Hedgehogs are small mammals that love to spend time in the garden and look for worms to eat.Hedgehogs have spines on their back and upper body; a hedgehog has over 5000 spikes! These spikes are lowered or raised according to the situation; if a hedgehog senses danger, these hedgehogs curl up in a ball.Hedgehogs like to hibernate during the winter months. These hedgehogs like to live in leafy under areas in the garden and are killed by gardeners as they burn garden litter without checking. Hedgehog is recognized as an ally of the garden.Before we find out, what do hedgehogs eat, and if it is okay to feed your pet hedgehog human food, did you know that hedgehogs are declining in number by two-thirds of their population in the last 25 years? If your garden is visited by hedgehogs, be sure to feed these hedgehogs. Now, we will see what do hedgehogs eat and answer questions regarding hedgehogs’ diet. After reading about the foods that hedgehogs can eat, do read about how to take care of a hedgehog and how long do hedgehogs live.What do hedgehogs eat in the wild?Wild hedgehogs feed on a wide variety of foods. The majority of the diet of a hedgehog consists of invertebrates. From various scientific studies, much has been discovered about what a hedgehog’s diet is made up of from the stomach and stool of wild hedgehogs.The invertebrates in a hedgehog’s diet are made up of worms, beetles, slugs, earwigs, caterpillars, and millipedes. Hedgehogs also feed on insects like crickets (but crickets are not a healthy option for hedgehogs). Worms are an important part of a hedgehog’s diet. Wild hedgehogs eat a variety of food and are known as opportunistic eaters. Wild hedgehogs eat fallen fruits, fallen eggs in the garden, waiting to hog them.What human food can hedgehogs eat?Hedgehogs eat a variety of foods. You might wonder, what can hedgehogs eat from human food? We will cover the answer in this part of the article. Hedgehog is omnivorous and insectivorous.For main food, hedgehog owners can feed boiled eggs, lean meat (poultry should be preferred). For snacks, fruits, and vegetables like apples, bananas. Make sure that you peel the skin off of apples or any fruits and vegetables before feeding your hedgehog.It is important to avoid feeding sugar to your hog. Sugar is not suitable for your hogs and should not be fed. Avoid feeding dried fruits as they can get stuck and can cause discomfort to the hedgehog.What should you not feed hedgehogs?The ideal hedgehog diet should have a calcium to the phosphorous ratio of 2:1 to 1:1.For example, mealworms, along with beetles, crickets, and peanuts must not be fed to hedgehogs.Hedgehogs are lactose intolerant. Milk and cheese can cause your hedgehog diarrhea. Bread and eggs are not recommended. Eggs contain high calcium to phosphorus ratio. Crickets are poor in calcium to phosphorus ratio. Beetles are also poor with the ratio. Cheap dog food or cat food contains chemical additives and high sugar content. Milk is a big no as they are lactose intolerant. Avoid feeding insects from bait shop due to the exposure to chemicals.These foods are toxic and can cause serious illness to a hedgehog.Remember to not feed your hedgehog milk.How to feed hedgehogs?We have talked about what do hedgehogs eat, now let’s see how to feed them. Hedgehogs can get obese easily. It is important for owners to track how much they are feeding their pet hedgehogs. The hedgehog food or cat food should be the majority of the diet. Even if your hedgehog is active at night and burns lots of energy, you should control the amount of cat food or hedgehog food your pet hedgehog gets.Hedgehogs eat more at night while it’s staying active and run on the wheel. So if you don’t see your pet hedgehog eating much during the day. Any leftover food, at night, should be thrown away the next day. Do not feed your pet hedgehog spoiled food. Make sure that freshwater is available 24 hours.Did you know that hedgehogs are nocturnal? Hedgehogs sleep in the day, while they like to stay active and eat food at night.Hedgehogs love eating meat-based wet dog food or kitten food. These foods are high in protein and low in fat. Hedgehogs get most of their nutrients from insects and worms. You can place a food bowl in your garden or feeding station. Do not forget to put a bowl of freshwater. If you split food over many sites, it may reduce aggression at one food bowl.Deciding What To Feed Hedgehogs As Their Main Source Of FoodFinding the main sources of food and what to feed hedgehogs is simple if you learn. If you have a pet hedgehog, and you want to know exactly what do hedgehogs eat, then you can have a better understanding if you know the main sources of their diet.It is most important to remember that a healthy diet for a pet hedgehog should be low in fat and high in protein. It is important to mimic a diet of wild hedgehogs for your pet hedgehog from a nutrients perspective. Following these principles will help you keep