Hedgehogs don't have a single "favorite" fruit, but many enjoy small amounts of berries (strawberries, blueberries), apple, banana, melon, or papaya as occasional treats, though they can't digest plant matter well, so protein (insects) is key; avoid grapes/raisins, and offer fruits sparingly due to sugar, with owners reporting their hedgies liking watermelon or berries.
Insects and other invertebrates are the hedgehog's main natural food source. A typical diet includes: beetles.
Hedgehogs can eat a variety of foods, including insects (like mealworms and crickets), fruits (such as apples and berries), vegetables (like cooked carrots and peas), and lean meats (like chicken).
What not to feed hedgehogs. Hedgehogs need a balanced diet with a calcium to phosphorus ratio between 1:1 and 2:1. Foods outside this range can lead to serious health problems like Metabolic Bone Disease. Avoid giving mealworms, sunflower hearts, peanuts, crickets, and beetles.
Don't use any garden chemicals. Blue slug pellets and weedkillers also kill hedgehogs, insecticides destroy their food supply. Rat poison will also kill them. Even lawn dressings have been reported to burn their feet. The photo is poo from a hedgehog which had eaten slug pellets, it died soon after passing this.
Provide some fruits, such as apples, plums or pears, and nuts, such as unsalted peanuts or brazils. Leave out root vegetables like carrots, along with some cooked potato. If food isn't eaten overnight, remove anything that will go off and replace it with fresh offerings in the evening.
The British Hedgehog Society recommends that in captivity adults should be fed a meat- based tinned dog or cat food mixed with unsweetened cereal (Weetabix, oats or bran). Complete dry cat biscuits are good for the teeth.
Leaving food and fresh water out in the garden each night will encourage visiting hedgehogs to return regularly. Try tinned meaty cat or dog food and crushed cat or dog biscuits. Place the food and water in shallow bowls so they can access them easily. Refresh daily, disposing of food if it's not been eaten.
What treats do hedgehogs like?
Despite their preference for limited physical affection, once your pet hedgehog has adapted to being handled and settled into its environment, you can gently stroke their quills and allow them to climb up your arms and explore various areas under supervision.
Hedgehogs will not usually eat and sleep in the same place so it's best not to offer food inside the home (except perhaps to tempt them in initially). Once there is a resident, move food away from the box so as not to attract predators or rival hedgehogs to the site.
Making Friends With a Hedgehog
How to Keep a Hedgehog Happy
Make sure that these foods contain almost exclusively meat and, above all, no flour. Hedgehogs also eat minced meat, boiled eggs or scrambled eggs. In any case, avoid seasoning these foods. You can also feed oatmeal and bran.
Hedgehogs can be wonderful pets, and when they bond with you, the connection can feel truly wonderful. Unlike many small animals, hedgehogs can form meaningful bonds with their owners—but it's important to understand that this process takes time and patience. Hedgehogs are not domesticated animals.
What not to feed hedgehogs The following foods should be avoided when feeding hedgehogs:-
Our observations show that nesting Mums often leave their young ones to rest elsewhere. That rest is often through the first and last part of the night but can also be in the day time. Routinely we expect to see hedgehogs come out in the evening around 9.30pm and go back to bed by 5am.
The intelligence of a hedgehog is to that of a hamster, they may learn certain behaviors through positive reinforcement or conditioning but only at a very basic level. Hedgehogs are known to be very communicative when it comes to their needs, and often make a low purring sound when they are happy or content.
Hedgehogs love mealworms, but they're addictive and nutritionally unbalanced. Their high phosphorous and low calcium ratio leads to bone weakening (metabolic bone disease) if fed regularly. Many hedgehogs will gorge on mealworms and ignore healthier foods, causing rapid health decline.
Avoid lettuce and celery, which are low in nutritional value. Do not feed avocados, as they are toxic to your hedgehog. Do not feed raw meats or raw eggs to your hedgehog. Hedgehogs are not able to digest milk.
Ticks should be removed carefully with a tick remover - if in doubt seek help from a vet or hedgehog rehabilitator. Do not just pull them as you might leave the head and mouth parts embedded in the hedgehog's flesh which may then turn septic.
Badgers. A badger and a hedgehog feeding together on a lawn. Badgers are hedgehogs' main predators in the UK. They are the only animals strong enough to tackle a hedgehog's spiny defences.
Many foods are suitable. These include good quality meaty cat or dog food, cat complete biscuits, and the wide range of commercial hedgehog foods you can find in garden centres, pet shops and online. Your food should be a modest supplement to a hedgehog's natural diet.
Avoid feeding your hedgehog any of the following: