The UK's bestHedgehog Food2022 Review

Seeing as hedgehogs are wild animals, it might seem excessive to provide them with additional food.

Unfortunately, it seems that hedgehogs are struggling to get enough sustenance from their surroundings alone; the population of hedgehogs in the UK is declining at an alarming rate.

Hedgehogs need sufficient fat reserves to get them through their winter hibernation, otherwise they have to continue looking for food when the temperatures drop. This can unfortunately lead them to perish in the search. Additionally, they also need plenty of food in order to have the energy to successfully raise their young.

Putting food out for hedgehogs year-round gives them a much higher chance of survival.

This food isn’t intended to be the hedgehog’s only food source; it acts to supplement the diet they get from scavenging.

But why do we want hedgehogs in the first place?

Of course, firstly the fact that they’re cute (which goes without saying) is as good a reason as any to want to help the species thrive. But they’re also useful creatures to have around the garden as well.

Their numbers have declined dramatically in the last 10 years. So much so, that the UK has actually lost a third of its population of hedgehogs in that time. These animals are a traditional British staple – just think of lovely Mrs Tiggy-Winkle – and we don’t want them to die out forever!

Then, there’s the fact that hedgehogs offer a genuine service to gardeners, improving the health of the plants in the garden by eating snails and slugs. They’re immensely beneficial in the garden!

The biggest obstacle when buying hedgehog food is knowing what ingredients should be included, and which should be avoided.

A hedgehog’s diet should ideally have a 2:1, or 1:1, ratio of calcium to phosphorus. When hedgehogs consume too much phosphorus it can cause them to have a calcium deficiency. This can ultimately damage their bones and cause severe health problems.

Remember, the food you are putting out is a supplement to the food that the hedgehog is already finding in the wild. Therefore, you should be mindful not to include high-phosphorus foods, as they are likely getting some of these from their natural diet anyway (primarily from insects).

Some hedgehogs can take a while to get used to a new food, much like cats. If you have been feeding your hedgehogs a less healthy option, such as mealworms, then they may throw a tantrum when you change to a more nutritionally-beneficial hedgehog food.

Be patient – they will eat when they get hungry and the proper hedgehog food will be much better for them in the long run.

These Foods are Hedgehog Friendly

In general, you want to be feeding hedgehogs with food that is small enough for their small mouths to cope with – this rules out dry dog food and nuts. You can feed chopped up nuts to hedgehogs very occasionally, but you should be mindful that they have a high fat content and poor calcium to phosphorus ratio.

Foods which are suitable for hedgehogs include:

• Cat biscuits – these are often small enough for hedgehogs to manage. You can even use kitten kibble if you feel the cat biscuits are still too big.
• Wet cat or dog food – this tends to be very popular with hedgehogs and is easy for them to eat. You can break it up with a fork first so that it’s even more manageable.
• Rice – soft, cooked rice is suitable for hedgehogs and goes well mixed with other foods.
• Small pieces of cooked chicken or turkey – these poultry ingredients are often included in hedgehog food mixes and provide plenty of beneficial protein for hedgehogs.
• Specifically designed hedgehog food as long as it has a suitable calcium to phosphorus ratio and doesn’t contain any of the ingredients listed in the next section. Never trust that hedgehog food is safe for hedgehogs just because it’s marketed towards them; many foods aimed at hedgehogs still contain ingredients that are (at best) not nutritionally beneficial or (at worst) harmful to their health.

These Foods Should Not be Fed to Hedgehogs

Of course, there are a lot of human foods that shouldn’t be fed to hedgehogs, most of which can be deduced by common sense.

