Here is a complete list of natural foods you can feed your hedgehog:
- Insects: mealworms, grasshoppers, etc.
- Cooked meats: chicken, turkey or pork.
- Cooked fish: salmon or tuna, with no bones.
- Fruits: watermelons, papaya, pears, cantaloupe, peaches, plums, squash & pumpkin, mangos, apples, bananas, cherries, honeydew, strawberries, cranberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries.
- Vegetables: arugula, spinach, dandelion greens, asparagus, carrots, broccoli, sweet potatoes, radish, romaine lettuce, turnips, green peppers, collard greens.
What is the best thing to feed a hedgehog?
Recommended hedgehog treats include:
- mealworms
- boiled chicken
- scrambled / hard boiled eggs
- apples
- bananas
- berries
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.
What kind of hedgehog can you have for a pet?
The two most common types of hedgehogs kept as pets are the European hedgehog, Erinaceus europaeus, and the smaller African pygmy hedgehog, Atelerix albiventris. Hedgehogs live alone in the wild and are typically solitary animals. They may take a while to warm up to you when you first bring them home. Patience and time will help them trust you.
What kind of food can I feed my hedgehog?
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.
What should you not feed hedgehogs?
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 should I feed my hedgehog daily?
Each serving should consist of one cricket or large mealworm or two to three medium sized mealworms. If you elect not to feed live, dry insect food can make up 15 to 25% of your hedgehog's daily meal. To avoid overfeeding, live food and dry insect food should not be given together on the same day.
What vegetables can hedgehogs eat?
Pet hedgehogs can eat:Courgette.Green pepper.Cucumber.Broccoli.Leafy greens.Peas.Corn.Carrots.
Do hedgehogs eat bird seed?
Bird Seed? Hedgehogs are often first seen in gardens eating spilled bird food under feeders. They will be eating the seeds as well as all the insects and invertibrates that gather there. Small quanities of seeds and nuts are not harmful to hedgehogs but can cause issues if eaten to excess.
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.
What do hedgehogs need in their cage?
Fresh food and water should be given daily. Hedgehogs are notorious for becoming obese, so daily exercise is essential. They also need to be provided with mental stimulation when they are in their cages, such as ramps, ledges, tunnels, and other “cage furniture” to climb through or on.
How often should hedgehogs eat?
Some people feed twice a day, morning and night, others feed once a day. Burgess advises that “Food is usually fed in ½ portions twice daily, so the pet gets a couple of meals a day, rather than consuming all their food in a few hours and fasting for the next 20 hours.”
How often do you bathe a hedgehog?
Once a monthOnce a month bathing is adequate for the average hedgehog. Some hedgehogs need baths frequently and others seldom need one. Bathing generally helps to relieve dry skin; however, bathing too frequently may contribute to dry skin.
What do hedgehogs like to play with?
Exercise Wheels. Your hedgie will enjoy having an exercise wheel in his cage. ... Mazes. Hedgehogs love to play in mazes. ... Cat Toys. Some cat toys are appropriate for hedgehogs. ... Boxes. Tissue boxes and other small boxes may be fine for your hedgehogs. ... Tube Tunnels. ... Stuffed Animals. ... Toy Dump Trucks.
How long do hedgehogs live as pets?
Dr. Keller says, “With appropriate care and keeping, your hedgehog will live about five years, and some even live longer than eight years.”
Can hedgehogs eat cheese?
Hedgehogs are lactose intolerant. Milk and cheese will give them bad diarrhoea and can lead to serious illness as well.
Is dog food OK for hedgehogs?
As opportunistic eaters, hedgehogs will readily consume food left out in your garden. The best foods to provide are: Meat-based cat or dog food.
Why can't hedgehogs eat fish based cat food?
A common misconception surrounding hedgehogs and cat food is that they cannot eat fish based cat food. However, this is not actually the case. They can eat fish based cat food with no issues. The only problem that may arise is that the hedgehog will not be as keen on the flavor.
What do hedgehogs need in their cage?
Fresh food and water should be given daily. Hedgehogs are notorious for becoming obese, so daily exercise is essential. They also need to be provided with mental stimulation when they are in their cages, such as ramps, ledges, tunnels, and other “cage furniture” to climb through or on.
Can a hedgehog eat cat food?
Cat food is available to almost everyone, no matter where they live, and it contains protein. It's a small kibble that hedgehogs can eat.
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.
Why do hedgehogs eat wet cat food?
They had a lot of experience with their native hedgehogs. They used wet and dry cat food because it was nutritious and widely available, and it worked well. It contained a good amount of protein and fat, similar to the hedgehog’s natural diet, and those organizations still recommend it.
