Best hedgehog food? Let’s go…
According to many pet owners, raising a hedgehog is very simple because it has excellent resistance and few problems.
However, they can get some dangerous diseases. In particular, intestinal inflammation is a common factor in the species during the reproductive period.
The intestinal inflammation, once occurring, can seriously affect the pet’s health.
It has many forms, so the treatment is different. Nevertheless, if your hedgehog isn’t treated promptly, he can die in a short time.
Sounds serious, right?
However, don’t worry too much. If you know all the necessary knowledge and how to treat the pets well, all their health issues can be eliminated.
In this article, we will list the best-recommended hedgehog food that you should buy as well as the guidelines related to feeding them properly.
To master the hedgehog adoption, make sure you don’t miss anything in our advice.
Page Contents
- 1 Different Types of Food for Hedgehog
- 2 The Best Ingredient List for a Hedgehog
- 3 How to Feed Hedgehogs?
- 4 Customer Picks: Top-Rated Best Hedgehog Food Reviews in 2020
- 5 Best Hedgehog Food List in 2020
- 5.1 Spikes Semi-moist Hedgehog Food
- 5.2 Exotic Nutrition Hedgehog Complete – High Protein Hedgehog Diet
- 5.3 Merrick Before Grain Meat
- 5.4 8in1 Ultra-Blend Select Hedgehog Diet
- 5.5 Fluker’s Freeze-Dried Mealworms
- 5.6 Exotic Nutrition Berries & Bugs
- 5.7 Spike’s Delite Hedgehog Premium Diet Food
- 5.8 Tasty Worms Freeze-Dried Mealworms
- 5.9 Sunseed Company-Vita Prima Hedgehog Treat-Wigglers & Berries
- 5.10 Tasty Bug Treats Mealworms – Premium Dried Mealworms
- 5.11 Mazuri Insectivore Diet Hedgehogs
- 6 Best Cat Food for a Baby Hedgehogs
- 7 Recommended Cat Food for Mature Hedgehogs
- 7.1 Blue Buffalo Weight Control Natural Mature Dry Cat Food
- 7.2 Purina Beyond Simply Natural, Adult Dry Cat Food
- 7.3 Iams Proactive Health Original Adult Dry Cat Food
- 7.4 Chicken Soup Weight & Mature Care Cat Can
- 7.5 Blue Buffalo Wilderness Natural Mature Dry Cat Food with Chicken
- 7.6 Nutro Indoor Adult Cat Food for Hedgehogs
- 7.7 Natural Balance Limited Dry Cat Food
- 7.8 Fromm Mature Gold Dry Cat Food
- 8 FAQs about Best Hedgehog Food
- 8.1 Can my hedgehog eat cat food? Do dog food work as well as cat food?
- 8.2 Can my hedgehog eat hamster or guinea pig food?
- 8.3 I’ve read that hedgehog can eat baby food. Is that true?
- 8.4 Should I worry that my pet doesn’t eat but sleeps all day?
- 8.5 Is it ok if I feed my pet with live insects?
- 8.6 Which food is the most dangerous for a hedgehog?
- 8.7 What is best to feed pregnant hedgehogs and mother hedgehog?
- 8.8 How can I help my diarrhea hedgehog?
- 9 Our last words
Different Types of Food for Hedgehog
Dog and cat food
The top food in here for hedgehogs is exceptionally familiar, which is the dog and cat food sold at most pet stores.
It can be dry or wet food so that you can choose the suitable type based on the pet’s interest and habits.
The food packages provide full of nutrients including taurine, which is an amino acid needed for eye function of the pet, vitamin C which enhances the immune system and helps reduce the impact of stress on the health, calcium, phosphorus, vitamin D, omega and zinc, etc., helping your pet grow fast and be healthy.
Mixed food
- Mixed food is made from a variety of grains and seeds such as sunflower seeds, rice, popcorn, and cat food, etc.
- This kind of food is to change the taste of the hedgehogs, helping scrawny ones choose their favorite food, thereby improving the body’s condition.
- The mix is an additional nutritional solution, a weaning food.
- You should add it to the list of your pet to assure that he won’t get bored when eating.
Cooked food
- Hedgehogs like to eat chicken, especially chicken breast.
- You can give them some chopped meat mixed with vegetables.
- The chicken must be prepared to avoid diarrhea because porcupines do not have resistance as strong as those in wildlife.
- Moreover, you can add the boiled egg yolk to the diet of the hedgehogs.
