Hedgehog Diet and Nutrition
May 15th 2009 14:58
Hedgehogs are still relatively new to the pet market, so we are still learning a good bit about them, but for now they are considered insectivores, but they do appear to be omnivores. You want to make sure that you include captive bred insects as a big part of your hedgehogs diet, versus just as treats. It is vital that they get that nutrition.
In the wild, they will eat small baby birds, rodents, and lizards, which is why it is a must that you make sure to regulate the protein intake, and include insects and a variety of meats into your hedgehog's diet.
Generally, you can find a good commercial brand of pellets to provide the majority of your hedgehog's diet, but you'll want to vary a hedgehog's diet with fresh fruits, vegetables, ad cooked meats, to ensure a healthy diet.
It's thought that hedgehogs need a fairly good bit of protein in their diet with low fats. It's good to have a diet that's about 30% protein and less than 20% fats.
It's actually believed that high fat diets can cause liver diseases in hedgehogs, so you want to carefully watch the fat intake of your hedgehog.
When feeding your hedgehog, you want to make sure that you create a well balanced diet. Consider some of the following food suggestions.
Meats:
Unseasoned, skinless, minced chicken, turkey, fish, salmon, cod, flounder, and shrimp.
Insects:
Crickets and mealworms.
You can consider the dehydrated mealworms, but it's always a good idea to include live mealworms to the diet. You can purchase live mealworms and crickets at pet stores, bait stores, and in bulk with online suppliers.
Fruits and vegetables:
Apples, asparagus, bananas, carrots, cherries, dandelion greens, grapes, green beans, green peppers, melons, peaches, radishes, sweet potatoes, and turnips.
Peas and corn can be a part of their diet, as most hedgehogs love them, but you should make them a very small part of the diet because both peas and corn are high in phosphorous and sugar.
Supplements:
You should also consider sprinkling supplements onto your hedgehog's food once a day. You may want to consider pure calcium powder without phosphorous.
Dry Kibble:
As mentioned there are a few brands of commercial hedgehog food such as Mazuri Insectivore Diet. Select Diet, L'Avian, Zoo Fare/Insectivore Fare, and a few others, but you can also consider a high quality cat food, such as Eagle Pack Holistic, Innova, Pinnacle, California Natural, Wellness, Royal Canin, or Natural Balance.
Just remember that a commercial food is not going to supply all the nutrition that your pet will need, so you will need to add the other meats, insects, fruits, and vegetables to your hedgehog's diet.
Water:
You should make sure that you have a shallow bowl of fresh water for your hedgehog. Some will drink out of the slipper bottles, such as the hamster water bottles, but the shallow bowl is just as sufficient.
How much should I feed my hedgehog?
When feeding your hedgehog, you want to make sure that you don't over feed or provide too much food because your hedgehog may waste it or he may start to become overweight.
It's a good idea to supply about a teaspoon of dry diet, a teaspoon of fruits and vegetables, about 6 mealworms, 1-2 crickets, and about a teaspoon of minced meat a day. It's best to provide the fresh food every evening.
In the wild, they will eat small baby birds, rodents, and lizards, which is why it is a must that you make sure to regulate the protein intake, and include insects and a variety of meats into your hedgehog's diet.
Generally, you can find a good commercial brand of pellets to provide the majority of your hedgehog's diet, but you'll want to vary a hedgehog's diet with fresh fruits, vegetables, ad cooked meats, to ensure a healthy diet.
It's thought that hedgehogs need a fairly good bit of protein in their diet with low fats. It's good to have a diet that's about 30% protein and less than 20% fats.
It's actually believed that high fat diets can cause liver diseases in hedgehogs, so you want to carefully watch the fat intake of your hedgehog.
When feeding your hedgehog, you want to make sure that you create a well balanced diet. Consider some of the following food suggestions.
Meats:
Unseasoned, skinless, minced chicken, turkey, fish, salmon, cod, flounder, and shrimp.
Insects:
Crickets and mealworms.
You can consider the dehydrated mealworms, but it's always a good idea to include live mealworms to the diet. You can purchase live mealworms and crickets at pet stores, bait stores, and in bulk with online suppliers.
Fruits and vegetables:
Apples, asparagus, bananas, carrots, cherries, dandelion greens, grapes, green beans, green peppers, melons, peaches, radishes, sweet potatoes, and turnips.
Peas and corn can be a part of their diet, as most hedgehogs love them, but you should make them a very small part of the diet because both peas and corn are high in phosphorous and sugar.
Supplements:
You should also consider sprinkling supplements onto your hedgehog's food once a day. You may want to consider pure calcium powder without phosphorous.
Dry Kibble:
As mentioned there are a few brands of commercial hedgehog food such as Mazuri Insectivore Diet. Select Diet, L'Avian, Zoo Fare/Insectivore Fare, and a few others, but you can also consider a high quality cat food, such as Eagle Pack Holistic, Innova, Pinnacle, California Natural, Wellness, Royal Canin, or Natural Balance.
Just remember that a commercial food is not going to supply all the nutrition that your pet will need, so you will need to add the other meats, insects, fruits, and vegetables to your hedgehog's diet.
Water:
You should make sure that you have a shallow bowl of fresh water for your hedgehog. Some will drink out of the slipper bottles, such as the hamster water bottles, but the shallow bowl is just as sufficient.
How much should I feed my hedgehog?
When feeding your hedgehog, you want to make sure that you don't over feed or provide too much food because your hedgehog may waste it or he may start to become overweight.
It's a good idea to supply about a teaspoon of dry diet, a teaspoon of fruits and vegetables, about 6 mealworms, 1-2 crickets, and about a teaspoon of minced meat a day. It's best to provide the fresh food every evening.
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