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When a hedgehog picks this up it can be life threatening, resulting in bronchial pneumonia and even death. Slugs, snails and earthworms also play host to Capillariasis (roundworm) which can cause severe intestinal problems.
Use our checklist of foods to find foods hedgehogs can't eat including insects, fruit, vegetables, biscuits and meats. It's important to avoid foods that can damage hedgehogs health through toxicity and high calories.
Wild hedgehogs for the most part would not be eating raw animal meat such as chicken, beef or mince meat. For this reason they are not like dogs or cats (who can handle raw meat). Fresh raw insects are very different from other meats and would not be contaminated with the same bacteria.
While hedgehogs can eat cooked lean chicken and lean, low fat, cooked meats (in small amounts), raw meat should be avoided at all costs. Hedgehogs that eat raw meats might be exposed to Salmonella and Campylobacter (a bacterium that causes fetal loss in animals).
Ever wondered, 'Can hedgehogs eat beef?' Discover the dietary needs of these fascinating creatures and make sure your pet gets the balanced diet it deserves.
Some Hedgehog foods contain wheat as the main ingredient, this is just a filler and has no nutritional benefit to hedgehogs as they cannot digest wheat. Others may contain mealworm, nuts or other ingredients that are not suitable for hedgehogs (see the what not to feed hedgehogs below).
Hedgehogs can not eat raw meat. It raises the risk of bacterial infection. You need to offer them cooked (boiled, roasted, baked) and unseasoned meat. Moreover, these tiny balls can also eat hard-boiled eggs. We sometimes add dog and cat meaty food to the hedgehog’s meals.
Hedgehogs should not eat raw eggs because it can expose them to disease-causing micro-organisms like salmonella. They are likely to show repulsion to raw eggs because the taste is obviously terrible. Raw Meat
Insects and other invertebrates are the hedgehog’s main natural food source. A typical diet includes: fly larvae. Worms are an important food source for hedgehogs. Hedgehogs snuffle through the undergrowth in woodland, farmland, parks and gardens to hunt their prey and use their keen sense of smell and hearing to catch anything they disturb.
To reduce confrontations between hungry hedgehogs, try setting up multiple feeding stations in different locations around the garden, or scattering small amounts of food in grass or undergrowth so hedgehogs can forage as they would naturally. Only ever offer fresh water to drink.