Whats in your dish?
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Hi Everyone,
I’ve just had a quick rummage through the forum and couldn’t find anything specific about food in dishes apart from do not use mealworms , so I’ve stopped that even though hogs do love them.
I put Mr Johnsons wild hedgehog food out but I add Wilko Kibbled peanuts and suet pellets to mine.
How does this vary with everyone else?Most of the time my insurgent terrorist hogs get Spike’s Dinner Dry Crunchy food. If I know there are hoglets on the patch then they’ll get Spikes Dinner Semi-Moist since it’s easier for smaller mouths. On occasions when I can’t get Spikes they will get some wild Things Hedgehog Food but they’re not so keen on that especially the dried banana which they won’t touch.
I’m hoping to train them to attack pigeons though.
I use ARK wild hedgehog food which my hogs really like.
You are right. Do not feed meal worms and I think I read on here not to feed suet pellets which are mainly fat and hedgehogs natural diet is protein.
Also good quality cat / dog food -meat flavours. I have found wet food attracts foxes, cats etc more than the kibble.
Hope that helps a bit.I use Ark wildlife Hedgehog food. I remember reading that peanuts can become trapped in a Hedgehog teeth and stop them being able to eat, so it’s not a good idea to add them to their food. And as simbo says, suet is just fat and not so good for them either.
Hope this helps.
“ Peanuts and Sunflower hearts
As with Mealworms, too high in phosphorus and too low in calcium. Peanuts can also get stuck across the roof of a hedgehog’s mouth preventing it eating“I can’t post a link but found this info from a Hedgehog rescue.
Hi-
I think we are always learning with the hedgehogs. Always doing something to surprise me.
Also really important to have fresh water out at all times.
I watched the programme about hedgehogs on Channel 5 and although I thought it could have been a lot more informative, I did register that she said a HH can’t physically eat if it is dehydrated. So lots of water in shallow dishes with a few pebbles in to stop them being tipped up. Really important.Hi
I’ve tried a few different foods and I seem to have found one that the hogs around here like.
I put out Tesco chicken small dog dry dog food (needs to be for small dogs so that it’s small enough for the hogs to eat).
Occasionally, I will put out some cooked chicken, cooked potatoes/rice or cooked vegetables. I only put small amounts of these out, not every night, and always with the dry dog food option. Sometimes, I’ll add some tinned dog food too.But I always make sure that there is plenty of fresh water in the feeding station & elsewhere in the garden.
I have 2 large plant saucers that I seem to be constantly filling with water. My original plan was that the hogs could have a drink or a paddle in them but it seems that the birds like to have baths in them too (hence the never-ending refilling).Hi, regarding food, I did start with mealworm and quickly stopped when I read you shouldn’t feed them. I have noticed if you find something they like (as with mealworm) then stop giving it they go on hunger strike. It’s only for a few days till they give in and eat. They love Spike semi moist, it’s like mince meat. I also get Chambers biscuits but they don’t eat much except it I put cat food on top. Chicken, turkey and duck. NO FISH. They love cat biscuits and adore Dream chicken biscuits for cats. Those are given as a treat when I come across one. As said, plenty of rain water. A dish in the feeding station, heavy dog bowl in a grid with a brick so they don’t fall down the drain, plus 2 floor standing bird baths. All need topping up every night. Hope this helps. Good luck to you all.
Hi
I feed my hogs dry catfood, (1 year plus) as advised by my local hedgehog rescue centre. I noticed the kitten food contained milk powder. They love it, and it is much cheaper that ‘specialist’ food, which pretty much is the same stuff. No nuts, not fruit and no mealworms. I always have rain water out for them. I have at least three different hogs visit many times a night (I have a camera in my feeding station).Hello, bit late answering here, but we put those dog food in jelly or gravy. One tin a night on busy months (where around 3 hogs visit), half a tin when we notice only one comes. We plan to swap to dry cat food (non fish based) as for some days hogs stopped visiting so food is being wasted (as wet food spoils easily once out).
And if you can, add your camera near the station so like us, you can enjoy them coming and going and sniffing around, always makes me smile 🙂You might all be interested in one of last year’s ‘feeding’ discussions.
https://www.hedgehogstreet.org/forums/topic/what-to-feed-hedgehogs-2018/
In particular, as well as mealworms, sunflower hearts and nuts do not have a particularly good ratio of phosphorous to calcium so not too good either.
