Hedgehog Diet
Hedgehogs are popular exotic pets. They are small, relatively low maintenance and can provide hours of entertainment to their owners. If you own a hedgehog, remember that they are semi-wild animals and you should try to mimic a wild hedgehog diet for your pet. Commercial hedgehog food is available, but you need to supplement this in order to provide your pet hedgehog with a well-rounded diet.
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Commercial Foods
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Commercial hedgehog food is available at pet stores. Choose one that has a high protein and low fat content. If you cannot find hedgehog food, substitute a low-fat cat food instead. Hedgehogs need three to four tablespoons of this type of food daily; any more than that and they can become obese.
Nutritional Content
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The main food for a hedgehog should contain at least 30 percent protein. This mimics a hedgehog's natural diet of insects. Hedgehog food should contain no more than 15 percent fat content, since hedgehogs are generally sedentary animals; this combined with their small size puts them at risk of excessive weight gain.
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Meats
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Additional meats and other protein sources make excellent hedgehog snacks. Small cooked pieces of unseasoned meats are ideal, as are small amounts of cooked eggs. Never feed a hedgehog raw meat or eggs.
Fruits and Vegetables
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Hedgehogs can also have cooked or raw fruits and vegetables as treats, three to four times per week. Apples, bananas, grapes, pears and berries make sweet treats for hedgehogs. They also enjoy vegetables such as beans, peas, squash, tomatoes, leafy greens and carrots. Carrots must be cooked, however, or they can get lodged in the hedgehog's teeth or throat.
Insects
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Insects can be a once weekly treat for a hedgehog. They enjoy mealworms and crickets, both of which can be found at pet stores or bait and tackle stores.
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References
- Photo Credit Hedgehog on a log image by ABFellows from Fotolia.com
