Is this hedgehog poo?

[FloofyBird]

Have attached a pic but not sure how long it will take to show. Thanks!

Yup!

Yes it is!

Oooo exciting . Best get my wildlife camera back out.

Is there anything I can pop out for them? We have cats around so I've never put cat food out. I'm not sure what they might eat but not the cats. I do have some dead insect bird food though actually...

Kitten biscuits.

Make sure you have water out in a shallow bowl in this very hot water. If you have cat biscuits put some water with them to make them soft. They do like meal worms but are like sweets for them so not many. Only as a treat.

The dead insect bird food is probably meal worms which is bad for their bones.

The ones in my garden turned their nose up at wet cat food. They love Brambles crunchy hedgehog food which my local Tesco sell small boxes of; think can get it in larger bags online.

Meaty cat food, not fishy cat food.

If you have more than one you will get to know them as they can look very different some are very round some are long. The males can get aggressive with each other in the spring sometimes they role each other around the garden. When it gets to Autumn they need more food to put on weight for hibernation. They tend to get on well then I have had 4 eating out of the same bowl

I was told by a hedgehog sanctuary to use Purina kitten food (or another one that I have forgotten).

I had been using Brambles but they told me NOT to use that; & not to use any Whiskas products. Said these would not give the necessary nutrients - that even those foods that are marketed for hogs are very high in grains.

They were very fierce about it.

i would recommend calling a hedgehog sanctuary to check.

oh and definitely no meal worms or milk!!

Glad I found this thread, this is what my dog keeps rolling in, least I know now!

And also, if you’re going to feed regularly, would strongly advise a feeding station (2 entrances, internal corners so cats can’t get in, and no base). Otherwise cats will be attracted by the food & eat it instead of hog.

They like worms and beetles so make sure you garden organically and there will be lots of food naturally available for them too.

The slugs have been getting to the kitten food before the hogs get there. And my hogs won’t go near the slugs 😳 at this point I don’t know when they’ve last eaten.

The thing is, if you've already got a hedgehog then it obviously likes what is already there to eat...so although you could supplement its diet you might do just as well to keep gardening the way you are...and just put some water out.

Thanks everyone

Strangely, many hedgehog branded food products aren't good for them and contain more wheat and fillers than actual meat. Kitten food is generally recommended, because the kibble size is small- but in reality, any small kibble is ok. I feed mine dog kibble- because I have a dog. Just check the ingredients on the pack. If the 1st few ingredients are meat, its far better than ones which include wheat/corn/fillers as major ingredients. I add a little water to make them a bit softer.

To prevent cats getting in, you need either a proper hedgehog house, or make one from a crate. You need to add a brick or pipe work to the door so only hedgehogs can get in and not cats.

They love to eat meal worms, but as someone else said, they are low in calcium and not good for them. You can get calci worms- the dried larvae of flies which are higher in calcium and great in moderation. The ones that visit my garden love them. I also add to their food bowl and snails/slugs I find on my plants at night if its been wet.

Please don’t be tempted to put milk out for them as they are lactose intolerant

As others have said please put out fresh water and kitten biscuits. A simple feeding station can help deter cats- lots of ideas online if you search.

Please don’t put slugs near their food as they will only take slugs if desperate as they can transmit lungworm
to hedgehogs and cause illness.

A large part of their diet are beetles so a garden that provides good beetle habitat will be good for hedgehogs.

Vale Wildlife Hospital near Tewkesbury sell own brand hedgehog food which is safe for them.

A lot of other ‘hedgehog food’ unfortunately contains unsuitable ingredients such as meal worms, raisins and sunflower seeds so please avoid. Hedgehog food is not regulated or controlled in any way and can cause harm so dried kitten food is the best and is what wildlife rescues will suggest.