Knowing the full nutrition regimen for hedgehogs is essential. In the wild, they can eat insects, worms, centipedes, snails, fruits, plants, and many other things.
However, when living indoors, their digestive system differs significantly.
Moreover, they do not have to run much to earn food, so they will easily get obese.
In this article, we will help you answer the question “what can hedgehogs eat?” with two products that are always in our pet’s daily meals. Also, you will have what can hedgehogs eat list to change so that their diet will be more plentiful.
At the same time, if you don’t know how to distinguish the foods or test whether they are suitable for your hedgehog, this article will comfort you.
Finally, even if you have experiences of feeding hedgehogs, you will feel thankful for answers to common issues coming from the hedgehog owner community.
If those are what you need, keep reading!
Page Contents
Customer Picks: Top-Rated Hedgehog Food Reviews in 2020
Best Hedgehog Food – What Can Hedgehogs Eat?
Tasty Worms Freeze-Dried Mealworms – Also the Greatest
When raising hedgehogs, of course, everyone will want their pet to be treated with delicious and nutritious food. And live mealworms are one of this animal’s favorite dishes.
However, in case you don’t have much budget or can’t keep food alive, we want to recommend this product from Tasty Worms.
They are dried mealworms, but with a particular freeze-drying process, they provide more nutrients than conventional dried ones.
This food smells and tastes good, will definitely make your hedgehogs cannot help gobbling.
Besides, with 5% moisture, there is no need to soak it with water to soften the product.
The size of mealworms is also convenient enough for even the baby hedgehogs to chew comfortably.
Another benefit of this food is convenient packaging. The mealworms are packed in zip bags to make storage more convenient and cleaner.
Thus, the product will still be crispy and fresh, although it would be a long time for the hedgehogs to eat it up.
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Natural Balance Green Pea & Duck Formula
With the digestive enzymes and probiotics in this cat food, your pet will be able to say goodbye to his gastrointestinal problems gently.
It is a calorie-rich product, so pay attention to the hedgehog’s weight gained when feeding him regularly.
8in1 Ultra-Blend Select Hedgehog Diet
It is the most common food treats you can find for your pet. That is, you just need to dump it, and he will eat it up.
Otherwise, you can mix the food with many other types like vegetables and fruits.
This product is also very cheap and can last 2-3 months.
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Spikes World Ltd Spikes Semi-moist Hedgehog Food
This is a semi-moist food, so there’s no need to moisten it with water. It has a perfect texture, similar to what the animal can find in nature.
You can feed it alone or mix with other foods to add more flavors.
Exotic Nutrition Berries & Bugs for Hedgehogs
This berry diet will help hedgehogs be supplemented with fiber, vitamins, and other essential minerals. The ingredients are very fresh and attractive.
To balance nutrients, mix it with foods that contain protein and fat.
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Sunseed 36035 Vita Prima Hedgehog Treat – Wigglers & Berries Trail Mix
This food is primarily for sick and picky hedgehogs with high protein content, helping boost their immune system and energy.
You just need to sprinkle enough amount on their daily food, and they will eat up the entire bowl of food. After 1-2 days, your pet will be healthy again.
Mazuri Insectivore Diet Hedgehogs
With the perfect kibble size, your hedgehogs won’t have any trouble with this food.
Besides protein and minerals, it also has fish oil ingredients that make your pet’s eye and brain always healthy.
Furthermore, its smell is pleasant, attractive, and the product is always fresh.
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Vitakraft VitaSmart Sugar Glider Hedgehog Food
Fruits are one of the essential food for hedgehogs, and this Vitakraft product is an option that should be included in the pet’s daily diet.
Not only does it provide fiber, vitamins, and minerals, it is also a source of DHA Omega-3, which promotes the overall development of pet health.
If you do not have much time to prepare a salad party for your pet, we recommend that you should buy this product to use when needed.
Not only does it offers nutrients from vegetables like fiber and vitamins, but it is also rich in protein.
Your hedgehogs will be more dynamic and happy. You can mix it with dried mealworms to add more flavors to the meal.
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Fluker’s Freeze-Dried Crickets
Crickets are one of the favorite dishes of hedgehogs. However, dried foods like this Fluker’s product are better than live crickets.
It is very fresh and crunchy, an excellent source of protein for the species. Stored in a sturdy bottle, it doesn’t crumble but looks very attractive.
List of Best Cat Food for Hedgehogs
You won’t believe how amazingly effective this cat food works with those little hedgehogs.
It is suitable for all ages, from baby to mature individuals because the kibbles are very easy for them to chew.
Besides, it provides all the necessary nutrients for pets to move, such as protein, fat from meat, fish or vitamins, minerals from fruits and vegetables.
However, because it contains 42% protein, you should add vegetables and fruits to mature hedgehogs. At this age, they need more fiber and minerals.
