Unlock the Secret to a Perfect Hedgehog Diet: Ultimate Guide for Healthy, Happy Pets!

Introduction

Hedgehogs, with their endearing quills and nocturnal habits, are a welcome sight in gardens and wild spaces. Understanding their dietary needs is crucial for both wild and pet hedgehogs. This article delves into the intricacies of a hedgehog's diet, covering everything from their natural food sources to the best practices for supplementary feeding and the specific nutritional requirements of pet hedgehogs.

Natural Diet in the Wild

Wild hedgehogs are opportunistic omnivores with a diet primarily consisting of insects. According to Millermeade Farm's Critter Connection, they consume the whole insect, including the hard exoskeleton. They exhibit a preference for soft-bodied insects like centipedes and millipedes when available. Their diet also includes small vertebrates they can catch or carrion they encounter. They have even been known to eat birds’ eggs.

While hedgehogs have been observed consuming seeds, soft fruits, and vegetation, their bodies are not designed to efficiently digest plant matter. It is believed that they resort to these foods when their preferred insect diet is scarce.

It is vital to garden for insects. Creating habitats for beetles and butterflies, building a log pile and a compost heap, leaving areas long and wild, and growing a wide variety of plants that are attractive to insects are helpful. Supplementary feeding and leaving out food and water for hedgehogs can also help give them a helping hand, although it’s not unknown for a hedgehog to walk past a bowl of cat biscuits in favour of munching on a beetle. Building an insect hotel can attract bugs to your garden and provide somewhere for them to over-winter.

Nutritional Needs

Like all animals, hedgehogs require a balanced diet comprising proteins, carbohydrates, fats, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and water. Dr. Graffam's research, which remains a cornerstone in hedgehog diet information, emphasizes the importance of this balance. The animals and insects that hedgehogs consume in the wild are eaten whole, providing a range of essential nutrients from intestines, bones, and fur.

Water is one of the essential nutrients for humans and animals alike. Animals of all types can survive much longer without food than without water.

Feeding Wild Hedgehogs: Best Practices

Supplementary feeding can be beneficial for wild hedgehogs, especially when natural food sources are scarce. However, it's crucial to do so responsibly to avoid causing dietary imbalances.

Acceptable Foods

Cat or Dog Food: Both wet and dry cat or dog food are suitable options. Nutritionally, there is no difference between those in gravy, jelly, or loaf form. Fish flavors are acceptable, though some hedgehogs may not find them palatable.
Water: Fresh water should always be available. Some hedgehogs will refuse to drink or drink little if they don’t like the taste of the water. Using filtered or bottled water is suggested if you suspect your hedgehog is drinking less than two ounces of water per day.

Foods to Avoid

Mealworms: While hedgehogs enjoy mealworms, they should not be a primary food source. Feeding excessive amounts of mealworms can lead to an unbalanced diet and the development of metabolic bone disease. If you stop feeding meal worms it may take them a while to start eating other food you put out for them, but it is very important for their health to not feed meal worms.
Sunflower Seeds and Nuts: These are serious choking hazards for hedgehogs. Hedgehogs do not have a beak, specialized tongue, or the use of their front paws to help them crack and eat the meat of sunflower seed. Numerous hedgehogs have been reported to have peanuts stuck in the roof of their mouth.
Milk: Adult mammals are not designed to digest milk well and should therefore be avoided in adult animals.
Slug pellets: If you want to control slug numbers in your garden please never use slug pellets. They poison hedgehogs.

Considerations

Bird Feeder Fallout: Small amounts of high-phosphorous foods scavenged from under bird tables and feeders are unlikely to cause significant health issues when the hedgehogs have a naturally-balanced wild diet. However, reducing fallen peanuts and sunflower hearts is beneficial.
Garden Pesticides: The use of pesticides on crops and in gardens over recent years means that insect numbers are falling dramatically. Slugs, snails and earthworms, as well as being the less favoured foods for hedgehogs, also create another problem. They are the intermediate hosts for internal parasites that can make hedgehogs very sick.

Diet for Pet Hedgehogs

The diet of pet hedgehogs requires careful attention to ensure they receive the necessary nutrients for optimal health.