Why do hedgehogs like crickets?
Crickets are a great choice if your hedgehog is prone to gain weight because they’re lower in fat than mealworms.
What happens if a hedgehog eats too much phosphorus?
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. So, it’s crucial to maintain a proper proportion of calcium and phosphorus in your hedgehog’s diet.
Why is fiber important for hedgehogs?
The thing is that fiber is an essential element of your hedgehog’s diet as it helps the digestion of protein and fat. 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.
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.
What is the recommended protein level for a pig?
Suggested Nutritional Content. But, from the information available, when in captivity, the recommended levels are around 30-50% protein and 10-20% fat, with about 15% fiber. The protein and fat contents are often refined to a maximum of about 35% for protein and 15% for fat.
What do pet hedgehogs eat?
In the wild, hedgehogs eat a diverse selection of insects as well as some plant material and very occasionally small or baby mammals (like pinkie mice). Hedgehogs usually eat at night. As pets, hedgehogs should mainly be fed high quality hedgehog food. Small amounts of gut loaded insects (i.e. insects fed nutritious food that is then passed on to the lizard), such as worms and crickets and a small amount of fresh vegetables and fruits can also be offered. Check with your veterinarian regarding which vegetables and fruits are recommended. Avoid lettuce and celery, which are low in nutritional value and avocados, which might be toxic. Insects should be purchased from a pet store or raised in the home; care should be used in obtaining insects from gardens where insecticides and fertilizers have been used. Earthworms can be a very nutritious treat. Your veterinarian may be able to provide some tips on successfully raising your own insects to offer your hedgehog.
What to feed lizards?
Small amounts of gut loaded insects (i.e. insects fed nutritious food that is then passed on to the lizard), such as worms and crickets and a small amount of fresh vegetables and fruits can also be offered. Check with your veterinarian regarding which vegetables and fruits are recommended.
Do hedgehogs have a propensity for obesity?
Hedgehogs have a propensity for obesity if the food intake is not monitored or controlled. Food given in measured proportions will help stop this problem.
Can I offer my hedgehog treats?
As a rule, hedgehogs don't require treats, although an occasional offering of fresh vegetables, fruits, and grains is acceptable. Hedgehogs should not be fed raw meats or eggs. Hedgehogs are not able to digest milk, which may lead to diarrhea. Do not offer nuts, seeds or hard foods like raw carrot as they may get suck in the roof of the mouth (especially peanut halves). Don't offer any "people food" without checking with your veterinarian first.
What is the best food for a hedgehog?
Chitin is a necessary component to a hedgehog's diet but it isn't the only thing a hedgehog needs from its food, so various items should be fed in addition to insects. Mealworms: Live or freeze-dried mealworms are a good source of chitin for hedgehogs.
What are some good treats for hedgehogs?
Waxworms: Live waxworms are higher in fat but lower in chitin content than mealworms so these should be saved as treats for hedgehogs. Crickets: Also available live or freeze-dried, crickets provide chitin as well as mental stimulation for a hedgehog.
Can hedgehogs eat crickets?
Crickets: Also available live or freeze-dried, crickets provide chitin as well as mental stimulation for a hedgehog. As with other insects, gut-loading should be done before feeding crickets to your hedgehog to ensure they are loaded with nutrition.
Do hedgehogs eat cat kibble?
Hedgehogs are prone to obesity, so it is of utmost importance to monitor how much you are feeding it. The hedgehog or cat kibble should make up the majority of the daily diet, and even though a hedgehog is very active at night and burns a lot of energy, you'll want to control how much kibble it gets.
When do hedgehogs eat?
If there is more than a 10 percent weight gain you should cut back on how much food is offered. A hedgehog may eat more at night when it is most active and running on its wheel, so don't worry if you don't see it eating much during the day.
Do hedgehogs need cat food?
Being insectivores, hedgehogs need nutrients that may not be found in many other pet foods. Historically, cat food was often used to feed these spiky pocket pets, but there are also quality hedgehog foods that provide ideal nutritional components for a hedgehog to eat.
Is a hedgehog an omnivore?
Hedgehogs are considered either omnivores or insectivores, depending on the source referenced. If you look at the actual diet of a hedgehog you'll see that the omnivore description is probably a more accurate one since hedgehogs in the wild will eat a variety of foods, not just insects. Different species of hedgehogs will have slightly varied diets depending on the part of the world they are from, but most pet hedgehogs are African Pygmy hedgehogs so being a hybrid, their diet isn't the same as a wild hedgehog.
