How do you feed a hedgehog?

Answer 1

Baby hedgehogs need to be fed by hand. They are able to eat baby kitten formula. The kitten milk replacer is a substitute for kittens that can't digest cow milk. Water is also an essential part in their diets.

Answer 2

There is much debate as to what constitutes proper hedgehog nutrition. But there are certain things that most people agree on. First, unless there is a medical reason to feed something else, your hedgehog should eat a diet low in fat, low in iron, and moderately high in protein. And remember, while babies are growing fast and may need more calories, an adult hedgehog's needs are different.

It is dangerous to suddenly switch foods, especially when hedgehogs are switched to a new home or in a stressful period such as quilling. Food switches should be slow - over the period of 1-2 weeks.

Water: Use a water bottle at shoulder height.

How to Feed: I suggest daily monitored feeding. This allows you to closely monitor your hedgehogs health and wellbeing - and to get medical attention faster if they begin to turn downhill. Daily monitored feeding also allows you to help prevent obesity. Give your adult hedgehog only enough food so that it is completely gone or almost gone the same time the next day. This will be 1 Tablespoon to ¼ cup depending on your hedgehogs age and activity level. If your hedgehog acts like it is starving at the next meal, increase the ration a bit, but stop increasing the ration when there is food left over. Decrease the ration if they begin to get fat. Be sure to feed at the same time every day!

Kibble: For adult hedgehogs, most people choose a mixture of several low-fat, adult, or senior cat foods and some hedgehog foods. You generally want around 30% protein and less than 15% fat. Look for a high-quality protein source listed as the first or second ingredient, and a lower percentage of fillers. For most adult hedgehogs, 1-2 tablespoons of this staple mix should be fed daily. Some hedgehogs will require foods higher in fat if they have trouble keeping on weight and/or are more active, while others will need less food or a food lower in fat to keep from getting obese. Foods that DO NOT list meat and bone by product meal, poultry by products, animal proteins or animal fats are much better for your hedgehog.

If you chose to change this food, do it gradually, mixing a little more of the new food in every few days.

Treats: The staple food should be supplemented with a variety of other foods. Depending on your animal's weight and the size of the insects, you can feed: 1-4 freeze-dried or live mealworms OR 1-4 wax worms; 2-4 crickets; 1-3 silkworms; two half-teaspoon servings of protein sources (lean cooked chicken, salmon, trout, turkey, tuna, boiled egg whites, etc.); and fruit and vegetables such as rice cooked in broth, cooked sweet potatoes, watermelon, banana, kiwi, steamed broccoli, cooked green beans, cooked carrots, etc. Make sure all food (except insects) is cut into small pieces, and all seeds are removed. Treats can be fed daily, so long as the hedgehog does not expect them as a staple food. I suggest only feeding treats moderately once a day 4 times a week at most.

DO NOT FEED:

Treats or staple foods containing whole or large pieces of nuts

Dried fruits

Raw Meat

Stringy or hard vegetables

Sticky, stringy, or hard foods

Avacado

Grapes or Raisins

Vitacraft brand hedgehog food

Milk

Wild Insects

Upset tummy -

When my hogs' have an upset tummy, I use Bene Back and plain organic yogurt with activated charcoal mixed in to help smooth things over.

Wild Hedgehogs -A wild hedgehogs diet will vary widely, depending on the species - but all are insectivores. This means they eat insects. But, they are also opportunists and will eat just about anything they can get their hands on. This includes fruits and vegetables. Some have been caught eating carrion and stealing bird eggs to eat, even sometimes feeding on the chicks of ground-nesting birds.

Please, DO NOT FEED wild hedgehogs. They are WILD and should not be treated as pets. Feeding them makes them dependent upon humans, which isn't good!

If you find a hedgehog in distress (unable to stand, injured, etc), call your local wildlife center immediately. DO NOT HANDLE THE HEDGEHOG!

Answer 3

Try Spikes Delite Hedgehog Food. I feed it to my adults.

Milk is poisonous to hedgehogs! It kills them. I think goat milk is OK though.

Answer 4

You would feed it usually dry cat food. it needs a high protein.

Answer 5

You can feed them a "good quality dried cat food" or "a specially formulated hedgehog food".

Answer 6

Commercial hedgehog food or cat food =)

I feed mine cat food.

Occasionally, you can give it some melons(make sure you remove the seeds!) or store-bought crickets =)

Answer 7

three spoon full and twice a day