Supplementary food for hedgehogs
Put out food for hedgehogs in the garden and they will eat it
The hedgehog’s natural diet mainly consists of slugs, ground beetles, caterpillars and worms. During cold or dry periods, these creepy-crawlies become much scarcer in gardens, so hedgehogs will benefit hugely from a shallow dish of water and supplementary feeding.
Hedgehogs will relish any combination of the following:
- Meat-based dog or cat food
- Unsalted chopped or crushed peanuts
- Sunflower hearts
- Dried meal worms
Place in a shallow dish and put in a sheltered area of your garden around sunset.
Can you feed hedgehogs bread and milk?
Hedgehogs are lactose intolerant so please do not give them milk. Bread is low in energy so fairly worthless to them.
How can I stop the cats and foxes eating it all?
To avoid the food you put out being eaten by pets or foxes you could make a feeding station that is difficult for anything larger than a hedgehog to access.
You could use a piece of piping, or build a shelter out of bricks and paving stones or get some inspriation from a nifty solution by Hedgehog Champion Sophie Lawrenson below.