What should I feed my hedgehog?

Hamor Hollow Food Mix

To be honest, there aren't many foods marketed specifically for hedgehogs and most of the ones that are out there aren't very good. Your best bet is to make a mixture of cat foods or purchase some of ours. We offer our mix for sale for $10 for 2.5 pounds which will last a hedgehog approximately 2-3 months. Additional shipping costs may apply.

Our current mix consists of:

  • Walmart Special Kitty (Blue Bag)

  • Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul Light

  • Purina Kitten

  • Purina One Kitten

  • Purina Cat Chow (Red Bag)

  • Fancy Feast Chicken

  • Fancy Feast Salmon

  • Bil-Jack Light Dog Food (Don't bother with this if you only have 1 or 2 hedgehogs)

  • Select Diet (Special Order)

If you make your own mix, be careful not to make it too rich. Because of the way hedgehogs metabolize their food, we found that adding too many "high quality" foods to their mix caused them to become obese and increased the occurrence of fatty liver disease. When we changed to our current mix, we noticed that our hedgehogs were more active, maintaining a healthier weight, living longer, and were better able to birth and feed their babies.

We recommend using cat foods over "hedgehog specific" foods because most "hedgehog specific" foods are over-priced and contain a high amount of fillers and inadequate nutrition. Our contract specifically states that we will not warranty any baby if you choose to feed a "hedgehog specific" brand.

What about treats for my hedgehog?

Hedgehogs are insectivores, which means that they eat bugs. Mealworms, waxworms, crickets, and silkworms are all hedgehog delicacies and you can offer these live or freeze-dried. You may also want to try offering your hedgehog Vitacraft yogurt treats made for small animals.

You can offer most fruits and unsalted vegetables, raw and cooked, to your hedgehog. Please chop all hard vegetables into small pieces so they don't get stuck in the roof of the mouth. Many people have reported that their hedgies adore cooked peas. Unseasoned chicken is another favorite snack. You can also give your hedgehog a teaspoon of yogurt or baby food; my hedgies love the little hot dogs.

Don't be discouraged if your new pet doesn't take to a snack food right away. Sometimes it takes a few offerings for the hedgie to realize what the new food is, and that it is food.

Never give you pet raw meats. All cooked meats should be fed either outside of the cage or the cage should be cleaned within a few hours of feeding time. Any uneaten meat pieces will be prone to bacteria growth with could be harmful to both you and your pet.

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