What foods are safe for hedgehogs?
- Romaine lettuce
- Arugula
- Dandelion greens
- Collard greens
- Spinach
- Broccoli
- Sweet potato
- Asparagus
- Radish, turnip
- Green pepper
What is the best food for a hedgehog?
- Live crickets, mealworms, or silkworms
- Bits of plain, cooked meat with no seasonings or salt (no processed meats)
- Raw or cooked vegetables and fresh fruit (no citrus)
- Unsweetened “stage 1” pureed baby food (no grains)
- Hard-boiled or scrambled eggs (plain: no salt or butter)
How much and how often do you feed a hedgehog?
You should free feed your hedgie, that's what most people here do As for how much a hedgehog eats, it varies between hog to hog. Kashi eats about 20-30 kibbles a night, so I put in about 40 in his bowl... but recently I have had to start crushing up his kibble into smaller pieces (because he kept choking on them), so I measure by table spoon, and he eats about 1 tbsp a night.
Do hedgehogs make good pets?
The general answer is yes; as long as you are willing to be a good owner and devote time to cater to their daily needs. They are ideal for people who prefer a calm and timid pet. Despite their shy nature, hedgehogs can still give you just as much love and happiness as any other pet. There are also several other plus points to this lovely animal.
What should I feed my hedgehog?
A pet hedgehog's diet should mainly consist of high-quality hedgehog food mixed with high-quality, low-fat cat food. The following supplemental foods can be offered in small amounts two to three times a week: Gut-loaded insects, such as mealworms and crickets.
What can I give a hedgehog to eat and drink?
Feeding hedgehogsLeave out foods like tinned dog or cat food and crushed cat or dog biscuits. ... Never feed hedgehogs milk or bread - milk can cause diarrhoea and bread isn't very nutritious.Check the food and water bowls each day to top them up with fresh water and food, and remove any food that hasn't been eaten.More items...
What human food can hedgehogs eat?
Apples, bananas, berries, and melons are popular choices among hedgehogs. Vegetables: Fresh tomatoes, fresh green beans, and cooked squash are some options that your hedgehog may enjoy. Starchy vegetables, such as corn, potatoes, and carrots should be avoided as well as dried vegetables.
Can I feed hedgehogs cat biscuits?
What food should I feed to wild hedgehogs? Good quality proprietary hedgehog biscuits, dog biscuits and cat biscuits are best in that order. Along with plenty of fresh drinking water offered in a shallow sided dish. Cooked meaty dog and cat food are also good alternatives.
What can hedgehogs drink?
In terms of water, hedgehogs ingest water from their prey and natural sources like dew and puddles. Ponds also provide a water source so it's important to ensure garden ponds have sloping sides or an exit ramp so 'hogs don't fall in and get stuck.
Can I give a hedgehog milk?
Never feed hedgehogs milk or bread as they can't digest it and it upsets their stomachs. Be aware that putting any food out will attract all sorts of wildlife including predators, not just hedgehogs.
What do hedgehogs drink out of?
Hedgehogs lap water from the edge of a pool of water in the wild. A hedgehog needs to put its long snout down into a bowl to drink.
Do hedgehogs like cow's milk?
Please do not feed hedgehogs bread and cows milk! Although hedghogs have a sweet tooth they have lactose intolerance.
What is the best food for a pygmy hedgehog?
The ideal food for pygmy hedgehogs is dry cat biscuits with their low fat and a healthy amount of protein. Better still, the indoor cat variety of the dry cat biscuits have the right balance of fat, protein along with some fibre.
What do hedgehogs eat?
Pygmy hedgehogs are primarily insectivores feeding on a multitude of insects in the wild but they are also opportunistic and will feed on small frogs, lizards, fruit and vegetables. Their tastes vary on what is on offer and if insects are scarce they will try to seek out alternatives such as fruit.
What is the most common hedgehog?
The pygmy hedgehog is the most popular species of hedgehogs kept as pests. If you keep a hedgehog as a pet, you will be interested in knowing how this animal can coexist with others. As much as...
Why do hedgehogs eat biscuits?