If you are feeding a good quality hedgehog food, it should be nutritionally balanced already, so that there is no need to add anything else i.e. cooked or uncooked vegetables or pototoes/rice, suet pellets. These wouldn’t form any part of a hedgehogs natural diet. Just bear in mind that the food we put out for the hogs is meant to be supplementary, so already a treat for them. There is no need to add any extra ‘treats’. But we need the food we put out for the hogs to be good. They are likely to eat what they’re given, whether it’s good for them or not, so we don’t want them filling up on something that isn’t good for them at the expense of something which is.
I know we all want to do our best for the hogs, but sometimes best can be easiest i.e. hedgehog food or cat/dog food. No extras required.
And water, of course, all day, every day. A nursing mother or a dehydrated hog may come out in the day time and be desperate for a drink.
At the same time as considering food. Please everyone consider improving your garden for the hogs (there is always more we could do) as well as linking gardens. So much better for the hogs if there is enough habitat that they can find their own food.
https://www.hedgehogstreet.org/help-hedgehogs/link-your-garden/
https://www.hedgehogstreet.org/help-hedgehogs/helpful-garden-features/Hi, can anyone advise me. Me and the black and white cat down the road: it’s a case of who can outwit the other. This cat seems to have some uncanny ability to know when food is down for the two hedgehogs who come to our garden so when I saw a product in our local garden centre called “I Love Hedgehogs” by Jacobi Jayne with no chicken base (beloved by cats) I thought this might do the trick and bought it. Despite being updated (Autumn 2017) removing mealworms etc, still had critical comments on Amazon. Can anyone “in the know” advise me?
Hi Halfpenny
I offer ‘I Love Hedgehogs’ food to the hedgehogs here, myself. I like to be satisfied, as far as I can, that what I am feeding the hogs is o.k. and to that end, I question the manufacturers from time to time, to try to make sure that what I am feeding is appropriate. As I understand it, they have gone to some lengths to make sure that the food is in line with the latest scientific knowledge of what is appropriate for hedgehogs (is properly balanced, etc) and are continuing to monitor it, taking into account any new knowledge that arises. As you know they changed mealworms for calci-worms and removed sultanas from the original recipe, when it became known that they weren’t good for hedgehogs. (There were several other similar foods at the time which included both mealworms and sultanas – most of which have hopefully since changed their recipes.)
I am satisfied that Jacobi Jayne are responsible hedgehog food manufacturers who are willing to listen to the latest scientific knowledge and take the appropriate steps. I should add that I am just an ordinary customer and have nothing to do with the company other than that. But I do think that all hog food manufacturers should be checked on by their customers (i.e. us) to make sure that they are doing their very best for the hogs. They all need to know that we all care very much about the hogs and what we feed them.
The hogs here seem to be fine with ‘I love hedgehogs’ food and eat it quite happily. Most cats aren’t at all interested, but there is always one who will eat anything! So, I still tend to feed either in a feeding box or under a Perspex type sheet resting on 4, 3 litre, earth filled, flower pots with bricks on top, which seems to mostly deter cats who might otherwise be interested. I use the perspex type arrangement because there are some hogs who prefer to eat outside – and they seem to consider that this arrangement is still outside! It does of course also have the advantage of keeping the rain off, but the hogs are still visible. Also handy that it can be easily moved during the day time. But my main priority is always the hogs – what is right for them rules!
I don’t know what the criticisms on Amazon are – don’t use Amazon myself – but when changing to a different type of food it sometimes takes a bit of time for the hogs to get used to it. In particular if they are offered the choice of the different types of food they will sometimes choose the type nearest to what they have been used to. If the hogs don’t immediately take to the change, you could mix a little bit of the old food in and gradually reduce it. Alternatively, if the new food is left, without a choice, they will usually eat it if they’re hungry.
Bear in mind that what we feed is supposed to be supplementary. No artificial hedgehog food is totally ideal (or cat food, etc.). Ideally we all need to improve and increase the habitat for hedgehogs by linking gardens and making our gardens more wildlife friendly. So much better for hedgehogs if they are able to find their own natural food. Sadly, the time that all of them can find all the food they require in the wild is still a way off, but hopefully they will be able to get, at least, some of their food in the wild. We can but try. In the meantime we can only do the best we can by way of supplementary feeding.
I expect you are already leaving water out, but it’s very important for water to be available all day every day. I have several sources, some of which are near to the feeding area, which is especially important if feeding dry or moist food.
Good luck. Hope you manage to ensure the hogs get more food than the cat!
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