Hedgehogs will drink water from natural sources such as puddles, but leaving out a shallow dish of fresh, plain water is the best way to ensure they stay hydrated all year round. What is Hedgehog Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD)?

Okay. This has to be the most common thing I hear, usually in a frustrated despairing tone..! Let me ask you something. Would you feed your child nothing, and I mean nothing, but chocolate? No. What about if they had a tantrum and refused other food? Im guessing still no. Thats because you have some common sense and know that regardless of the fact they love it, a diet of chocolate is not good for them.

WildThings Hedgehog Food

Much like we have to eat everything in moderation and only indulge in unhealthy foods as treats, hedgehogs should do the same. Hedgehogs need good-quality food with the appropriate calcium balance to avoid this condition. For more information, take a look at: A Guide to Hedgehog Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD) A little more about Hedgehogs in the garden. What can I do to help hedgehogs in my garden? My top 4: HEDGEHOG FRIENDS - Fed regularly, it will encourage hedgehogs to visit your garden all year round. No wonder it’s the most popular hedgehog food in the UK!

So I suggest that if anyone wants to continue this conversation that they start it again under one of the other headings and preferably use the most recent advice on feeding. No-one will go far wrong following the advice from http://www.valewildlife.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Feeding-wild-hedgehogs.pdf They may seem timid and slow, but Hedgehogs actually have a pretty greedy eating style as a result of their high energy lifestyle when living in the wild. Did you know they can cover up to 12 miles a night? That’s a lot of foraging! Room to roam: Hedgehogs are natural foragers and need access to large areas to find food, accommodation and a mate.

What not to feed hedgehogs

FEEDING GUIDE - Place in a shallow dish and put out before dusk in a quiet area of the garden, along with a shallow dish of water. A mature hedgehog can eat about 20g each night. On top of their natural diet, hedgehogs also get some of their food from friendly humans that leave food out for them in their yard. They make use of this to fill up whenever they struggle to find enough of their own food in the wild. They don’t tend to rely on humans for food, though, like lots of people tend to believe. It seems the answer to the original post is hedgehog or pet food ONLY, despite some of the advice elsewhere. Here is a post on FB last week from a vet:

Food contains calcium and phosphorus. The body of any mammal, (and others) needs blood levels of calcium and phosphorous to be correct to prevent illness. If too much phosphorous is eaten, calcium is taken from the body’s calcium stores (bones) to maintain the correct blood ratio of calcium and phosphorous. This causes bones to become poor density, soft, bendy and at worst deformed, and results in a hedgehog being barely able to walk due to pain, and at high risk of fractures. Any nuts or seeds are a danger for Hedgehogs, please DO NOT feed these. Wet meaty kitten/puppy food is great to help the smaller ones put weight on and kitten biscuits are also smaller and easier for Hedgehogs to eat 🙂 Oranges – oranges are another no-go fruit. In fact, all citrus fruits including lemons and limes are too acidic for hogs. Over time, they can do damage to his digestive tract and put your hog at risk Hedgehogs hibernate during the cold months in colder climates, so they rely on fat reserves during the hot seasons. So, they gain weight very easily, this is something to take into consideration when it comes to feeding them. I ‘wonder if it is time to revisit this advice and consider (a) including hedgehog food in the list – there are numerous types available these days – and (b) excluding peanuts, sunflower hearts and dried mealworms or at the very least say that they should only be offered in small amounts.’

Returns

We have lots of blogs on hedgehogs if you want more tips and ideas. Finally the don’ts. What should hedgehogs not eat? No (but please read the full answer). Mealworms contain excellent proteins and amino acids that are beneficial in an insectivore’s diet. 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. Can I feed hedgehogs dry fruit (such as banana chips and raisins)? Place in a shallow dish and put out before dusk in a quiet area of the garden, along with a shallow dish of water.

Food for hedgehogs can be left on the floor or in a shallow dish. Relying on their spines for protection hedgehogs are not shy so the dish can be out in the open where you can see and once they have found it they will soon ensure that your diner is part of the evening routine. Store in cool, dry conditions away from direct sunlight. Once open, store in an airtight container.Hedgehogs are often suspicious of new foods, but if you leave a small handful of Wild Things hedgehog food out each evening, they will soon relish in their new meal. Vitamin A 19,000 IU, Vitamin D3 1,900 IU, Vitamin E 110mg, Iron (Ferrous Sulphate Monohydrate): 40mg, Copper (Cupric Sulphate Pentahydrate): 7mg, Manganese (Manganous Sulphate Monohydrate): 30mg, Zinc (Zinc Sulphate Monohydrate): 100mg, Iodine (Calcium Iodate Anhydrous): 1mg, Selenium (Sodium Selenite): 0.25 mg.