Natural food
Worms
- Worms provide an abundant amount of fat, salt, vitamins, and micro-nutrients to help your hedgehog change the taste to stimulate the appetite.
- This kind of food works effectively when the hedgehogs need to recover their health.
- Unless you feed the pet with worms about 2-3 times a week, the hedgehog will get fat quickly.
- Also, if you give him too many mealworms, he probably will not eat other foods.
Vegetables and fruits
Besides, there are the pets having passion for vegetables and fruits.
You can let your pet discover with different kinds of fruit like pears, apples, papayas, mangoes, bananas, berries like strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries, etc. (remember to remove the crust outside), cooked vegetables such as carrots, sweet potatoes, and red beets, etc.
Avoid giving him plenty of sour fruits, because if the body accumulates a lot of acids, it will cause many complications such as infertility in males.
In particular, remember to remove the seeds before feeding him the fruit.
Besides vegetables, the hedgehogs also like to eat nuts such as peanuts, almonds, chestnuts, walnuts, sunflower seeds, etc.
Fresh milk
In this product, the nutrient compositions are quite high, so you can feel secure when using it for your pet.
The types of fresh milk that can be used for the hedgehogs are cow milk and goat milk (sugar-free milk).
Of which, cow milk is used for mature and reproductive hedgehogs, and goat milk is for baby ones when their mother does not care.
Water
Absolutely, water is necessary for hedgehogs since they drink and also exercise very much.
You should not neglect that the water in the hedgehog cages should be clean and placed frequently to avoid many intestinal diseases occurring in the species.
The Best Ingredient List for a Hedgehog
The hedgehogs are omnivorous, so the food they can eat is quite a lot and varied.
However, not every hedgehog eats the same that some like this but the other does not.
Also, maybe depending on the different ages and living conditions, hedgehog food is diverse.
The common and foremost thing is that, when raising a hedgehog, no matter what kind of food you choose, you must ensure a certain percentage of protein, fiber, vitamins, water, etc. to avoid nutritional imbalance.
From that, your pet will grow steadily.
Here’s what the hedgehog’s diet needs.
Baby hedgehogs
It’s vital to supply a high percentage of fat in food, and here is the correct amount of nutrients:
- Protein: 27-34%
- Fat: 8-15%
- Fiber: 3-8%
If your animal is in the recovering period from disease, he can also apply this ratio.
Adult hedgehogs
In this stage, the protein is concentrated more because the hedgehog will need more energy to move and play. The precise levels of nutrients are:
- Protein: 30-33%
- Fat: 10-13%
- Fiber: 3-8%
How to Feed Hedgehogs?
Hedgehogs sold at the stores are mostly 4-7 months old. At that time, you feed them 2-3 times per day. A mature individual can eat 40 grams of food every day.
From 7 months and older, you just need to feed them once a day in the evening, because this is the time their activities occur.
For a hedgehog in the reproductive period, she will feed her babies with milk for 4-8 weeks.
During this time, let’s increase the amount of sugar-free cow’s milk to the mother hedgehog. After 2 months, babies can eat their food.
NOTE: The amount of food that a hedgehog needs vary based on each individual, so with a new one, each time feeding him, you start with a small quantity and then increase it gradually to avoid wasting hedgehog food, from that causing food spoilage.
Customer Picks: Top-Rated Best Hedgehog Food Reviews in 2020
Best Hedgehog Food List in 2020
Spikes Semi-moist Hedgehog Food
The Spikes brand provides the hedgehog with semi-moist food, containing ingredients that are neither dry nor wet.
It is also delicious, suitable to almost hedgehogs at all ages and weights.
If you want to promote the taste of the species, you can easily mix the food with other ingredients like fruits or grains.
Attributes:
- Offering semi-moist chicken-based food.
- Being flexible to mix with other kinds of food.
- Helping hedgehog gain good health.
Exotic Nutrition Hedgehog Complete – High Protein Hedgehog Diet
This product is an excellent combination of mealworms and grains, which provides a high protein content but doesn’t make the hedgehogs overweight.
It is thanks to the chitin, a component strengthening the pets’ bones through the natural fiber contained in it.
Attributes:
- Supplying protein and fiber.
- Being advantageous for both wild and adopted hedgehogs.
Merrick Before Grain Meat
With Merrick pet food, your hedgehog will have two options of chicken and salmon flavors.
No matter which one you’ll buy for the pet, he will be satisfied with the grain-free meat-based food.
Attributes:
- Offering excellent flavors.
