What can I feed hedgehogs? Hedgehogs will relish any combination of meat-based wet dog or cat foods, or dry cat/kitten food, as these are high in the protein that they need. Just remember, they will be getting most of their food from insects and worms in the wild, and this food is only supplementary.
What can I Feed my young hedgehog?
If the hedgehog is very young - roughly apple-sized - you'll need to soak the biscuits in water first. You can also get good quality, meaty hedgehog food from wildlife food suppliers. Never feed hedgehogs milk or bread - milk can cause diarrhoea and bread isn't very nutritious.
What is a Hedgehog’s food source?
Insects and other invertebrates are the hedgehog’s main natural food source. A typical diet includes: Worms are an important food source for hedgehogs.
Can hedgehogs eat sunflower seeds and peanuts?
Sunflower seeds and peanuts are not a dangerous food type and provide a major contribution to many animal feeds, as well as being widely available in health food shops for humans. Sunflower hearts and peanuts are very fatty, and hedgehogs enjoy them for this reason, so feed them only as a treat or within a balanced diet.
Can hedgehogs eat mealworms?
The following foods should be avoided when feeding hedgehogs: Bread and milk (hogs are lactose intolerant so milk can make them ill. Bread has little nutritional value) Mealworms (thought to cause health problems when eaten in large quantities) Your garden could provide much-needed hedgehog habitat.
What is the best food to feed hedgehogs?
What can I feed hedgehogs? Hedgehogs will relish any combination of meat-based wet dog or cat foods, or dry cat/kitten food, as these are high in the protein that they need. Just remember, they will be getting most of their food from insects and worms in the wild, and this food is only supplementary.
What can I feed a hedgehog that comes into my garden?
Hedgehogs are insectivores, so the best diet is the bugs and grubs in your garden, which will also help keep the 'pests' down. Therefore, the best way to feed hedgehogs would actually be to encourage more insects into your garden.
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 household items can hedgehogs eat?
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 come back to same garden?
Hedgehogs are not territorial, however they do seem to follow a regular routine, visiting the same gardens and even specific areas at roughly the same time each night.
What does it mean when you see a hedgehog in your garden?
Hedgehogs are nocturnal, they come out at night and sleep during the day. The only exception to this is when female hogs can sometimes be seen foraging in the late afternoons. So, if you have a hedgie wandering around in your garden during the daytime, chances are it's in trouble. Take it to your local rescue centre.
Can I feed hedgehogs cat biscuits?
What food should I feed to wild hedgehogs? Good quality proprietary hedgehog biscuits, dog biscuits and cat biscuits are best in that order. Along with plenty of fresh drinking water offered in a shallow sided dish. Cooked meaty dog and cat food are also good alternatives.
How do I look after a hedgehog in my garden?
0:001:15Tips for looking after hedgehogs - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipThe best thing to do is to leave it alone and phone your local rescue centre. They will give you aMoreThe best thing to do is to leave it alone and phone your local rescue centre. They will give you a time limit to look out to see if mum returns.
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 can hedgehogs not eat?
What can hedgehogs not eat:Milk.Avocado.Bread.Raw meat.Citrus fruit.Raisins.Onion.Grapes.More items...
Do hedgehogs eat apples UK?
Hedgehogs also like to have some fruit, but should be given as treats. They can eat apples and pears, soft fruits like blueberries and strawberries, bananas, stoned fruits like mangoes, peaches and cherries, and melons.
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 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.
What to do if you find a hedgehog out in the day?
If they are out during the day there MAY be a problem. If it seems to have a purpose and is going somewhere, or has a mouthful of leaves, it is probably fine. Otherwise a hedgehog found out during daylight should be restrained in a box or cage, INDOORS, then call a rescue for advice.
How do you feed a hedgehog without feeding rats?
Beetles, caterpillars, slugs and snails are all loved by hedgehogs and ignored by rats. So instead of putting out extra food, you could work on encouraging natural hedgehog food in your garden.
Is it good to have hedgehogs in your garden?
Few people know that hedgehogs are actually valuable pest controllers in gardens. They eat snails, slugs, and insects, protecting your lovely plants from disease and pest infections. It's official: hedgehogs are a gardener's best friend.
What is the best food for hedgehogs?
