I received the following response to the questions I put to Pets Choice, manufacturers of ‘The Right Food for Hedgehogs’ and also the more expensive ‘Spikes brand’. Interesting, if slightly confusing as she seems to suggest TRFF does not contain rice and linseed which it does!
In fact the only online list of ingredients I could find for ‘Spikes Dinner Dry Hedgehog Food’ is identical to TRFF, though the analysis differs slightly. I am not entirely convinced the recipe is not exactly the same.
This is the response I received:
Dear Margaret,
Thank you for your interest in our hedgehog food ranges, and for helping the hedgehog population.
You are correct that both The Right Food For (TRFF) and Spike’s brands are owned by Pets Choice. We also manufacture both foods at our extruder site in Lancashire. There is more than one type of food in the Spike’s product range, however the one most comparable to the TRFF brand is the Spike’s Crunchy dry food. the recipe for these two foods is not exactly the same. Some of the base recipe ingredients are the same as these provide the majority of the nutrients that hedgehogs require. TRFF is a more value brand, as grocery retailers such as Tesco and Morrisons require it to be at a lower price point in their shops. Therefore this recipe meets all the nutritional needs of a hedgehog, but does not contain some of the more premium ingredients that are contained in the Spike’s recipe. The Spike’s product is sold into pet retailers and independent pet shops, which allow for a more premium product and a different bag price. Both recipes meet the nutritional needs of hedgehogs, it is just that the Spike’s recipes contain ingredients such as rice and linseed, additional to the TRFF brand. Regarding the linseed inclusion, we add whole linseed and whole grains etc to the mix, this then goes through a grinder, which breaks it up into a powder and mixes the ingredients together. This action makes the nutrients more available in the final product.
The wildlife hospitals that advised on this project included hedgehog Care in Lincolnshire and Hedgehog Welfare in Grantham. There were several other centres as well, but these have unfortunately closed since the products have been in existence.
I hope this response answers your questions satisfactorily, please do not hesitate to contact me directly should you have any further questions.
Kind Regards,
Jennifer Dean
NPD Technologist
Mobile: 07557539323
Email: jennifer.dean@petschoice.co.uk
petschoice.co.uk
Pets Choice Ltd, Brentwood House, Lower Philips Road,
Whitebirk Industrial Estate, Blackburn, BB1 5UD, United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)1254 54545 Fax: +44 (0)1254 681446