- Being suitable for hedgehogs with small pieces.
- Having meat approved by USDA.
8in1 Ultra-Blend Select Hedgehog Diet
Designed and produced in small pieces, the food is optimized for the pets to chew comfortably.
Therefore, you can buy the product as the pet’s treat. Admittedly, the hedgehog will be very happy and eat the food in two seconds.
Fortified with vitamins and minerals, the 8 In 1 hedgehog healthy diet is very useful for the species to gain steadily development.
Attributes:
- Carrying all the vital nutrients for the hedgehogs’ health.
- Being convenient for old pets to chew.
- Having an excellent taste.
- Being a bit expensive.
Fluker’s Freeze-Dried Mealworms
Nutritious and natural are a few of the adjectives that we could use when describing this product.
However, the hedgehogs should not be fed too many mealworms due to the obesity and related health issues to your pet.
It is a source of vitamins, minerals, and other vital nutrients.
Attributes:
- Coming with natural ingredients.
- Adding to the diet of the hedgehogs.
- Keeping the food clean and fresh with a convenient shaker.
Exotic Nutrition Berries & Bugs
The food coming from the Exotic Nutrition is another mix for the hedgehogs that you can trust and let your pet use.
It offers the necessary components of insects, grains, and berries so that your hedgehog will be ensured about the full development.
If your hedgehog is a picky eater, then this item is for him.
The food contains all the necessary ingredients that a hedgehog cannot resist in eating like chicken, soy, and fish at a reasonable ratio.
After a period getting used to it, your pet will surely prefer the dried food than the live insects.
Tasty Worms Freeze-Dried Mealworms
If your pet needs more than the live mealworms in his diet, maybe he will love this product from Tasty Worms.
Preserving all the nutrients by the freeze-drying process, the food offers a much higher content of protein and fat compared to typical drying ways.
Also, with 5 percent of moisture, it’s not necessary to rehydrate the food before feeding your pet.
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Sunseed Company-Vita Prima Hedgehog Treat-Wigglers & Berries
When there is a limited number of brands using berries as a part of the ingredients of the hedgehogs’ diet, the Sunseed becomes outstanding as one of the best suppliers.
With high-protein food, your hedgie will have various choices of celery, mealworms, and strawberries.
It’s also enjoyable if you organize a game for the pet to prompt his foraging instinct.
Since the food of Tasty Bug Treats is 100% of mealworms, you can mix and match the dish with other ingredients that your hedgehog love.
Furthermore, the pet will receive a high amount of protein compared to other brands that the mealworms are partially dried, making the larva still retain the nutritious interior portions.
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Mazuri Insectivore Diet Hedgehogs
Mazuri hedgehog food is the best one for your cute pet.
Supplying insects for hedgehogs, the food, however, does not need the supplementation of other ingredients.
The reason is that it also comes with fish oil and fiber, providing all the essential nutrients for the animals.
You can also add the additional fruits and greens for the pets if you want.
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Best Cat Food for a Baby Hedgehogs
Halo Natural Dry Seafood
If your hedgehog gets bored of chicken in his daily diet, then the Halo dry cat food will probably be suitable for him.
With the main ingredients of fish (whitefish and salmon), the product is a good source of protein while balancing the fat level in the animal’s body with the fiber content.
The next brand here is another one producing seafood-based cat food that almost hedgehogs prefer to eat – Taste of the Wild.
Especially, with probiotics added in the product, your pet’s intestinal tract will be very favorable.
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Blue Buffalo Natural Dry Cat Food
This cat food provides the components which are more necessary for hedgehogs than their actual food, so you don’t have to worry about feeding your hedgie with the product.
With high-quality protein and natural fiber sources, the species will be ensured about a healthy body and less intestinal diseases.
Royal Canin Dry Kitten Food 15lb
Covering all the features built for kittens, it is also suitable to be used as the hedgehog baby food.
The product is enhanced in developing digestive systems, from that support the young animals with better nutrient absorption.
Furthermore, the food is effortless to chew, making sure that your pet will not have any problem with his mouth and teeth when dining.
Hill’s Science Diet Dry Kitten Food 7lb.
Like the Royal Canin food, this Hill’s Science Diet package is the dry food for kittens and is compatible with other species like hedgehogs.
For those who have problems with upper respiratory problems and his skin disorder, it’s very beneficial that the product offers a high content of l-lysine.
Chicken Soup
The next cat food for hedgehogs that we have on here comes from Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul, a long-standing brand in the market.