It’s important hedgehogs are fed a diet that is low in fat with a good balance of protein as they are prone to obesity. Obesity can lead to associated diseases like diabetes so sticking to dry cat biscuits as a staple part of their diet, helps immensley controlling their weight.
Why are hedgehogs lactose intolerant?
Hedgehogs generally are lactose intolerant as they do not possess the enzyme to break down lactose in milk and associated dairy products. As a result of this their digestion suffers, when ingesting milk.
How long can hedgehogs live without food?
How long can hedgehogs go without food? We haven’t tested this and wouldn’t want to but it’s believed they can survive without food for around 10 days . I think there’s been some controlled testing that’s been done to validate this, which seems a bit cruel to test a theory. However, I think the reason they can survive this long without food, is because they’ve evolved to do this as in the wild food may not always be available in plentiful supply, so there could be prolonged gaps between feeds.
What vegetables are toxic to hedgehogs?
Some vegetables can be toxic to pygmy hedgehogs and should be avoided at all costs. These include onions, garlic, tomatoes, certain mushrooms, celery to name a few and these can cause organ problems if eaten by pygmy hedgehogs.
What Insects can pygmy hedgehogs eat?
Insects are an important part of hedgehog diet in the wild. They provide hedgehogs with proteins and chitin that are important for hedgehogs.
Hedgehog kibble
Hedgehog kibble is pet food that has specially been formulated for hedgehogs. It comes in two forms. Either as dry food or wet food.
High quality cat and dog food
Most pygmy hedgehog owners feed their hedgehogs on high quality meat based cat or dog food.
Fruits and Vegetables
Pygmy hedgehogs are omnivorous animals. In the wild apart from eating insects and small animals they also forage on a wide range of fruits and vegetables.
Lean Meats
You can feed your pygmy hedgehog on a variety of cooked lean meat. Cook the meat without adding any oil or seasoning. Cut the meat into small sizes that your hedgehog can eat.
What do hedgehogs eat?
In the wild, hedgehogs eat a variety of different insects and a small number of vegetables and fruit. Source: You basically want to replicate this diet model in captivity by feeding your hedgie a diet that’s mainly either cat or hedgehog food (more on which one to choose shortly) and a small amount of fruit and veggies.
Why can't hedgehogs drink milk?
Can hedgehogs drink milk? Hedgehogs can’t drink milk due to the fact they are lactose intolerant. Milk can cause a hedgehog to have serious abdominal pain and it can even kill them in some cases.
Why do hedgehogs eat dry food?
Dry food also helps to keep your hedgehog’s teeth in good condition. The dry nature of the food keeps their teeth strong and healthy. It’s a little known fact that hedgehogs actually suffer from teeth and gum problems and a major cause of this is tartar buildup on teeth, this can often lead to infection and abscess.
Why do hedgehogs need sugar?
They also need to consume low amounts of sugar due to their obesity problems and also potential problems with their teeth. Now let’s take a look at what you should be feeding your hedgehog as the main part of their diet….
Can hedgehogs eat grapes?
Grapes are toxic to hedgehogs and some other small animals. They can cause renal failure, which can result in the death of your hedgehog. Here’s a post that shares 5 foods we recommend feeding your hedgehog instead of grapes….
Do hedgehogs need dairy?
Hedgehogs don’t need any dairy in their diet and our advice would be to stay away from it, however, if you really want to feed your hedgie some dairy then there are a small number of dairy foods they can eat. These should be fed to your hedgehog once in a while and in small quantities.
Can hedgehogs eat collard greens?
The first and probably most obvious is the health benefits that veggies and greens provide. Greens such as dandelion greens and collard greens, for example, are high in calcium and other highly important vitamins and minerals. Below is a list of vegetables and greens that your hedgehog can safely eat…. Arugula.
What do hedgehogs eat?
Because of this, I urge hedgehog owners to feed their pets live invertebrates, such as: 1 Dubai Roaches 2 Green Hornworms 3 Crickets 4 Snails 5 Black Soldier Fly Larvae (Also known as Calci-Worms or Phoenix Worms) 6 Mealworms in moderation (or that have pupated, since beetles are better than the worm) 7 Superworms 8 Waxworms 9 Silkworms 10 Earthworms
What meat should I feed my hedgies?
