Wild European hedgehogs mainly eat invertebrates: earthworms, beetles, caterpillars, earwigs, millipedes and slugs. Garden food should supplement this varied natural diet. For visiting hedgehogs, offer meaty cat or dog food, dry cat biscuits and fresh water; avoid milk, bread and mealworms.
This guide covers wild European hedgehogs, with garden-feeding advice from UK conservation organisations. It is not a diet plan for pet hedgehogs or a guide to hand-rearing hoglets.
Lead photograph: a European hedgehog eating cat food in Lahti, Finland. Photograph: Trogain, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
What do hedgehogs eat in the wild?
Hedgehog Street’s natural-diet guide identifies invertebrates as their main food. These include insects and other small animals without backbones, such as worms and slugs. Calling a hedgehog an insect-eater is useful shorthand, but does not describe everything it eats.
“Hedgehogs are generalists and feed on a wide range of things.”
They are opportunistic feeders. Birds’ eggs, carrion, frogs, young rodents and fallen fruit may also be eaten, but these occasional foods should not become a shopping list for a garden feeding bowl. What an animal sometimes eats in the wild and what people should deliberately provide are different questions.
Do hedgehogs eat slugs and snails?
Yes, but their diet is much broader than garden slugs. Welcoming a hedgehog does not guarantee slug control. Support a range of natural prey instead of expecting it to clear a particular pest.
What can you feed a visiting hedgehog?
The British Hedgehog Preservation Society’s feeding advice recommends meaty pet food or suitable meaty hedgehog food. Check that meat is the first ingredient rather than choosing by the animal pictured on the packet.
Food or drink | Practical choice |
|---|---|
Wet cat or dog food | Choose a meaty food and serve it in a shallow dish. |
Dry cat biscuits | A suitable alternative; always provide fresh water too. |
Packaged hedgehog food | Look for a meaty product. Check the ingredients, not just the name. |
Drinking water | Offer plain, fresh water in a shallow, stable bowl. |
How much food should you leave out?
As a practical starting routine, offer a small portion and check what remains the next morning. Reduce waste rather than continually topping up a large pile. There is no useful universal portion for an unknown number of free-ranging visitors.
An empty dish does not prove a hedgehog ate the food: cats and other wildlife may visit too. Observe from a distance or use a wildlife camera before increasing the amount.
What should you avoid feeding hedgehogs?
The Woodland Trust’s feeding guide advises against bread, bird food and fruit or vegetables. Keep the menu simple:
Milk: hedgehogs are lactose intolerant. Offer water instead.
Bread: it provides poor nutrition for them.
Mealworms, seeds and peanuts: do not put these out as hedgehog food; large amounts can cause health problems.
Fruit and vegetables: do not offer apples, berries or carrots as treats. Occasional natural consumption does not make them recommended supplementary foods.
Avoid treating a bowl as a place for kitchen leftovers. Choose one of the suitable foods above, and remove anything spoiled or contaminated.
When and where should you put food out?
Hedgehog Street’s supplementary-feeding guidance recommends offering food around sunset in a sheltered place. Food and water can be especially helpful when dry or cold conditions reduce natural food availability.
Keep dishes at least a couple of metres from a sleeping house. A separate feeding station with a restricted entrance can make access harder for cats and foxes, although no setup guarantees that only hedgehogs will use it. If several hedgehogs compete at one bowl, spread the food between separate feeding spots.
Continue to offer food during mild winter spells or when hedgehogs are active. Our guide to hedgehog hibernation and winter care explains when winter activity is normal and when to seek help.
How do you keep feeding safe and clean?
Remove leftovers and clean dishes after every use. Use an animal-safe disinfectant as directed, rinse thoroughly and let dishes air-dry before reusing them. Keep wildlife bowls and cleaning equipment outside, separate from your own dishes and away from food preparation areas. Wear gloves and wash your hands and forearms afterwards.
Our suggested routine is simple: inspect the feeding area each morning, clear waste, clean the equipment and refresh the water. If you cannot maintain the feeding area, concentrate on providing habitat rather than leaving unattended food.
How can your garden provide more natural food?
Retain leaf litter, a log pile and a quiet, less intensively managed corner where invertebrates can live. A feeding bowl is an extra resource, not a replacement for a garden that supports natural prey. Our guide to attracting hedgehogs safely covers access routes, shelter and garden hazards.
Will feeding make hedgehogs dependent on you?
Hedgehog Street describes garden feeding as supplementary and reports no evidence that it makes hedgehogs dependent. That does not mean natural food is always abundant. Preserve foraging habitat alongside any food you offer, and do not leave a stockpile of perishable food when going away.
What if a hedgehog will not eat or looks unwell?
A food bowl is not treatment for a sick animal. If a hedgehog is weak, unsteady, injured or lying exposed, contact a wildlife rehabilitator or vet promptly. In the UK, BHPS can advise and give local rescue contacts on 01584 890 801. Very young hoglets need specialist advice; do not try to hand-rear them using this feeding guide.
Related reading: How to feed hedgehogs without encouraging rats.
Sources & further reading
Guidance checked on 23 September 2026. Sources linked in the article: Hedgehog Street (PTES and BHPS), What do wild hedgehogs eat? and Supplementary food for hedgehogs (undated); British Hedgehog Preservation Society, Feeding (undated); Charlie Mellor, Woodland Trust, What do hedgehogs eat? And how to feed them (17 August 2026). Practical portion checks and the morning routine are editorial suggestions, not measured feeding trials.