do hedgehogs eat?
Hedgehogs love eating slugs, caterpillars, and beetles. Caterpillars, which are the larvae of butterflies and moths, can cause a lot of harm to your lovely plants. They chew on the leaves, flowers, shoots, and fruits of the plants.
How to make hedgehogs find your garden attractive?
To make sure that hedgehogs find your garden attractive, you need to provide them with food, water, shelter, and security. If you fulfil these needs, they are going to love spending time in your outdoor space. And, while they are there, they will make sure that no pest will harm your precious plants.
Why are hedgehogs good for the garden?
It’s not difficult to realize why having a hedgehog or more in your garden could benefit your plants: they eat all the pests that would typically affect your greens.
How far can a hedgehog travel?
These tiny creatures love to move from one garden to another to ensure they find enough food to survive. In fact, they can travel up to one mile every night.
What does it mean when a hedgehog rolls into a ball?
Different types can be found in parts of Europe, Asia, Africa, and New Zealand. If you see a hedgehog rolled into a ball, it means that they are feeling threatened by your presence or other external factors.
When do hedgehogs hibernate?
If it happens to have a hedgehog hibernate in your garden, leave it alone and don’t disturb it. Hedgehogs typically hibernate from November to March. During these months, try to avoid disturbing them with very loud noises, going close to them, or destroying their nest.
Is a hedgehog a gardener's best friend?
It’s official: hedgehogs are a gardener’s best friend. Before we move forward to why you should attract hedgehogs into your garden and how to attract them, let’s learn more about these little cute spiny animals.