One lucky news for almost pet owners is that the food doesn’t contain any wheat or corn but invests in wholesome ingredients like chicken and natural vegetable fiber.
Recommended Cat Food for Mature Hedgehogs
Blue Buffalo Weight Control Natural Mature Dry Cat Food
As its name indicates, the food is perfect for the hedgehogs with difficulty in controlling their weight when they get bigger through time.
Containing ingredients like chicken and veggies, it also supplements essential vitamins and minerals, helping the pets thrive without gaining excessive weight.
Purina Beyond Simply Natural, Adult Dry Cat Food
The Purina did a pretty good job providing a solution for the hedgehogs having trouble with obesity.
It is, the ingredients of the product help the pets gain weight and grow without getting fat.
Even though it does not contain corn, wheat, and soy, the ground brown rice is one component of the food beside the main ingredient of chicken.
Iams Proactive Health Original Adult Dry Cat Food
Even though the product is dry cat food, it provides 10 percent of moisture, suitable for feeding hedgehogs.
Its main component is chicken, which comes with a tasty flavor attracting any nearby pet.
It is also useful if the hedgie is old that the prebiotics and beet pulps have a role in supporting his digestive health.
Here is the list of best hedgehog wheels
Chicken Soup Weight & Mature Care Cat Can
If your hedgie needs to control its heavyweight, then this Chicken Soup cat can is the best bet that it contains only 9 percent of fat.
Moreover, it provides the pet with fiber, enhancing to solve the issue.
To have the highest effect, you can add some supplement such as veggies and fruits.
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Here is the list of Best Indoor Hedgehog Houses
Blue Buffalo Wilderness Natural Mature Dry Cat Food with Chicken
Blue Buffalo is a well-known brand in the pet food industry.
That is why they have 3 of the top best-selling in the market.
This product for adult hedgehogs not only is rich in protein, but it also offers berries and vegetables which support the enrichment of antioxidant.
Hence, your hedgie will live longer and healthier.
Nutro Indoor Adult Cat Food for Hedgehogs
If you worry that your pet’s food possesses starch or some useless ingredients like chicken by-product meal, artificial preservatives, etc., you should not miss this Nutro cat food.
It also works well with the adult hedgehogs that offers 33% content of protein, 7% of fiber while keeping the fat at a relatively low percentage of 14.
Natural Balance Limited Dry Cat Food
Many hedgehog owners want their pet’s diet is natural as much as possible.
It requires the ingredients must be limited, which the Natural Balance dry cat food can meet.
As a result, overweight pets lose weight while the underweight ones get more obese.
Fromm Mature Gold Dry Cat Food
Flavors and nutrients are what’s expected from a hedgehog food, and the product from Fromm brand is no exception, even though it is the cat food.
With fresh duck, chicken, liver, eggs, and cheese, all the hedgehogs and cats will love this food.
The fiber is also supplemented in your pet’s diet.
FAQs about Best Hedgehog Food
Can my hedgehog eat cat food? Do dog food work as well as cat food?
Cat food is considered to be more nutritious than the hedgehogs’ food with a proper ratio of fat, protein, fiber, and other substances like vitamins and minerals.
There is a variety of levels of the best cat food for hedgehogs, which is based on ages.
Hence, you can choose to buy the most appropriate ones and change the diet when the pet gets bigger and older.
On to dog food, it has similar attributes and benefits like cat food, which means that your hedgie can consume it.
However, due to the apparent difference between the sizes of the two animals, dog food seems too big for the hedgehogs to chew.
Therefore, in case you want your pet to try a new flavor with dog food, you should break it into smaller pieces.
Can my hedgehog eat hamster or guinea pig food?
Absolutely no!
They are all omnivores, but each species has a different eating habit.
While the hamsters and guinea pigs need a large number of fruits and vegetables in their diet, they are the extra food for hedgehogs.
The difference in nutrient contents will lead to many problems related to intestinal conditions, obesity, and dysfunction.
I’ve read that hedgehog can eat baby food. Is that true?
Yes.
Undeniably, baby food contains all the necessary nutrients that a hedgie needs.
Besides, since baby food is designed and produced to pamper the babies’ stomach and teeth, your hedgehogs can consume it, especially organic food.
Note: Baby food can have milk and dairy components, so you should check the list of ingredients to avoid them.
Otherwise, your pet can get the diarrhea problem.
Also, except for organic food, you should prefer the meat-based product because some hedgies can be allergic to fish flavor.
