Hedgehog Food List: What to Feed Them With?

November 14, 2013July 8, 2021 Meg 844 Views 0 Comments hedgehog diet, hedgehog food

So Many Options but Not All the Same. What Are the Alternatives for a Healthy Diet?

In this hedgehog food list, we’ve compiled all the foods that your hedgie should and should not eat.

This list is made up of the suggested and general consensus of a number of breeders and actual owners.

Before you go any further, I suggest to print this list and use it as an easy guideline.

Also, I recommend you read my pet hedgehog’s diet guide so you become more comfortable with his feeding routines.

Good Primary Source of Protein

These foods should make up the majority of your hedgehog’s diet (1-2 tablespoons per day, depending on its size).

Find one that your hedgehog likes or mix together a few brands of cat foods to ensure proper nutrient balance, and try to stick with this choice for consistency.

Cat food (low fat, high protein)

If you have had a cat (or know someone that does), you may have experienced they would eat mostly wet food, and when there is nothing else, dry grains.

The same goes for African Pygmy hedgehogs!

What ever you choose to put on their plate, it is important to provide with low fat meals that contain high protein.

So, can hedgehogs eat wet cat food? Yes, they can and some of these could be:

Wet Food – Fancy Feast by Purina

cat food for hedgehog with chicken and high protein — **BENEFITS**: Provides high protein, easy to eat, good white chicken meat.

Dry Food by Blue Wilderness

Dry free grain cat food with chicken protein for African Pygmy hedgehogs — **BENEFITS**: This dry free grain food has low fat ingredients ideal for adult hedgehogs

Food dedicated for hedgehogs

Now, it is way better to provide with foods that have additional nutrients for a healthy diet.

Some of the best recommenced (but not limited) are:

Vita Prima Hedgehog Food

ZooPro – A mix of Dried Insects

ZooPro dry insects and chicken grain free meal with no artificial colors or preservatives — **Good**: This mix of chicken, mealworms and black solider fly can provide the nutrients needed and more importantly when they are still growing.

Good Snack Foods

These foods a great treat options to give your hedgehog in tiny amounts (1 tablespoon or less), 3-4 days per week.

Meat & Fish:
- Chicken
- Salmon
- Tuna

Vegetables (usually cooked):
- Romaine lettuce
- Arugula
- Dandelion greens
- Collard greens
- Spinach
- Broccoli
- Sweet potato
- Asparagus
- Radish, turnip
- Green pepper
- Carrot

Fruits
- Apple
- Banana
- Cherry
- Pears
- Melons: Cantaloupe, Honeydew,Watermelon
- Papaya
- Mango
- Peaches
- Plum
- Squash + Pumpkin
- Berries: Strawberries, Cranberries, Raspberries, Blackberries, Blueberry (without skin)

Acceptable Snack Foods

These foods are decent hedgehog meal alternatives to offer some variety in their diet, but should be fed only occasionally in small portions (1 tablespoon or less).

Insects:
- Mealworms
- Waxworms
- Crickets

Meat:
- Lean steak

Dairy:
- Cottage cheese
- Yogurt
- Eggs

What to Avoid?

The following can be poisonous or could upset their stomach so make sure their don’t eat them at all.

Dairy:
- Milk, specially if it is full cream.

Fruits:
- Grapes and raisins
- Citrus fruits
- Avocado
- Pineapple

Vegetables:
- Onion
- Garlic
- Potato
- Tomato
- Mushroom

Meats:
- Processed and canned red meat
- Raw meat
- Seasoned or fried meat

Insects:
- From bait shops
- From your yard (just in case you spread chemical products to control pests or weeds).

Other:
- All nuts and seeds
- Chocolate

If you are still unsure what else can be included in your hedgehog food list for their right nutrition, I suggest to contact a trusted breeder or alternately, a veterinarian online at any time.