In the wild, hedgehogs normally feed on mealworms, crickets, grasshoppers, and similar insects for their main course. For snacks, they usually hunt for slugs, eggs, fish, and frogs. They can grow obese due to the high amount of chitin, a polysaccharide in the exoskeleton of insects they love to eat.
As a responsible pet parent, you'll have to provide your hedgy a balanced diet so it can maintain just the right weight. The best diet consists of the high protein (below 35%) and low fat (15% and below). Hedgehogs are omnivores so they also need to have a good supply of fiber from fruits and vegetable sources (around 15% of diet). Moreover, choose hard, crunchy food over soft food to support their dental health. To help you choose the best hedgehog foods in 2021, we're sharing the four highest quality products on the market. They all contain yucca plant extracts that make waste less foul-smelling.
The recommended daily feeding is three tablespoons, alternated with live, dried, or canned insects on other days. This preservative and the artificial color-free product should be stored in a cool and dry place, preferably in the fridge to keep its nutritional intact.
These pellets contain a healthy combination of 100% natural dried mealworms and fresh grains. It has a crude protein content of 35%, crude fat content of 7%, and the crude fiber content of 8%.
This hedgehog food mainly contains chicken meal, fish meal, and whole soy meal. It’s also rich in grains (oat groats and brown rice), poultry (whole dried egg), and fats (vegetable oil). Its crude protein content is at least 32%, while its crude fat content is at least 12%. Its crude fiber doesn’t exceed 6%.
This cooked food supplement comes from a company that’s been making products to support exotic pet needs, primarily sugar gliders, since 1999.
You can use this product in between the days you feed your hedgehogs high-protein meals. It contains potato protein, beet pulp fiber, ground oats, plus other vitamin and mineral supplements. These ingredients are good for your pet’s bowel movement.
It has a crude protein content of 32%, crude fat content of 5%, and the crude fiber content of 6%.