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| Image by Amaya Eguizábal from Pixabay |
hedgehogs are wild animals however some species have been adopted as pets and can be found in homes if you've decided to live with one of these animals you need to consider various factors including their care behavior and whether it is even legal to possess them in your country the rates of abandonment of these animals are high for this reason it's also possible you may find an abandoned hedgehog and need to take care of them before transferring them to a specialized center in this article we explain what hedgehogs eat so let's get started.
1.nutritional needs of hedgehogs:
hedgehogs are mammals with high energy needs so they need large amounts of food to sustain themselves the basis of the hedgehog's diet is made up of animal protein the rest consists of lesser amounts of carbohydrates fiber vitamins and minerals as a general guide the most appropriate ratios for a hedgehog's diet are less than 35 protein the ideal being 22 percent it has to be mainly of animal origin less than fifteen percent fat a little around five percent should be enough for most since it can over accumulate and at least two percent fiber with an ideal percentage of fifteen percent next we review what hedgehogs eat so you can create the most suitable diet taking these proportions into account.
2.what do domestic hedgehogs eat:
many hedgehogs are fed cat food since it has a composition similar to the correct diet for a hedgehog the feed for dogs or ferrets do not work since they do not adapt to their nutritional needs if you want to give your hedgehog cat food you must ensure to choose a quality one with a high percentage of animal protein but low in fat we recommend that you check its composition on the label as not all commercial cat feeds meet these criteria when offering cat food to your hedgehog two tablespoons per day should be sufficient there are also some specially prepared hedgehog feeds on the market they would be the best option as they are formulated to cover all their nutritional needs specifically we still recommend that you check the label as not all of them have the quality control they should remember that having a hedgehog carries many responsibilities discover in the video that we share here all about the care that this animal needs.
3.natural foods for hedgehogs:
we can round out a hedgehog's diet with crickets grasshoppers or mill worms which can be offered three to four times per week we cannot simply feed them bugs we pick off the street as they may be contaminated with various chemicals the correct thing to do is buy themalive or dried from specialist stores additionally we can also offer them half a dessert spoon a day of certain food we are likely to have in our pantry some examples of this food include meats such as chicken turkey or pork cooked without salt or sauces fish such as salmon tuna or mackerel cooked the same as meat and deboned boiled or scrambled eggs best using only the whites consumed only occasionally the pulp of fruits such as apple peach pear banana watermelon strawberry raspberry blueberry or mango without seeds or peel and vegetables such as carrots potatoes or cooked legumes in the wild hedgehogs hunt at night and feed on insects of all kinds especially underground for example they eat earthworms slugs snails or small vertebrates they can also eat fruits if they consider it necessary for this reason the aforementioned foods are suitable and good for them although it's always advisable to consult a veterinarian specialise in exotic animals for the exact amounts and frequency.
4.forbidden foods for hedgehogs:
it's essential to know the foods that hetero cannot eat in order to ensure that we offer them foods that are good for their health hedgehogs cannot eat citrus or highly acidic foods as they can cause digestive discomfort and irritation in the mouth they also cannot eat nuts or seeds because they could choke and they are difficult to digest also you cannot offer them grapes raisins avocado onion or garlic as they are toxic to them similarly they cannot consume mushrooms or cereals such as corn oats rice or wheat hedgehogs also do not tolerate lactose so they cannot consume dairy although they can eat organic yogurt or cottage cheese lastly it's important to know that a hedgehog's diet cannot sustain sweets alcohol caffeine or junk food.