We will guide you with this component problem in the following section.
Some hedgehog owners fear that cat food can contain wheat or corn. These components will make pets obese if they overeat.
However, with this product, you will not have to worry. It does not contain any grain as well as colorants and preservatives.
In particular, it is very beneficial for those who have problems with their digestion. You will notice significant changes after only a few weeks of use.
To keep the product fresh and tasty, you can separate the bag into smaller Ziplocs or plastic food containers. Thus, the storage will be more convenient.
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Blue Buffalo Wilderness Grain-free Adult Dry Cat Food
Blue Buffalo is one of the brands that provide high-quality food for cats that also benefit small pets like hedgehogs. And this dry one is no exception.
With chicken, it will energize your hedgehog while supporting his immune system with antioxidants, vitamins, and mineral ingredients.
Purina Beyond Simply Natural, Adult Dry Cat Food
This product is outstanding with a clean chicken ingredient, doesn’t have harmful fillers and stuff like corn or meat by-products.
As soon as you open the bag, you will find its appealing aroma. Your hedgehogs will definitely love this dish.
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Hill’s Science Diet Dry Cat Food
One of our favorite things is how advantageous it is for baby hedgehogs.
- The first thing is the small-size kibbles.
- A second is the component of DHA from fish oil, supporting their brain and eyes. The minerals are also provided to develop their teeth and bones.
Thanks to this food, the animals will work energetically and react quickly.
Halo Natural Dry Cat Food, Sensitive Stomach Seafood Medley
This cat food product is good for the hedgehogs’ health.
Moreover, they do not contain fillers or cereals, making it an excellent source of nutrition for pets.
Especially if your hedgehogs have digestive problems, it will be beneficial for them.
Blue Buffalo Healthy Living Natural Adult Dry Cat Food
The food has all the vitamins and nutrients that a hedgehog needs. To be complete, you can mix it with dried mealworms.
It will become a good source of nutrition for pets. In particular, you will not notice any odor in their stools.
Royal Canin Feline Health Nutrition Kitten Dry Cat Food
This is food for baby cats, so it fits most hedgehogs, from babies to adults.
With a combination of protein, fiber, and prebiotic, it ensures the nutritional balance of the hedgehog diet.
Kibbles are small in size, very easy to hedgehogs can chew effortlessly.
Blue Buffalo Weight Control Natural Adult Dry Cat Food
If you are worried because of the excessive weight of your hedgehogs, then this food will comfort you.
With the perfect ratio between protein and calories, pets will achieve and maintain ideal body weight.
Besides, minerals and omega fatty acids will also help them improve their digestion.
Iams Proactive Health Original Adult Dry Cat Food
Chicken is one of the healthiest sources of protein for pets, and this Iams product makes good use of the ingredient.
Thanks to that, your hedgehog’s muscles will be supported to exercise regularly.
It also says no to fillers and provides extra fiber, making sure the pet does not suffer from nutrient deficiencies.
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Nutro Indoor Adult Cat Food
If your hedgehogs have sensitive stomachs, they will love this food. Its raw material is natural chicken, which helps supplement protein, essential vitamins, and minerals.
As a result, their digestive system will be stronger, and its stool will no longer be loose or have an unpleasant odor.
Fromm Mature Gold Dry Cat Food
This product is very cheap, but its effect on hedgehogs is incredibly miraculous, especially for those who are picky.
Its ingredients are high-quality, which will help supplement the nutrients needed for them to run and play. It also does not contain starch like corn or wheat.
Best Mealworms for Hedgehogs
Kaytee 100505655 Mealworms
This is another dried mealworm product coming from Kaytee brand.
You will see very little dust on the bottom of the bottle because the food has a solid texture, not broken or crumbled.
It also has attractive tastes and smells. Undoubtedly, your hedgehogs will be very happy and healthy.
This food is an excellent source of nutrition for hedgehogs with natural ingredients. Undoubtedly, your pet will be delighted and healthy with the product.
It is always fresh and crispy. Also, the price makes it one of the most affordable food sources for hedgehogs.
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Fluker’s Freeze-Dried Mealworms for Hedgehogs
Your hedgehogs will go crazy over this food. It is an essential source of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients for pets.
However, you should not feed them too much because they will be easily obese. It is freeze-dried mealworms, but they are intact, not crumbling.
Natural Healthy High Protein Pellets & Dried Mealworms Food for Pet Hedgehogs
This food has the perfect design for hedgehogs. It has naturally nutritious ingredients and is easily absorbed.
Therefore, it makes this species more active and healthy. You can find it a bit expensive, but it is really worth buying.
How we Choose Safe Food for Our Hedgehogs?
There are several issues to keep in mind.
Even so, the diet is still mainly based on meat, dried food, and green vegetables.
