What should I feed my hedgehog?
Next time find out what an animal eats before you buy it... They eat cat food and meal worms.
Do hedgehogs NEED meal worms? Or any insects for that matter?
Hedgehogs should NOT eat a commercial hedgehog feed. These foods (all of them) contain filler and do not benefit the health of your pet at all. Find a high quality cat food, such as Wellness Lite, Chicken Soup for the Cat Lovers Soul Lite, Royal Canin Indoor, Eagle Pak or Solid Gold. All of these foods are made with high quality ingredients, where meat is always the first. There are almost no fillers. Protein should be moderate (around 10-20%). Most hedgehogs enthusiasts prefer mealworms over crickets, but many will feed both. My hedgehogs all prefer mealies and some will not eat their crickets. Super worms are known to be dangers because some have 'teeth' that can cut the inside of your hedgehogs stomach, so avoid these. Many pet stores carry freeze-dried mealworms, either in a can or in a jar. I prefer these because they are already dead. I raised mealworms for a while but had to kill and clean them and it got to be a bit of a hassle, so I buy mine now. The hedgehogs honestly don't seem to mind at all :) Good luck!
How to preserve mealworms for hedgehog?
Turning a dark color means they died. I don't recommend freezing them, but you can refrigerate them to keep them for longer periods - it slows down their growth cycle so they seldom move on from that stage before they've been fed to whatever animal, in this case your hedgehog. I've heard that superworms die if refrigerated though so I'd avoid using those in this scenario, just normal mealworms. Also you might need to add a calcium supplement of some variety to the diet if your hedgehogs primary source of protein is mealworm, they have an extremely poor calcium to phosphorous ratio. Don't do so without at least a phone consult with your veterinarian though. Hope that helps.
What food do hedgehogs eat? Where do they normally live?
Every hedgehog is different. They generally eat things like insects, fruits, vegetables & cat/dog food. I had 2 of them & each preferred different foods. It's something you'll just have to figure out through trial & error.As for where they live, usually grassy knolls & sometimes wooded areas in nature. If you're planning to own one, use oak or aspen bedding. The oils in pine shavings will irritate their skin & may cause them to break out.
What do pygmy hedgehogs eat?
dry cat food is our ones main diet we varie the things we add to it, meal worms, wet cat food, fruit and veg. ours are on paper with shredded paper for bedding. make sure u have a big wheel for them as they are very active at night and like to run, they also love digging in a pit for meal worms. be carfull with tubes they can ball up and get wedged in them if they not bigenough. You may need a heat mat or lamp, our 3 are all on heat mats, whitout the mats under there cages they get colds.
How can I bond with my hedgehog?
What I do with my hedgies is pick them up while they're sleeping and lay them on my tummy and cover them up with a towel so that while they are sleeping they will get to know my scent and relax on my belly. It seems to have worked great with my babies so I recommend it. Try npot to jostle him too much when lifting him so he stays sleepy. You can also place a piece of clothing with your scent (like wear the same shirt to bed for two nights and give it to him) so he grows comfortable with it. From there you can offer him his mealworms on your lap (they tend to LOVE mealworms) so he can associate you with something good. If at first he won't eat them just keep trying till he grows an addiction for them and then offer them only with you there (and they need the mealworms anyway so it isn't unhealthy; I usually give four mealworms a week as an adult). If you have the stomach for it you can put a pin through their head to kill them and hand feed him with them, they wriggle so much alive he would eventually accidentally bite you. It's normal for hedgies to be huffy sometimes, so don't hold the popping against him, it's just his nature to be grumpy sometimes. =)
What are the eating habits of hedgehogs?
If you mean the European hedgehog, they mainly eat insects and earthworms; plus small slugs and snails (although these aren’t good for them as they carry parasites), but they are mildly omnivorous and will also beat berries, nuts etc if they are available, and sometimes eggs, baby birds and mice if they can catch them.If humans are feeding them they like cat or dog food (wet or dry), mealworms, designated canned hedgehog food and sometimes a few peanuts and small bits of cheese, plus fresh water, but not milk unless it’s lactose free.But they are fussy and faddy and their tastes can be very individual. I had a big old hog called Hodge who lived with me for 2½ years because he had a crippled hind leg and worn-out teeth, Hodge would only eat scrambled egg (with a pro-biotic and a pinch of Weetabix added so it didn’t give him constipation), soft-easy-to-chew processed sandwich chicken, and fairy cakes - but only Scotmid’s own brand, without icing. When I offered him insects, he snorted about in them and then sneezed on them, and when I offered him dog food, he turned round and carefully deposited a large turd on it. He was an excellent communicator.
What are the costs of keeping a hedgehog as a pet?
In the beginning, hedgehogs are expensive. A hedgehog can cost anywhere between $70-$300. You’ll also need a cage (you can make your own, but you’d still need to buy materials), a space heater or ceramic heat emitter, exercise wheel, food and water bowls, bedding, a good-quality cat food, and a carrier to bring it home.The initial cost will be about $94 – $219 .After you have everything set up, the monthly cost of keeping a hedgehog (food, treats, bedding, toys, ..etc.) is about $17 per month.If you want more details, you can see How Much Do Hedgehogs Cost?
What should I feed a wild European hedgehog?
They eat a LOT of insects. Excellent gardeners.Having a little light on in the garden at night…not a bright one…may attract more insects.Hedgehog rescues advise putting out fresh water.“The most important invertebrates in their diet are worms, beetles, slugs, caterpillars, earwigs and millipedes. As well as these, they also eat a wide range of other insects, and more infrequently will take advantage of carrion, frogs, baby rodents, baby birds, birds' eggs, and fallen fruit.”With that in mind, small bits of pet food are okay for them to eat. Remember they are just wee little things, only a few bites are enough to make them happy, but they need the varied natural diet to stay healthy.While traditionally people set out things like bread and milk, we now know that those are not healthy for them and can be hard to digest, so avoid that. Fruit is okay, but small amounts, too much sugar is not good.