Hedgehogs mainly eat creepy crawlies
The most important invertebrates in their diet are worms, beetles, slugs, caterpillars, earwigs and millipedes. As well as these, they also eat a wide range of other insects.
In addition to this food, you should offer live insects, cooked chicken, vegetables, and fruits. A very small amount of canned cat food can be offered as a treat. Stay away from seeds, raisins, and dried fruits and vegetables (they get stuck in their mouths).
Several hedgehog owners have recommended using chicken baby food without onions. One brand or flavor may be preferred over others. One more thing to try is a mixture of baby rice cereal with bananas and a tiny bit of acidophilus powder to the food.
Our hedgehogs love Whiskas kitten food, it's a firm favourite as the tasty pieces are small enough for the young hoglets.
Leave out foods like tinned dog or cat food and crushed cat or dog biscuits. Supply good quality, meaty hedgehog food from wildlife food suppliers. Never feed hedgehogs milk or bread - milk can cause diarrhoea and bread isn't very nutritious.
Fish protein is beneficial and therefore within a balanced, cat or dog food is fine for hedgehogs.
Insects are a favorite for hedgehogs. You can offer live bugs, which will also give your tiny buddy the chance to 'hunt' his dinner. Frozen ones are fine as well. Mealworms, wax worms, silk worms and crickets are all good options.
Fruits: Dried fruit should be avoided, but a small amount of fresh fruit can be offered to your hedgehog as treats. 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.
Talking to your hedgehog while holding, snuggling, bathing, and other enjoyable activities will help your hedgehog associate the sound of your voice with comfort and enjoyment. Over the years we have found the radio and music very soothing for a variety of different animals.
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.
Blue Buffalo Healthy Living Cat Food For Hedgehogs:
The Blue Buffalo Healthy Living cat food is our choice for best overall because of its high protein content, an essential supply of vitamins and antioxidants, and high-quality ingredients.
Pet hedgehogs can eat a variety of lean cooked meats: Chicken. Turkey. Beef.
Provide the hedgehog with ceramic dishes of food and water. They love cat food, dog jelly-meat and biscuits, apples and bananas. Do not feed them bread or milk as this will make them sick. If you are concerned about the health of a hedgehog, you can contact Hedgehog Rescue New Zealand for further advice and assistance.
Hedgehogs are active during the night, so the best time to put out food is just after dusk, when they are starting to search for food. The Autumn and Winter months are the most important for them to find food to put on enough weight before hibernation, so always make sure you put out food at this time of year.
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 are nocturnal and usually eat at night.
Insects and other invertebrates are the hedgehog's main natural food source. A typical diet includes: Beetles. Earwigs.
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. You can also leave out a shallow dish of water for hedgehogs and other wildlife to drink from.
Like many pocket pets, hedgehogs love to explore mazes and tunnels. This will keep Hedgie active, and offer him mental stimulation. You can buy labyrinths, or make your own out of shoeboxes or PVC pipe. To make your pet's explorations even more fun for him, hide a snack at the end of the tunnel.
Hedgehogs are known to be very communicative when it comes to their needs, and often make a low purring sound when they are happy or content.
Hedgehogs need environmental temperatures between 70 and 80 degrees. Keep your hedgehog's cage away from drafts, direct sunlight, or cold areas. You may want to provide your hedgehog with a small warm spot in his cage where he can go to get warm but would also be able to get away from if he feels too warm.
Tea Tree oil/ Eucalyptus/Thieves - this includes: tea tree shampoo, tea tree oil, tea tree sprays and anything tea tree. Even Candles inhaled can harm your hedgehog!
YES, there is no nutritional difference between fish flavours and other flavours, while some hedgehogs do not find fish flavours very palatable, they are in no way harmful. At Prickles and Paws we mix all different flavours together which stops them becoming fussy on flavours.
We see hedgehogs coming in from gardens where people consistently feed them and they are overweight and their prickles are thinning.” It's hedgehog inequality! That's basically right. Too much food can also stop them hibernating, which messes up their breeding cycles.