Dried cat food has many nutritious ingredients that fresh food does not have. It is suitable for busy people who have little free time for hedgehog care.
Note: Food of hedgehogs should not be left until the next day to avoid rancidity.
And, what can hedgehogs not eat? Sour fruits should also not be in the pets’ diet because if they accumulate a lot of acids, they will cause many complications, especially infertility in males.
In particular, remember to remove the seeds before feeding the fruits containing seeds.
And when selecting food for hedgehogs. But first, you need to know “what can hedgehogs eat?”
Hedgehogs are omnivores so they can eat quite a lot. You can feed those mealworms, crickets, grasshoppers, etc.
However, live insects are not recommended because they may contain bacteria from nature. Instead, you can find dried products.
Besides, what fruits can hedgehogs eat? They are apples, pears, bananas, grapes, pineapples, papayas, and vegetables like pumpkin or carrots, etc.
In addition, some cat foods are also very suitable for hedgehogs.
You can add boiled egg yolk, cheese, and cooked meat into their diet. Vegetables should be prepared about 2-3 times/week.
Food for hedgehogs also should be varied. Otherwise, it can cause nutritional imbalance. The excess or lack of certain nutrients will affect the growth of the animals.
The diet of this species depends on the type of food you choose for them, their age, and the health status of each individual.
How we Test Hedgehog Food?
We have tried a lot of products while keeping our hedgehogs out of no intestinal disease or obesity.
The truth is, there are many products for hedgehogs on the market that have a good and attractive taste, but they are really horrible for the pets’ health.
Therefore, it is necessary to observe and test hedgehog food.
They are very susceptible to intestinal and digestive diseases, especially in pregnancy.
When you notice any sign of intestinal disorders on your hedgehog, you should stop serving his current food. Also, let’s check the cage, food bowl, and drinking water.
If unhealthy food is not a significant problem, you should switch to another food product.
The symptoms of intestinal and digestive diseases in hedgehogs can be seen when they eat less, and the stools are not dry, carrying mucus.
If the condition gets worse, the species will stop eating. At that time, you should bring the hedgehog to the vet for an examination.
Besides, each hedgehog has different tastes and eating habits. Therefore, finding a favorite dish for them is not easy, especially for picky eaters.
When giving pets a try for the first time, you should provide a small amount of food and increase it gradually if they ask for more food. This will avoid wasting and spoiling food.
After choosing a few potential selections, you should feed the pets with those alternately to stimulate them to eat better and healthier.
Foods with chicken, fish, and berry ingredients are the most attractive taste.
Our Pick and Flaws on Hedgehog Food
There are some opinions that initially, their hedgehogs received the Taste of the Wild product very positively and gained weight.
However, when it reached the third bag, they began to stop eating. At a worse level, they had loose stools.
After carefully reviewing the cases and consulting with veterinarians, we found that the problem lies in circumstances that some hedgehog owners have preserved food in the wrong way.
The cat food should be stored in a dry place. Otherwise, it will be easy to mold or produce bacteria. Besides, food in the hedgehog cages also needs to be replaced regularly.
At the same time, we also contacted the manufacturer. They had realized a problem that some hedgehogs could get allergic to a salmon ingredient in this product.
However, the cases recorded are very few, and the consequences are not very serious.
If you are still afraid that your hedgehog can be allergic to this food, you should give them a small amount to get them familiar with it.
If there are signs that they refuse to eat or have loose stools, you should stop feeding it and try another type.
Last but not least, according to our experience, you should alternate many products with different flavors to stimulate the animals to eat better. It also helps balance the essential nutrients for pets.
Maintenance Guide
First, you need to make sure that the food and water bowls of the hedgehogs are always cleaned because the animals are prone to intestinal diseases.
Second, after mealtime, leftover food should be thrown away, not left the next day. Otherwise, if hedgehogs eat rotten food, their health will be affected.
Dried food should be stored in a foldable bag or plastic food container. Then, you maintain it in the refrigerator or dry places to ensure the food’s freshness and crispness.
Do not leave in a wet area to avoid invading bacteria.
Fruits and vegetables, before fed to hedgehogs, need to be washed thoroughly. If you regularly prepare meat, it must also be cooked.
You can split the rations and store them in the refrigerator to cook for the next meals.
The Competition
We let them try everything, from frozen dishes of 30 bucks to mixed food. Every attempt, only two out of three hedgehogs ate it, or all the three ask for food even though the bowl is still full.
Only until we replaced them with Taste of the Wild cat food, the situation completely changed. Our pets ate everything we provided even though their latest meal was only 2 hours ago.
Up to now, this product is still at the top of our hedgehog’s daily diet. And we also do not intend to replace it in the future.
Furthermore, when feeding hedgehogs, you should also alternate many kinds of food to make the menu more productive, thus stimulating their taste buds.
