- Use Good Quality Dry Meat-Based Cat Food As the Staple. You probably think that cat food sounds like a strange thing to feed a hedgehog. ...
- Use Moist Meat-Based Cat and Dog Foods as an Addition. So far, we’ve talked about dry foods. Wet cat and dog food are also suitable for hedgehogs. ...
- Supplement Your Hedgehog’s Staple Diet With Insects. As mentioned above, hedgehogs are insectivores. ...
- Try to Avoid Poor Quality Speciality Hedgehog Foods. You’ve probably seen these special hedgehog foods and are probably wondering why they’re not first on the list of what to feed ...
- Add Small Quantities of Unseasoned Cooked Meat and Eggs. Adding small amounts of other foods to your hedgehog’s diet gives them variety. ...
- Water Is a Vital Part of a Pet Hedgehog’s Feeding Needs. You should always ensure your pet hedgehog has enough fresh water to drink and does drink it. ...
- It’s Best to Avoid Fruit and Vegetables. As you’ve read above, hedgehogs lack a cecum, which means hedgehogs aren’t designed to digest plant material.
- Avoid High-Phosphorous, Sweet, Sticky, Hard or Acidic Foods. As mentioned above, hedgehog nutrition isn’t something that’s been studied on a large scale. So, much of the information is anecdotal.
What is the best thing to feed a hedgehog?
Recommended hedgehog treats include:
- mealworms
- boiled chicken
- scrambled / hard boiled eggs
- apples
- bananas
- berries
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)
What human food can you feed a hedgehog?
- Berries
- Apples with no skin or seeds
- Bananas
- Melons
- Pears
- Carrots
- Broccoli
- Peas
- Hardboiled egg whites
- Cooked lean meats
What should I feed my hedgehog?
That means a diet containing moderate amounts of protein, low-fat, and some fiber. Generally, good quality dry cat food supplemented with live calcium-enriched insects and cooked meat should do the trick.
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 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 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.
What do hedgehogs eat?
Some are capable of traveling enormous distances at night. They eat considerable amounts of insects of any kind, especially underground ones, such as: Earth worms. Slugs. Snails.
What is the diet of a hedgehog?
The rest of their diet consists in fruits and vegetables. However, we must bear in mind that their diets will vary depending on their species and which part of the world they are from. When it comes to the nutrition of a hedgehog. Their diet consists of: Protein: should be around 22% of their diet, always less than 35%.
Why are hedgehogs important?
Wild hedgehogs help in pest control as they mainly eat insects. When adopting a domestic hedgehog, it's important to imitate their diet as close as possible to what they would eat in the wild. This way, we make sure they live a long and happy life. You may also be interested in our article about why hedgehogs bite.
What are some forbidden foods for hedgehogs?
Here is the complete list of forbidden foods for hedgehogs: Dairy products. Fatty foods.
Can hedgehogs be domesticated?
Nowadays, they can also be domestic pets. However, many hedgehog companions ask themselves what pet hedgehogs eat. In this AnimalWised article we're going to explain what hedgehogs eat. We'll go through their nutrition and complete food list.
Can humans drink milk for hedgehogs?
Humans shouldn't intervene or stop this process as it's very important for their health and wellbeing. In the case of orphaned hedgehogs that need to be cared for, they can drink milk formulated for kittens as it's very similar to the nutrition hoglets need.
Is dog food safe for hedgehogs?
In fact, dog food is dangerous for hedgehogs. Therefore, it's best to avoid any other type of commercial food. However, the best option would be to make homemade and natural food for your pet hedgehog.
What do wild hedgehogs eat?
Hedgehogs living in the wild will feed on a range of things and tend to survive on a ‘whatever they can get their claws on’ basis.
What do domesticated hedgehogs eat?
Lots of people tend to think the only thing you can feed hedgehogs is cat food, but there are actually lots of things you can feed them.
Cat kibble (or other protein sources)
Cat or dog food like kibble as their main food source. You can actually purchase special hedgehog food, but cat kibble will do fine.
Certain fruits and vegetables
Including some safe to eat fruits and veggies is a great way to include different tastes and textures and some lower calorie nibbles for your hog.