Should I worry that my pet doesn’t eat but sleeps all day?
The hedgehog is a species sleeping during the daytime and playing at night, so don’t worry too much when your pet sleeps and refuses to eat.
They are very cowardly and afraid of the sun, so if you feed them during the daytime, they will eat very little or even not eat.
Also, maybe because there is no toy for him to play and move, he is not hungry and eats less.
In this case, you should feed the species once a day at night, and remember to diversify the menu.
To stimulate his appetite, besides providing hedgehog toys, you can build a maze and arrange food crumbs in different points, so that he will join the game and eat more to refill energy.
Is it ok if I feed my pet with live insects?
Live insects are advantageous to hedgehogs, and they are the primary sources of food what hedgehogs eat in the wild.
However, with the adopted pets, you should limit the amount of live insect consumption due to some factors.
First, this food offers very much energy. It can be useful for those who have to move a lot, but for the pets in the house, it’s not entirely necessary.
In a worse level, it will lead to obesity and indigestion.
Second, live insects are tasty, so if you allow the species to eat them as the first food, your pet will not try other ingredients, leading to an imbalanced diet.
Which food is the most dangerous for a hedgehog?
Like humans, hedgehogs can be poisoned by eating certain types of food.
Oranges, lemons, and dried fruits
- With oranges and lemons, the acid content will damage the digestive system of the animals.
- Besides, they can easily cause diarrhea in the hedgehog, leading to severe dehydration and death.
- Besides, do not allow the pet to eat pears and grapes, especially dried grapes.
- These fruits contain ingredients that the hedgehogs cannot digest, which can cause poisoning or digestive disorders.
Milk and dairy products
- Hedgehogs, like cats and dogs, cannot digest the lactose in milk because their intestines do not have a specific enzyme to digest this component, causing diarrhea.
- If you want to give baby hedgehogs milk, you should use goat milk because of the low lactose content.
Oily food
- Hedgehogs are omnivores, and in their diet, many nuts contain a lot of saturated oils and fats.
- Therefore, human foods such as snacks, chips, sweet food, salty food, and fried foods, etc. absolutely should be avoided.
- Especially, sticky or hard foods will cause obesity and cardiovascular complications for a long time.
Raw eggs, meat, and fish
- The raw meat, fish, and unprocessed vegetables can carry intestinal bacteria or dangerous parasites.
- No matter how clean you wash, the pets are still at risk of worms and parasites.
What is best to feed pregnant hedgehogs and mother hedgehog?
After giving birth, the mother hedgehog needs to refill energy. Also, breastfeeding her babies will make her health weaker.
Newborn hedgehogs cannot eat anything but breast milk of the mother. Hence, you need to provide adequate nutrition for her.
Besides increasing the protein-rich meals, you should feed her with cow milk.
Drinking water is also indispensable to help the mother have more milk to feed her children.
Remember to change and refill fresh water for the pet every day, because she can quickly get gastrointestinal diseases.
How can I help my diarrhea hedgehog?
The cause of the disease is that the hedgehog food is left outside for too long, leading to going off.
Furthermore, preserving it in the wrong way can also cause food to deteriorate.
When the pet eats this food, he is very susceptible to disease.
Besides, excess food can cause several bacteria and fungi.
When they enter the intestinal tract, they will disturb the microflora, causing abdominal distention, gastric dilatation, fever, and inflammation of the small intestine.
The manifestation of the problem is that the hedgehog eats less, and the stool has a transparent mucus.
As the disease gets worse, he refuses to eat due to gastrointestinal disorders, and the stool gets very fishy and crumbling.
The hedgehog then loses water, weight, becomes inactive and he will die after a few days.
To prevent intestinal disease, you need to keep the food clean, free of impurities, pesticides, and poisons.
For insects and small animals, you should buy prepackaged insects. Do not catch live worms since they can carry harmful bacteria for your pet.
Additionally, your pet’s cages and utensils must always be clean.
It is necessary to replace bedding and sanitary sand to avoid residual pathogens.
Our last words
Choosing a high-quality kind of food as well as the proper diet for hedgehogs will be not difficult if you understand the different role each ingredient plays in the daily ration of the pets.
In general, our top pick of the best product in the class is always the Blue Buffalo healthy living natural adult dry cat food due to the nutrients that it provides at an affordable price.
If you have the same opinion, please like and share the guide with others.
For further information, don’t hesitate to let us know. Thank you.
Last update on 2021-11-24 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API