Along with plenty of fresh drinking water offered in a shallow sided dish. Cooked meaty dog and cat food are also good alternatives. Ark wildlife stocks a great range of hedgehog food that means you don’t have to go making your own!
What do hedgehogs eat?
From my own observations I believe hedgehogs enjoy all the invertebrates that spilt food attracts: worms, slugs, bugs and beetles, every bit as much if not more than the seeds themselves.
What causes a hedgehog to weaken?
It is a weakening of the bones (amongst other symptoms) caused by a lack of calcium. The hedgehogs’ diet is poor in calcium and much of its natural food prey have a poor calcium : phosphorous ratio (the same is true of bats, another nocturnal insectivore). Therefore, when providing supplementary feeds, it’s important to ensure we add calcium to their diet and do not strip it even more. The two things hedgehogs need are room to roam and good quality food that has an appropriate calcium balance to avoid this condition.
Why is dried fruit not good for hedgehogs?
The issue with dried fruit is the much higher sugar content and stickiness compared to fresh. As there is no nutritional reason for feeding dried fruit, the small risk of tooth decay excludes their use. Dried fruit will not attract hedgehogs to your garden and better foods are available.
What do hedgehogs need to survive?
A small bowl of supplementary food will be greedily appreciated. Shelter: Hedgehogs need sleeping, breeding and hibernating quarters and these are usually different for each requirement. Plenty of space, quiet corners and dry cover will help them flourish.
Can hedgehogs eat mealworms?
However, they have a poor calcium : phosphorus ratio meaning they should only be fed as part of a balanced diet. The problem is hedgehogs seem to become addicted to mealworms, eating them to the exclusion of other foods. In the long term, this can result in illness and disease and it is therefore probably better not to feed them at all.
Do hedgehogs have calcium?
The hedgehogs’ diet is poor in calcium and much of its natural food prey have a poor calcium : phosphorous ratio (the same is true of bats, another nocturnal insectivore). Therefore, when providing supplementary feeds, it’s important to ensure we add calcium to their diet and do not strip it even more.
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.
Providing Food for Hedgehogs
Cat food is not natural for them, of course. But it provides cats with balanced nutrition and does the same for hedgehogs. Plus, it is the most accessible way for you to help.
Can Hedgehogs Eat Fish Cat Food?
There is a belief that fish-based cat food is bad for hedgehogs. People say it can cause an upset stomach, and make them ill.
When To Feed Hedgehogs
They should never be fed if they don’t seem to need help. Think about the current weather, how well the hedgehogs look and their seasonal behaviour.
Other Foods
You can’t replicate a hedgehog’s natural diet, but you can still give them enough nutrition for a balanced diet. Providing them with food which they can eat to boost their natural diet feeding is important for encouraging their numbers in the future.
What Else You Can Do
The most important thing you can do for a hedgehog is to make them a home. Leave areas of your garden wild, with logs, leaves and dark spaces. This will attract the insects they can eat, as well as giving them shelter.
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.
What do hedgehogs eat?
The hedgehog is an omnivore and feeds on a variety of insects and small animals, as well as plants, berries, and vegetables. Some of the foods they like to eat in the wild are as follows.
Is dry cat food good for cats?
Dry cat food is an excellent second choice, and many people recommend using cat food as their main food source due to its availability and high-quality ingredients. The thing to remember when buying cat food is to use a brand that has about 35% protein and 15% fat. You also want to make sure the first ingredient is chicken and not a meat byproduct or a carbohydrate.
Can hedgehogs be pets?
Hedgehogs are not commonly kept as pets, and many new parents may not have a clear idea of what types of foods are best to feed them and what foods you should avoid. We’ve researched this topic well and own several hedgehogs ourselves. We will list as many foods that they can eat as we can, as well as tell you a little about them and how to find them.
Can you feed hedgehogs live insects?
Before feeding many insects to your hedgehog, we strongly recommend gut loading the insects. Gut loading is a process where you feed your insect’s nutritional meals for a few days to pack it with nutrients, which allows the insects to transfer the nutrition to your pet. Gut loading is another good reason to feed your hedgehog live insects when possible.
Do hedgehogs need water?
All life needs plenty of clean water to stay healthy, and the hedgehog is no different. We recommend you always keep a constant flow of clean water within the hedgehogs reach so they can stay hydrated at will, reducing urinary tract infections and other problems associated with dehydration.