Insects
If owners are able to purchase some from pet stores or online, this can be a nice treat for hogs.
Water
Just like other household pets like cats and dogs, hedgehogs need a constant source of clean water available to them to drink as and when they please.
What to feed a hedgehog?
Meats. Try to get lean cuts of the following meats , and only give them to your hedgehog as a snack a few times a week. It’s best if you buy the meats raw and cook them yourself, as precooked meats are often full of salt and other ingredients that are bad for your pet’s health. Chicken. Salmon.
What are some good treats for hedgehogs?
Healthy Treats for Hedgehogs. Hedgehogs have a broad palate, so there’s a wide variety of foods that can be served as a treat. Many veggies or fruits make excellent treats, as they’re loaded with nutrition and delicious.
How much water should a hedgehog drink?
A healthy hedgehog should drink somewhere in the vicinity of 1 ½ to 2 ½ tablespoons of water every day. As a result, your hedgehog must have access to plenty of fresh, clean water at all times.
Why does my hedgehog stop eating?
Featured Image Credit: szabfer, Pixabay. There are many reasons that a hedgehog might stop eating. Many of them have to do with stress, but others could be signs of disease or illness. Don’t be alarmed if your hedgehog doesn’t eat when you first bring them home or if you move to a new place.
What does it mean when a hedgehog has a blockage?
They may have an intestinal blockage, an upset stomach, problems with their teeth and gums, or a more serious disease, like cancer. If you’ve tried to solve the problem yourself to no avail, take your hedgehog to the vet as soon as possible.
Why won't my hedgehog eat?
If you suspect that your hedgehog’s refusal to eat is due to environmental factors rather than health problems, you can try to remedy the problem yourself. You can also try to tempt your hedgehog to eat by offering them high-value foods, like baby food or other beloved treats.
What could be affecting my hedgehog's appetite?
Other things that could be affecting your pet’s appetite include loneliness or discomfort due to temperature . You should do everything in your power to make sure your hedgehog is comfortable, and that may include changing the ambient temperature in their tank or getting them a friend.
What is the best food for hedgehogs?
Along with plenty of fresh drinking water offered in a shallow sided dish. Cooked meaty dog and cat food are also good alternatives. Ark wildlife stocks a great range of hedgehog food that means you don’t have to go making your own!
What do hedgehogs eat?
From my own observations I believe hedgehogs enjoy all the invertebrates that spilt food attracts: worms, slugs, bugs and beetles, every bit as much if not more than the seeds themselves.
What causes a hedgehog to weaken?
It is a weakening of the bones (amongst other symptoms) caused by a lack of calcium. The hedgehogs’ diet is poor in calcium and much of its natural food prey have a poor calcium : phosphorous ratio (the same is true of bats, another nocturnal insectivore). Therefore, when providing supplementary feeds, it’s important to ensure we add calcium to their diet and do not strip it even more. The two things hedgehogs need are room to roam and good quality food that has an appropriate calcium balance to avoid this condition.
Why is dried fruit not good for hedgehogs?
The issue with dried fruit is the much higher sugar content and stickiness compared to fresh. As there is no nutritional reason for feeding dried fruit, the small risk of tooth decay excludes their use. Dried fruit will not attract hedgehogs to your garden and better foods are available.
What do hedgehogs need to survive?
A small bowl of supplementary food will be greedily appreciated. Shelter: Hedgehogs need sleeping, breeding and hibernating quarters and these are usually different for each requirement. Plenty of space, quiet corners and dry cover will help them flourish.
Can hedgehogs eat mealworms?
However, they have a poor calcium : phosphorus ratio meaning they should only be fed as part of a balanced diet. The problem is hedgehogs seem to become addicted to mealworms, eating them to the exclusion of other foods. In the long term, this can result in illness and disease and it is therefore probably better not to feed them at all.
Do hedgehogs have calcium?
The hedgehogs’ diet is poor in calcium and much of its natural food prey have a poor calcium : phosphorous ratio (the same is true of bats, another nocturnal insectivore). Therefore, when providing supplementary feeds, it’s important to ensure we add calcium to their diet and do not strip it even more.
How to feed a hedgehog?
