What can you feed a hedgehog?
Feeding hedgehogs Leave out foods like tinned dog or cat food (not fish-based) and crushed dog or cat biscuits. Specialist hedgehog food is also recommended and can be bought from wildlife food suppliers. Never feed hedgehogs milk as it can cause diarrhoea; instead provide plain, fresh water in a shallow bowl.
What’s the best thing to feed hedgehogs?
Hedgehogs will readily eat meat-based cat food….The best foods to provide are:
- Meat-based cat or dog food.
- Specially-made hedgehog food.
- Cat biscuits.
Can you keep a hedgehog as a pet?
Hedgehogs live alone in the wild and are typically solitary animals. Hedgehogs can be a fun and low-maintenance pet for your household, but they do need some special care. They have sharp quills that can make handling difficult. Consistent and proper daily handling will help them relax and feel comfortable with you.
Do hedgehogs hurt when you touch them?
Since the quills are more spread, they become more sharp to the touch. The quills should not break through your skin, but it will be a bit more painful to touch. If your hedgehog goes from relaxed to threatened in your hands, it may cause a bit of pain from suddenly raising his quills.
Are dried mealworms OK for hedgehogs?
We DO NOT recommend feeding dried meal worms to hedgehogs, they contain almost no nutritional value and can harm their health. The x-ray of the entire hedgehog shows the effects of feeding large quantities of mealworms, she had severe metabolic bone disease.
Why are dried mealworms bad for hedgehogs?
But mealworms can actually cause a painful bone disease in hedgehogs and, in worst case scenarios, result in them losing their ability to walk. The high phosphate levels in theses worms are sapping hedgehogs of calcium and reducing the strength of their bones.
Will 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.
Are peanuts OK for hedgehogs?
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. Hedgehogs can often be seen foraging under bird feeders, and it’s believed that it’s the food that attracts them.
Do squirrels eat hedgehog food?
Food Squirrels Shouldn’t Eat. They are high in phosphates, making it hard for squirrels to metabolise calcium and cause bone disorders. Hedgehogs have a similar reaction. Dairy – squirrels will happily chomp on a chunk of cheese given a chance. But it’s not good for them.
Will a hedgehog house attract rats?
Making your garden hedgehog-friendly by providing hedgehogs with food certainly could attract rats. But putting out food for hedgehogs won’t automatically attract rats. It very much depends on what other food sources there are in your area. You could feed hedgehogs for years and never see a rat.
Do hedgehogs steal food?
Hedgehogs are very much the gardener’s friend, eating those invertebrates such slugs, beetles, earwigs and caterpillars which the gardener loves to hate. It is a good idea to place the food in a feeding station to stop cats and dogs from stealing the food and to keep the hedgehog safe from predators whilst eating.