Beetles, mostly. Never milk.
What wild hedgehogs eat, and what you should (and shouldn’t) put out for them.
The natural menu
Wild hedgehogs mostly eat invertebrates: beetles, caterpillars, earthworms, earwigs, millipedes and slugs. Hedgehog Street Slugs are on the list, but so are plenty of insects, so a garden full of insects is a garden full of dinner.
Hedgehogs have been seen eating cat food left out for pets. source
If you want to feed them
Do
- BHPS advice: offer good-quality meaty hedgehog food, meaty cat or dog food, or dry cat biscuits — and water. BHPS
- Put food at least a couple of metres from the house and wash dishes daily. Hedgehog Street
- A simple feeding station: an upturned storage box with a 13 cm × 13 cm hole, a brick on top, and another brick about 13 cm in front of the entrance so cats can't scoop the food out. BHPS
Don’t
- Never give milk. Hedgehogs are lactose intolerant and milk can make them very ill. Hedgehog Street
- Bread and milk is a folk remedy, not a menu: milk makes hedgehogs ill (they are lactose intolerant), and bread is low in energy and fairly worthless to them. Hedgehog Street
- The Scottish SPCA advises against mealworms, sunflower seeds and peanuts, which can cause bone deficiencies and dental problems. Scottish SPCA
Little and often
Supplementary food helps hedgehogs, but it doesn’t replace a garden full of insects. Feed a little, keep it clean, and let them do the rest.
Want a feeding station or a bag of proper food? See our kit page (affiliate links, clearly marked).