How to feed a baby hedgehog with syringe. Hold the syringe in one hand and the hoglet in the other. For tiny new borns, hold them in your palm on an angle so they are sort of on their backs, with your thumb under their chin. Bring the syringe's nipple tip right to their mouth if they are still too young to see it.
How to make goat milk for hedgehogs?
Try to use only filtered boiled water for the mix. Follow the directions on the goats milk powder and measure out 3 mls for the syringe in a separate container. Place covered excess formula in the fridge for up to 48 hours. A hedgehog mother's milk is body temperature, so you'll need to serve the formula at 35°c / 95°F. Formula can be re-heated by placing it inside a baby bottle and then into a bottle warmer. You can also place the formula inside a sealed container and sit it in boiling water for a minute. Always swirl rather than shake it to mix it to avoid disrupting the colostrum too much. Before feeding, make sure the formula is a safe temperature by placing a drop on your inner forearm and/or using a thermometer. Making sure you have exactly 3-5 mls in your syringe, depending on age chart below, you can now move on to the next step.
How often do hedgehogs massage their babies?
So mama hedgie massages their bellies to help their digestive tract do its thing! The mama hedgehog is also usually around to feed on demand and she nurses every 2-3 hours every time the baby wakes up from napping. This goes on usually for 3-5 weeks. She provides warmth and comfort by laying on top of them while they sleep. If you have found yourself in need of having to know how to feed a baby hedgehog, then you too will need to massage them, feed them formula every 2-3 hours and on demand, and provide warmth for them to thrive and grow.
How to toilet a baby hedgehog?
Since the baby hedgehog is not being groomed by their mama, they need your help with their digestion. Grab a cut piece of puppy pad into 2″ x 2″ / 5cm x 5cm squares and wrap it around their bottoms. This is to catch any excretions that can happen.
How long does it take for a hedgehog to walk?
By 3-4 weeks they should be able to walk up to it so the hedgie will attack it with their new forming teeth and lick it. So hold it a few cm away from them and let them come to it. The best advice regarding how to feed a baby hedgehog is to gently squeeze the formula out and never squeeze too much, too fast.
How long does a hedgehog nurse?
The mama hedgehog is also usually around to feed on demand and she nurses every 2-3 hours every time the baby wakes up from napping. This goes on usually for 3-5 weeks. She provides warmth and comfort by laying on top of them while they sleep.
How to warm up hedgehog milk?
A hedgehog mother's milk is body temperature, so you'll need to serve the formula at 35°c / 95°F. Formula can be re-heated by placing it inside a baby bottle and then into a bottle warmer. You can also place the formula inside a sealed container and sit it in boiling water for a minute.
Start by Considering What Is Attracting the Rats
The rats may be coming for other food sources in spite of the hedgehogs. Rats look for three things: food, water, and shelter. If they can find them in your garden, they will move in.
How to Feed the Hedgehogs and Not the Rats
Once you are certain that other food sources aren’t drawing the rats to your garden, there are ways that you can feed the hedgehogs to deter rats from coming and eating their food.
How to Deter Rats Without Deterring Hedgehogs
If you have tried cleaning up the garden and choosing your feeding times to deter the rats, but you still have them eating your hedgehog food, you may need to try to deter the rats. There are several different things you can do, and a few you should avoid.
Hedgehog Habits
Hedgehogs are nocturnal, and they move around between two and three kilometers each night as they look for food. During the day, they make nests where they sleep.
Understanding Rat Behavior
Both black and brown rats are nocturnal, and they are most active at night, especially a half hour after sunset and a half hour before the sun rises. They are more agile than your average hedgehog, as they can climb over fences, crawl through holes, dig tunnels, and climb up straight metal poles.
Best Way to Make Your Garden Inviting for Hedgehogs Without Attracting Rats
When you want to attract the hedgehogs to your garden, but not the rats, the best thing to do is to create an environment that will have the natural foods that hedgehogs love to eat. You will want to create areas with brush and plants that cause these natural foods to be in your garden.
Final Thoughts
Most people are aware that if you put food out in the garden, it will attract more than hedgehogs. Rats are scavengers and they will move in if they can find food, water, and shelter.