However, there are also a lot of items that are commonly thought to be hedgehog safe, that should actually be avoided:

• Milk – contrary to popular belief, hedgehogs should not be given milk as they are actually lactose intolerant. Feeding lactose to hedgehogs can cause them to have diarrhoea. When this happens, they often become dehydrated and die.
• Bread – bread also upsets the stomach of hedgehogs and adds no nutritional value to their diet.
• Mealworms – these provide very little nutritional value and can really harm hedgehogs’ health. Mealworms have high levels of phosphate which causes hedgehogs to lose calcium. As a result, they often end up calcium deficient and develop bone disease. It’s best to just avoid them altogether.
• Sugary fruit and high-sugar foods – sugary fruit should be fed to hedgehogs only as a special treat, if at all. You must always avoid particularly sticky fruits, like raisins, as these will get stuck to the hedgehog’s teeth. The problem with sugary fruit is that it can cause tooth decay in hedgehogs. Fruit adds very little nutritional benefit to a hedgehog’s diet, and for this reason is best avoided altogether.
• Sunflower hearts – these are high in phosphorous (the negatives of which have been detailed above). They’re also very fatty. For these reasons they’re best avoided, as there are other, more nutritionally rich, foods which can help hedgehogs gain weight for the winter.
• Large kibble – this includes dog biscuits and larger cat biscuits. Anything which is too big will be too difficult for a hedgehog to eat. It may even cause them to choke, so it should be avoided. Large dog or cat biscuits can be soaked, if that’s all you have available, making them softer and easier to eat.

Wet or Dry Food?

Dry food is usually more convenient. Wet food can freeze in winter, and may attract flies in summer.

In general, dry food is also good for cleaning hedgehogs’ teeth so you should make sure to include at least some small, dry food in your hedgehogs’ diet.

However, if your hedgehogs love wet food, and you are prepared to clean up after them (they’re known for being very messy eaters!), there’s no harm in using some wet food as well.

You can leave some food out all year round, including during winter hibernation periods, to make sure that if hedgehogs do need to feed, they have options available. Place the food outside around sunset, as this is when the hedgehogs start to come out.

In early spring, putting out hedgehog food will help them as they come out of hibernation. As you can imagine, hedgehogs can be pretty hungry after all that time, and having food readily available can help them as they prepare to breed.

In summer it can get extremely hot, and this can deplete the availability of food in the wild. Hedgehogs can easily become dehydrated and lack food in this time, so it’s good to put out both water and food for them. If you choose not to put out food during summer, at least make sure there is water available.

Towards the end of summer and into autumn hedgehogs start increasing their fat reserves. This is how they prepare for the winter and their hibernation. Again, this is a valuable time to put hedgehog food out.

In winter hedgehogs should be hibernating, and hopefully you will not see much of them in your garden. However, sometimes hedgehogs do wake from their hibernation and go looking for food. This is why it’s a good idea to continue putting some food out in the winter; hedgehogs will know where to come to find food, especially if you’ve been feeding them in your garden all year long. Ideally, in winter, hedgehogs will find food quickly, and then return to hibernate.

If you notice hedgehogs returning to feed regularly through the winter, this could be a cause for concern. You should keep an eye on these hedgehogs – they may be sick and/or require extra care.

You can call the British Hedgehog Preservation Society if you need any help or advice about a sick hedgehog in your garden.

You should put out hedgehog food in a low-sided bowl or a dish; you want to ensure that hedgehogs can reach the food easily. Any dog bowls with sloping sides may be too high, and too challenging, to allow hedgehogs access to the food.

A mid-weight or heavy bowl/dish will be ideal – anything that’s too light could be easily flipped over, either by hedgehogs or other wildlife visiting your garden. Hedgehogs are more than capable of nudging bowls around, and they may find the vessel too challenging to eat from if it is too light and constantly moving.

Hedgehogs are extremely sensitive to smells, so if you buy a new bowl make sure to rinse it thoroughly with water – any synthetic smells will likely put them off. However, these smells should fade after the bowl has been outside a while.

Choose a sheltered area of the garden to place the food in; a place which isn’t too exposed. Hedgehogs will feel much more comfortable if there are shrubs or bushes within scurry-distance.

If you have a hedgehog house, you could place the food in the same area of the garden. This might encourage hedgehogs to explore the house, and also means food will be nearby should any hedgehogs choose to hibernate in there in winter.