Feeding Hedgehogs:
When people have Hedgehogs in their garden,or are trying to attract them,they often put out food that is unsuitable. An `old favourite` is bread and milk,which has little nourishment for a hedgehog.Indeed, cow`s milk gives them an upset stomach,so a more suitable food is dried or tinned cat and dog food,but make sure that you do not feed fish-based varieties, as these can make them ill.
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Here at Pricklys Patch we often have orphaned Hedgehogs to feed,and we give these Esbilac,which is a milk substitute often used to feed young puppies and kittens.Goat`s milk can also be given,but Esbilac is nutritionally closer to natural Hedgehog milk, and we find that Esbilac helps the young Hedgehogs gain weight faster.When the young hogs are cutting their teeth,at about 3 weeks,we encourage them to lap milk,as opposed to being bottle-fed, and at around 4 weeks they move on to solid food.
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When they are able to eat solid food,and become more independant,we start to think about re-homing them |  |
In their natural environment,Hedgehogs will eat anything from slugs and snails,to worms,insects,beetles,and even bird`s eggs.