I’ll occasionally offer cooked tripe to my hedgies; some like it, some don’t. Venison, chicken, duck, turkey, lamb, beef, and pork can work as well.
Can hedgehogs eat raw feed?
Fortunately, there is a compromise; you can also use raw diet feed to supplement one that’s more processed. This feeding method is traditionally used in the reptile community, but it’s surprisingly adaptable for an African pygmy hedgehog diet as well.
Can African hedgehogs eat pygmy crawlies?
The single best food for an African Pygmy Hedgehog diet has not yet been created. Instead, it’s best to offer a larger variety for your hedgie to choose from; that way, you may just hit on the right ingredients for a good and healthy diet. Hedgehogs are nocturnal animals that feed upon all the “creepy crawlies.”.
What do hedgehogs eat?
Hedgehogs’ diet in the wild consists mainly of protein as their primary source of food is insects. Not only insects provide them with protein but they also contain water which results in the protein exiting the hedgehog’s body quickly.
Why do hedgehogs eat fruit?
The reason for that is high intake of sugar can lead to becoming overweight and diabetes.
Can hedgehogs eat lettuce?
Hedgehogs can eat vegetables, although you should pick vegetables that will provide them with the most nutrients. For instance, regular lettuce doesn’t have much nutrients, so it should be avoided.
Is it cheap to have a hedgehog as a pet?
Fortunately, having a hedgehog as a pet is fairly cheap. The reason for that is their small size and requiring only small amounts of food to keep them fit and healthy.
These are the Top 3 dry cat biscuits for 2020
It’s important to mix the dry cat biscuits to ensure variety and when I compared these to other types of dry cat biscuits, I found the Go-Cat Complete Adult for Indoor Cats with Chicken and Purina ONE Healthy Metabolism Adult Dry Cat Food ticked a lot of the boxes, as they:
These are the Top 3 Canned Wet Cat Foods for 2020
Even though canned wet cat food is a treat, I still compared the different types and found the Whiskas Jelly Wet Cat Food for Adult Cats ticked a lot of the boxes, as it:
These are the Top 3 insect foods for 2020
Sitting down and comparing the different types of insect a hedgehog could eat, led me to Zoo Med Laboratories Can O Worms as a good choice (I would still recommend live mealworms), as it:
These are the Top 3 Hedgehog treats for 2020
I decided to find out what could provide a treat for our hedgehog and compared the different types of treats, I found the Dreamies Chicken Cat Treats ticked a lot of the boxes, as they:
These are the Top 3 feeding and drinking bowls for 2020
I decided to find out what type of bowl our hedgehog could use for his food and his water. I compared the different types of bowls out there and I found the Rosewood Ceramic Bowl Naturals Twin Dish ticked a lot of the boxes, as it’s:
What is the best insect feed for mealworms?
There are calcium-rich insect feeds that you can buy to help with this. For example, Fluker’s 70008 High Calcium Cricket Feed comes in a 6lb jar. It seems suitable for mealworms and dubia roaches, as well as crickets, and contains 8% calcium to 0.6% phosphorus.
How do hedgehogs get their fiber?
In the wild, they get their fiber from insect exoskeletons, which contain chitin. Hedgehogs have a particular enzyme called chitinase, which enables them to use this chitin as their fiber intake. Despite their omnivorous tendency, hedgehogs don’t digest plant matter.
Why do hedgehogs eat all night?
Because in the wild, hedgehogs forage all night searching for and consuming food. In captivity, they’re not burning energy in this way, but the high-fat content of insects, coupled with the hedgehog’s relative inactivity, means it’s prone to putting on weight. Also, in the wild, African Pygmy hedgehogs are aestivate.
Why is my hedgehog's bone weak?
Phosphorus absorbs calcium. If there’s too much phosphorus in your hedgehog’s diet, it could cause a calcium deficiency. This calcium deficiency, Metabolic Bone Disease, is a weakening of the bones. It’s not only painful but can also be fatal.
What do hedgehogs eat?
So, hedgehogs will devour almost whatever happens to cross their path if it looks or smells tasty. For example, they’ll eat insects, beetles, worms, slugs, millipedes, spiders, and ants.
What to avoid with meat?