your pet hedgehog happy and healthy.These wild hedgehogs, in the wild, eat insects mainly for their meal. As a snack, hedgehogs eat frogs, fish, worms, and eggs. All these insects are high in protein and low in fat. Hedgehogs love a variety of foods, but it is important that their primary need for food is getting met. Hedgehogs also like a snack occasionally. Just remember to make a note of what to feed your hedgehog and what not to. Hedgehogs use their long snout to hunt. It helps them to easily search for insects, mealworms.The amount of food a pet hedgehog eats is measured in tablespoons. Let us divide their diet into two parts- the main source of food for hedgehogs and snacks and treats.In the main course, your hedgehog can eat cat food or hedgehog food. As hedgehog food is not full of nutrients, breeders recommend feeding cat food to your pet hedgehog. Cat food is cheaper, numerous options and the quality of cat food is high. It is highly recommended to feed cat food to your pet hedgehog.Make sure that you have fresh water running for your pet hedgehog for 24 hours. Freshwater is important for hogs to drink and stay hydrated.Do you ever wonder why hedgehogs are called ‘hedgehogs’? It is because the name ‘hedge’ means the area where they build their nests. The ‘hog’ part means a small snorting sound they make.Hedgehog Treats And Snacks To Add Some VarietyNow, we answered, ‘what do hedgehogs eat?’ as the main source and know that cat food is our go-to but, it is important to add some snacks and treats for your hedgehog in their diet.Giving snacks and treats can strengthen your bond with your pet hedgehog. Treats in the form of fruit and vegetables can be early on so that your pet hedgehog becomes comfortable. A good treat is a way to go!Treats can also provide some extra enrichment to your hedgehog.It is important to remember that, these treats and snacks (fruit and vegetables also, as they can cause them to choke) should be given in moderation. Feed your hedgehog mostly with cat food only. And occasionally treat your hedgehog.Let us divide treats for your pet hedgehog into fruit and vegetables.Cooked vegetables are healthy to feed your hedgehog with. Keep track of sugars. Some include: arugula spinach, carrots, collard greens, radish.Fruit can be an amazing treat for your pet hedgehog. But remember to not overdo this type of treat, that is fruit. Fruits have a lot of sugars and can be dangerous for your pet hedgehog. Some fruits include: apples, papaya, pears, banana, mangoes.Baby food is also one option to feed your pet hedgehog with. But remember that there should be portion control in what you feed as a natural diet, and apart from this. Baby food should not be given every day. Just like when we have a chocolate cake on our birthdays. Remember to check that baby food label. The baby food should be without, sugar, salt. The best baby food should contain meat. Do not replace baby food with the natural diet of your pet hedgehog.Can I give my hedgehog dog food?If you search online, many owners suggest that dog food is okay for your pet hedgehog to be fed with.Hedgehogs are exotic animals, and when dealing with their diet, and it is crucial to know their relationship with foods. Dog food is not exactly a healthy food choice for a pet hedgehog. If you wish to feed your hedgehog with dog food, you must make sure that the nutrient content should match the hedgehog feeding guideline, it should not contain harmful foods or foods that are not recommended for a hedgehog, you must break down the kibble into small pieces.Dog food creates confusion among people. If it is okay to feed your hedgehog or not. Different owners have different opinions about if it is okay or not. The reason why some people say that hedgehogs should not be fed dog kibble is because of harmful contents in the dog food at times. Many of these kibbles contain fish that are not suitable for hedgehogs. Dog foods have more fat, whereas a hedgehog needs more protein.How varied should a pygmy hedgehog’s diet be?Wild hedgehogs in the wildlife eat insects and small animals. Insects like worms, mealworms, snails, and some fruit.An African pygmy hedgehog would be fed a similar diet, but only differs in how much food. As African pygmy hedgehogs do not spend much energy, the amount of food should be controlled. Wild hedgehogs have to search for food, whereas pygmy hedgehogs don’t have to.The pygmy hedgehog is prone to obesity and can become greedy. Insects like crickets, worms, mealworms, should be fed occasionally as a wild hedgehog feeds on them. As pygmy hedgehogs are a domesticated breed of hedgehogs, and they need less fat and a healthy diet. These hedgehogs don’t hibernate as a wild hedgehog does.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for what do hedgehogs eat then why not take a look at hedgehog vs porcupine, or hedgehog facts.
Hedgehogs are small mammals that love to spend time in the garden and look for worms to eat.
