WildThings wildlife food
WildThings covers feeding garden wildlife more broadly than the average bird table mix — our range includes their Badger & Fox Food, Swan & Duck Food and Hedgehog Food alongside more typical wild bird feed. It suits anyone who wants to support the wider range of animals passing through a garden, not just the birds at a feeder.
What the range covers
Alongside general wild bird feeding, WildThings makes specific mixes for animals many gardens attract without anyone deliberately feeding them — hedgehogs visiting after dark, foxes passing through, and ducks or swans at a local pond. Feeding these species something formulated for them, rather than leftover bread or scraps, is better for the animal and usually for the local ecosystem too.
Hedgehog food in particular has had a lot of public attention in recent years because bread and milk, once commonly offered, are now known to be genuinely bad for hedgehogs — a purpose-made hedgehog food avoids that problem entirely.
Feeding garden visitors responsibly
Put food out at consistent times and in consistent spots so wildlife can find it reliably without a garden becoming reliant on food that then stops appearing. Clear away uneaten food regularly, since old or wet food can attract pests or spoil quickly, particularly bird and hedgehog food left out overnight.
Duck and swan feeding is worth a bit of extra care: many wildfowl feeding areas now specifically ask visitors to use a proper duck or swan feed rather than bread, both for the birds' health and for water quality at the pond itself, so a purpose-made mix like this is the more responsible choice either way.
None of this is a replacement for a genuinely wildlife-friendly garden more broadly — leaving a corner a little untidy, providing water, and avoiding pesticides all do at least as much for the animals passing through as any feed does. Think of feeding as one part of a wider approach rather than the whole of it.
The range
Everything below is in stock with us, priced with delivery worked out, and packed and posted by hand in the UK.
Wildthings Swan Duck Food
Wildthings Swan & Duck Food: floating swan and duck food with wheat
From£8.65
Wildthings Swan & Duck
A cardboard-boxed floating food for garden swans and ducks, made in the UK
£1.90
Wildthing Swan & Duck Food
A 13kg sack of floating swan and duck food — a proper alternative to bread
£43.25
Treat 'N' Eat Fatball 90g (No Net)
A single 90g high-energy fat ball for wild birds, netless for safe garden feeding
£0.29
Honeyfields Simply Suet Pellets with Insects
High-energy suet pellets with insects, at 490kcal per 100g, in two sizes
From£3.49
Brambles Float Swan Duck Food
Floating swan and duck food made in Great Britain, in two sack sizes
From£9.29
Peckish Complete Seed
A husk-free garden bird seed mix with Peckish's own added vitamin pellet
From£3.00
Peckish Robin Seed Mix
A 1KG insect-added seed mix from Peckish, marketed specifically at robins
£3.75
Peckish Winter Warmer Extra Energy Seed Mix
A 1KG winter seed mix with 9 ingredients and 20% oil for extra energy
£3.99
Sunflower Hearts
Dehusked sunflower hearts for wild birds, described as high in oil and no mess
£42.99
Johnston Jeff Selected Wild Bird Food
A wild bird seed mix with black oil sunflower for a wide range of garden birds
From£2.79
Supa Dried Calci Worms
Dried calci-worms for wild birds, higher in calcium than dried mealworms, in a resealable tub
From£5.99
Common questions
- Is it OK to feed hedgehogs in the garden?
- Yes, feeding hedgehogs a suitable food is widely encouraged, since it can genuinely help them, particularly around autumn when they need to build fat reserves. Use a food made for hedgehogs rather than bread and milk, which are now known to cause digestive problems in them.
- Why shouldn't I feed ducks and swans bread?
- Bread offers little nutritional value to waterfowl, can contribute to health problems if it becomes a large part of their diet, and uneaten bread rots in the water and affects water quality. A proper duck or swan feed is the better choice for both the birds and the pond.
- Will feeding foxes encourage them to stay in my garden?
- Regular feeding can make a garden a reliable stop on a fox's territory, which some owners are happy with and others are not. If you would rather discourage that, feed less regularly or in smaller amounts, since a consistent, generous food source is what tends to keep them coming back.
- How much wildlife food should I put out at once?
- Enough to be eaten within a reasonable time rather than left to sit — a modest amount refreshed regularly works better than a large quantity that goes stale or attracts pests. Follow the guidance on the specific product for the animal you are feeding.
Related
Written by Matt Garnett, who runs Giddy Pets and is a lifelong pet owner — not a vet. This is general information, not veterinary advice, and it cannot replace an examination by the vet who knows your animal. How we write these guides.