We give our hedgehogs a variety of fruits, cut small pieces, and mix them like apples, pears, strawberries, and some vegetables. Sometimes, they also enjoy fresh worms.
However, it seems that preparing such mixes is too time-consuming. Therefore, they are not often used as an optimal alternative.
In that case, we used dried food to save more time. When we saw the promotion of Tasty Worms on Amazon, we didn’t expect it much.
However, what followed was more than expected.
This seemingly ordinary product indeed surprised us. Believe it or not, these dry worms have an incredible appeal to our porcupines.
Sources
- James Oliver, Can Hedgehogs Eat Peanut Butter, January 9, 2018
- Adrienne Kruzer, Should Your Hedgehog Eat Cat Food or Hedgehog Food, May 03, 2019
FAQs about Hedgehog Food
What can I feed wild hedgehogs?
This question is quite easy to answer because hedgehogs in nature can eat more things than in-house individuals.
You can help the animals in the garden with the food available such as dried cat food (not fish-based food) or biscuits.
If you have plenty of time, you can dig and find worms for them.
Note that you should not give them milk because it can lead to diarrhea. Just let them drink clean water.
Can hedgehogs eat bread, biscuits, or rice?
Yes.
They are considered a tasty treat for hedgehogs. They are starchy ingredients so you should not feed your pets too much.
Besides, rice also needs to be cooked to ensure food safety. It should even not taste salty.
If you let hedgehogs eat bread or biscuits, you should put a little water in to make them softer, help hedgehogs chew and digest more easily.
Should hedgehogs eat bird food?
It depends.
Hedgehogs are omnivores so they can eat a variety of food such as insects, vegetables, fruits, and cat food, etc. However, not all bird food can be absorbed by them.
For example, birds love to eat nuts like sunflower seeds, peanuts, etc. Hedgehogs can also consume them, but keep in mind that these foods are high in fat.
Ideally, you should only feed them a minimal amount. Another example is the live insects, the birds’ staple food. They are also not recommended to use for hedgehogs.
Therefore, before feeding hedgehogs with specific bird food, you need to learn its impact on the hedgehogs carefully.
Can hedgehogs eat bananas?
Yes.
Bananas are very soft, sweet, and rich in nutrients, especially vitamins. Hedgehogs love to eat bananas so you can implement them weekly for the pets.
Can hedgehogs eat apples?
Yes.
Apples and pears are highly recommended for use as a treat for hedgehogs.
To prepare these fruits for the species, you need to clean them, cut the shell, and then chop them into small pieces for easy chewing.
Can hedgehogs eat blueberries? Can hedgehogs eat strawberries?
Yes.
Berries, such as strawberries and blueberries, are one of the most favorite foods of hedgehogs.
They supplement a lot of vitamins and minerals for the animals, helping them to balance nutrients in their daily diet.
Can hedgehogs eat carrots?
Yes.
Vegetables like carrots are very safe for hedgehogs. They do not contain chemicals such as pesticides and preservatives.
Besides, they also provide this species with essential fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Especially, carrots are thought to be very good for their eyes.
The mouths of hedgehogs are very tiny, so after boiling carrots, you should cut them into small pieces so the pets can chew easier.
Is cat food better for hedgehogs than dog food?
Yes.
Cat and dog food are both nutritious for hedgehogs with a balance between protein, fat, fiber, and other nutrients such as vitamins and minerals.
However, because of the more convenient kibble size of cat food, they are better used as a food for the hedgehogs.
That is, the dog food seems to be too big for them to chew.
Can hedgehogs eat peanut butter?
Maybe, but only in minimal amounts.
Peanut butter contains a lot of fat, so it raises some concerns about the health of hedgehogs such as obesity or diabetes.
Besides, peanut butter is also very sticky. If hedgehogs overeat, it can get stuck in their mouth or teeth. In a more severe level, it will lead to suffocation.
In general, make sure you only feed them a small amount of this food as a special treat.
Can hedgehogs eat oranges?
No.
Orange is one of the sour and acidic fruits. When you feed hedgehogs with these fruits, acid accumulation will lead to many complications and can cause infertility in men.
What kind of cat food can hedgehogs eat?
Cat food is very diverse. You should choose the appropriate type depending on the age of hedgehogs as well as their health status.
When hedgehogs get bigger, you can change the diet to be more suitable.
To know which cat food for hedgehogs is the best, you can refer to our list above and test the potential products.
Conclusion
Even if you are a beginner or an expert, it’s probably not easy for you to know the answer to “what can hedgehogs eat?” Hopefully, your pets will always be happy and healthy due partly to our guides.
If you need further advice on your pet’s circumstances, don’t hesitate to let us know. Please like and share the article with others if it’s useful for you.
Thank you.
Last update on 2021-11-24 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API