Base Diet

The bulk of a pet hedgehog's diet should consist of a pelleted food designed for hedgehogs/insectivores or a high-quality, low-calorie cat food. Lite forms of cat foods are traditionally used at the maintenance level. It is important to read hedgehog food labels carefully, as some brands contain seeds and nuts in their food and treats.

Supplementary Foods

Fruits and Vegetables: A mix of finely chopped fruits and vegetables can be provided daily, including spinach, romaine, leaf lettuce, collard greens, dandelion greens, kale, carrot, tomato, apple, squash, banana, grapes, pears, and berries.
Moist Food: Canned dog or cat food, cooked meat, or egg can be offered. Canned cat or dog foods are generally palatable, especially when thinned and slightly warmed. Soft foods or canned foods are good for hedgehogs with broken or missing teeth or other health issues. However, soft foods should not be fed as a sole diet because they do not provide tooth abrasion accomplished with chewing harder foods.
Insects: Mealworms, waxworms, and crickets can be offered as treats. Crickets should be fed some of your hedgehog's pellet and vegetables for 3 days before feeding. Freeze dried insects may be started earlier.

Feeding Amounts

Adults: 3-4 tsp of base diet, 1 tsp fruit/veg mix, 1 tsp moist or insects daily.
Young Hedgehogs (<3 months): Unlimited base diet, 1 tsp fruit/veg mix, 1 tsp moist or insects daily.

Additional Considerations

Treats: By eight to ten weeks of age your hedgehog should be ready for treats. It is important to only introduce one new food or treat at a time. Should your hedgehog develop an upset stomach you will know which food or treat is to blame. Daily treats are acceptable but you don’t spoil your hedgehog so that it is too full for its staple food. Once you find a food your hedgehog likes, don’t over feed it. That way your hedgehog will continue to enjoy it as a treat rather than expect it as a standard part of the diet. Make sure you remove any uneaten portion of moist or fresh foods to prevent spoilage or contamination. Some hedgehog owners like to “hide” or scatter dry food treats to provide additional hedgehog activity.
Water: Use a hanging water bottle or multiple open bowls. Change water daily and check that water sippers don't become clogged. Stale water can grow harmful bacteria so it is a good idea to change water on a regular basis. Watch your hedgehog for excessive chewing or jerking on the metal part of the water bottle. This behavior can lead to tooth problems and so you will need to switch to a water bowl. Water bowls can spill easily and if you don’t clean the bedding frequently you could develop a problem with mold or mildew in your cage. Hedgehogs need fresh food and water every day. It is very important for you to make sure your hedgehog is eating and drinking enough every day.

Common Problems and Solutions

Obesity: According to Dr. Graffam, obesity is the number one problem with captive hedgehogs and many die in a state of obesity.
Kidney Problems: Hedgehogs that don’t drink enough water are susceptible to kidney problems that could lead to an early death.
Tooth Problems: Excessive chewing or jerking on the metal part of the water bottle can lead to tooth problems. Soft foods should not be fed as a sole diet because they do not provide tooth abrasion accomplished with chewing harder foods.
Food Preferences: Hedgehogs are going to have their own taste preferences just like we prefer certain foods. Some hedgehogs will eat a variety of different foods every day and others will only eat their staple diet and nothing else. Most hedgehogs will have favorite foods and flat out refuse others. We suggest waiting to give your hedgehogs most treats until they are settled into their new home and eating on a regular schedule.
Harmful Additives: Studies have linked artificial fillers and preservatives in pet foods to cancers, ear infections, respiratory infections, joint problems, and a myriad of other health and wellness problems.

Housing

Hedgehogs require a pen that is at least 2 x 3 ft wide. A plastic bottom cage or aquarium is suitable. Give them supervised access to larger area to roam and play daily (protected room, play pen). Provide several hiding places in the enclosure. Solid flooring (no grates) is necessary for all living spaces. The floor should be lined with paper pulp bedding (e.g. Carefresh), newspaper or similar. Fleece bedding is another good option. All bedding should be changed daily. Some hedgehogs can be litter trained- use only paper based litter (e.g. Yesterday's News).

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