FAQ - What do I feed my new pet Hedgehog when I get it home?

Peekie - doing what he does best

One of the most frequent questions I receive from Hedgehog owners is what they will eat, and what to do if they don't eat things that they did at the breeders location. 

When Hedgie Whisperer's releases a baby from their litters they all have been on a staple diet which is high in protein with just the right amount of fat necessary for good health.  We supplement their diet with fruit and vegetable combinations and hard boiled eggs with treats of many kinds.
Some of the more favoured treats are yogurt drops, tiny bits of chocolate chip cookies, seasonal berries, at times mixed with small amounts yogurt, freeze dried krill and freeze dried crickets and mealworms.

Hedgehogs enjoy both live and freeze dried insects due to their natural trait of being insectavores.  They enjoy insects more when the seasons change from fall and winter over to spring and summer.  This is based solely on our experience with our herd of hedgies and their associated behaviours during the seasons.  Like all animals or most, they have internal clocks that often drive their activity levels during these times. 

Gracie - having a snooze on my lap 4-24-11

Quite often during a change of seasons, there can be other things happening to them i.e. quilling, which makes them less than happy to be with their owners.  Constant care and a nice oatmeal bath helps to sooth the pain from quilling, but they should be watched carefully to ensure there is no other ill health happening.  Hedgehog's can be masters at hiding an illness until it sometimes becomes more serious in nature to care for than if it is caught early.  Early detection is key.

It is always important to maintain your regular visits with your hedgie to keep them socialized and change their treats up frequently to give variety to their meals.  Kitten kibble with high protien and fat is the recommended food when hedgies are young.  As they get to 12 months or more an adult cat food can be mixed with the kitten kibble.  As an additional treat, tin cat food is always enjoyed by the hedgie.  We recommend not using any beef products, and no grapes in their diets.  They enjoy fresh cooked chicken and shrimp cut up finely. 

All night time or just treats in general which we provide to our hedgies including the regular carrots & fruit/veggie & boiled egg treats are limited to approximately 1/4 tsp of each per day.  Trying new foods with your hedgie is key to helping to ensure a healthy happy lifestyle while providing the proper amounts of required vitamins & nutrients.  Hedgie's often need to be introduced to new foods 4 or 5 times before giving up on the new food as an item he/she does or does not enjoy. 

Remember to keep in mind the uniqueness of your exotic pet, all hedgies have different or varying personality traits and each enjoy different foods. They are not all the same and do not always enjoy all the same foods once they leave their breeders home and arrive at their new fur-ever homes.  This is just another reason why it is important for the new owner to try new food items outside of the regular diet to see what your hedgie enjoys the most and to maintain the same contact with them daily!  Your hedgie will become accustom to you, (its source of food) and its environment (smells of the home & you) and know what he/she can expect from you from a regular routine and regular diet. 

Until next posting "Stay Quilled"

The Hedgie Whisperer Team

This and all blog posts referring to the care and management or health issues are not substitutes for a Vet's care when required. The posts are meant to provide a guideline and to answer FAQ's and are not absolutes nor should any be construed as "gospel". The answer/information is provided through research, knowledge and experiences through the ownership of these cute little creatures/animals and is meant to help identify and offer possible suggestions/solutions for known health issues of a frequently asked nature. Hedgie Whisperer's as the editor of this content offers this information as a guide and does not offer the information as a Vet nor would these posts be a replacement for proper Vet care in any form whether written or verbal. Copyright (c) 2010 -2011