But, there are things to avoid apart from unnamed meats or poultry. These include: 1 Meat or poultry by-products. Even if the name of the meat or poultry is specified, you can’t be sure exactly what it is. 2 Preservatives like Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA), Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT). These are thought to be safe in low doses but otherwise may be carcinogenic. 3 Ethoxyquin. This is an antioxidant with animal safety issues.
How to calculate protein content of 30%?
But it’s so straightforward even your hedgehog could do it. If you have a protein content of 30% and a moisture content of 10%, deduct the moisture content from 100. That gives you 90. Then divide your protein content of 30% by 90 and multiply by 100.
How to prevent pygmy hedgehogs from getting sick?
These include: Dental disease and gum disease. This can be prevented by feeding your hedgehog the correct diet, routine brushing, and scaling. Eye infection or injury.
Why do hedgehogs need room temperature?
This is why room temperature is crucial. If they show signs of hibernation such as lethargy and are not waking up from sleep, they need to be warmed up. However, the room can be too hot too.
What do African hedgehogs eat?
Usually, the African Pygmy hedgehog’s diet consists of fruits, insects like mealworms, and dry cat food. However, some cat foods can be high in fats which can lead to your hedgehog gaining weight. An incorrect or improper diet can lead to your hedgehog becoming underweight or overweight. To prevent weight problems such as Wobbly Hedgehog Syndrome ...
How to keep a hedgehog warm?
You can keep your hedgehog warm with bedding such as fleece. However, avoid using clothing with holes in it as your hedgehog can get stuck. Where you put the cage or enclosure is also important. You should avoid placing it in loud areas in your home, such as above or below a TV or stereo.
Why is it important to know about hedgehog stress?
It’s important to know hedgehog stress symptoms so you can recognize them in your pet, know what stressful situations to avoid, and improve their well-being. Hedgehogs (and especially African Pygmies), are fragile, little creatures that need extra care and attention to provide them with a stress-free life.
How much space do African hedgehogs need?
An ideal cage for an African Pygmy hedgehog should have 1 meter of floor space for your hedgehog to move around comfortably.
What is the name of the African hedgehog?
With the scientific name Atelerix Albiventris , the African Pygmy hedgehog is a hybrid of the white-bellied and the Algerian hedgehog and is the most popular species of hedgehog to keep as a pet. They are named ‘pygmy’ due to their small size. They have dark noses and long pointy snouts that are usually pink or brown.
What is the best food for a hedgehog?
Food and Water. In the wild, hedgehogs are insect-eating mammals. High-quality cat food—supplemented with mealworms, crickets, and other treats—used to be the go-to food choice for pet hedgehogs. Nowadays, the pet industry sells high-quality hedgehog food that provides the exact nutrients your prickly pet needs.
How much space do hedgehogs need?
Active hedgehogs need room to explore; a bare minimum of two- to three-square-feet of cage space is sufficient (though bigger is always better). Any type of cage will work but avoid wire floors and make sure the spacing for wire-sided cages is 1 inch or smaller; you do not want your pet to squeeze through and escape.
How to tell if a hedgehog has diarrhea?
Check around its legs and watch its hindquarter movement for signs of obesity or wobbly hedgehog syndrome.
Why do hedgehogs have wobbly hindquarters?
Since African pygmies have protruding eyes, these creatures are more prone to eye injuries or irritation.
What is the smallest hedgehog?
The African pygmy hedgehog or four-toed hedgehog is the smallest of the hedgehog species and is the species often sold for the pet trade. You can find these pets in a wide array of color patterns like salt and pepper, snowflake, and cinnamon. Pet hedgehogs are quiet, active, entertaining, and require a lot of care.
Why do hedgehogs froth?
When a hedgehog gets introduced to a new scent or food, it begins to froth at the mouth and spread its saliva all over its back. No one is entirely sure why hedgehogs do this, and some do it more than others. But, it is not a cause for concern. Experts think it could be a stress release or a form of protection.
What do African hedgehogs use to line their cages?
Some African pygmy hedgehog owners use indoor-outdoor carpeting or fleece fabric to line the cage instead of using loose bedding material . If you choose this bedding, make sure to clip loose threads that can tangle up your hedgehog and always have a backup for easy cleaning and replacing.
