Below is a detailed list of what to feed mammals in your garden

 

Hedgehog

• Commercial, cereal-based feeds are available but expensive. If you use them, make sure you provide water.

• Hedgehogs also like peanuts and mixed seeds and dried fruit used as ground-feed for birds. These are cheaper and can be scattered on the lawn.

• Tinned dog and cat foods are fine, but fish-based food goes off very quickly.

• Do not feed bread and milk – this gives hedgehogs diarrhoea.

 

Badger

• Badgers love peanuts.

• They also eat dog food, bread, cheese and sweet items, but peanuts are easiest to supply.

• Contrary to some reports, badgers and adult hedgehogs often feed side-by-side and generally take no notice of each other.

 

Squirrel

• Red squirrels can be fed using a hopper in which a treddle excludes the heavier greys, or a feeder with an entrance that excludes them. Specialist feeders can be purchased from many garden centres or easily online.

• Do not feed peanuts exclusively. Try to offer a mixed seed and nut diet.

• Small amounts of fruit and vegetables can also be offered. Do not leave fresh food out for more than 48 hours. If food is left uneaten it should be disposed off.

 

Pine marten

• Pine martens are best attracted to gardens with sweet items, such as jam sandwiches, peanut butter, cake and chocolate. But don’t overdo the junk food!

 

Small mammals

• Build a feeding table against a window to watch mice, voles and shrews.

• Cover the top and outer sides of the feeding table in small-gauge wire to protect them from predators.

• Make a tunnel or covered walkway leading to the table from a pile of logs or some other natural cover.

• Mice and voles like mixed grain.

• Shrews also eat grain but prefer fly pupae, which are available from fishing tackle shops.

 

Deer

• Deer often enter gardens to feed. You can supplement their food with cereals, carrots or cattle nuts, or hay in hard winters, but by encouraging deer you are asking for your garden to be trashed.

 

Fox

• Foxes will eat almost anything from meat scraps to cake. Either cooked or uncooked bones are fine.

• Foxes like peanuts and cereals and may try to knock down birdfeeders to get to the contents.

• Do not encourage foxes to eat from your hand. Tame foxes can become a problem in towns and cities.

 

Just as with wild birds, make sure to always provide fresh clean water near any food source.

 

Putting food out for mammals doesn't mean you will see the animals in your garden as many are nocturnal meaning them only come out at night. If you really want to see what activity is taking place you can set up an infrared camera which is triggered to record when there is movement and will record at night. This is a great way to monitor these creatures without ever disturbing them.

 

It is important to remember though that purposefully trying to attract mammals to your garden can do more harm than good. Before putting food out, consider what the animals might encounter on their way to your garden: busy roads, predatory pets and neighbours that are less fond of wildlife can all cause problems.

 

It's also important that the animals don't become dependant on the food you are putting out. Do not put large quantities of food out, and don't offer it every night. When the food is always there, animals will get used to visiting the same area and will often stop hunting as they know the food is easy to get. The problem with this is if you stop feeding, or go away for a few weeks, the animal will suddenly have nothing. Make sure you monitor what food is being eaten and how much. If there is food left behind, offer less the next time you feed. And any food left after a day should be disposed of and any bowls or plates used should be thoroughly cleaned afterwards.