What Kind Of Hedgehog Food Is The Best?
Hedgehog food is available for captive bred animals, but it can be very pricey and a bit difficult to find. What’s more, processed and formulated hedgehog food is not necessary to their health and well being, so lets talk about some of the readily available, cost effective, and highly nutritious options that will do just fine for your little pin cushion. In the wild, hedgehog food is designed to keep up with their constant nightly urge for foraging and hunting, and they need a lot of energy rich sources for climbing trees and wrangling small snakes, not to mention digging and overturning stumps and rocks for their meals. In captivity, he needs far less fat content in his diet, so offering him all of his natural food sources may not be the best way to keep him healthy.
Hedgehog food, oddly enough, is otherwise known as kitten chow by breeders and enthusiasts, and this will do a great job of offering your captive hedgehog in plenty of protein and other important nutrients without delivering unnecessary fats to his diet. Even better, you can alternate three types or flavors of high quality kitten food for a great variety of flavors, textures, and additions to his daily meals. He will need a shallow pan of water at all times, though you may find that he rarely creates a dent in the amount of water that he consumes.
Hedgehog care will be best served as a consistent and repetitive routine, especially when dealing with the taming, bonding, and socialization of your new pet. He is driven primarily by his sense of smell, and the sooner he becomes accustomed to your scent the better. He may roll up into a little prickly ball for the first couple of weeks, but if you are patient and kind he will eventually warm up to the whole idea of being handled, touched, and cuddled. This is very important when dealing with hedgehog care, as they need to have their health and weight monitored pretty regularly.
On top of his daily kitten food rations, hedgehog care will consist of offering small rations of his natural food sources, such as grubs and crickets. It is suggested that you offer two or three bugs twice a week, just to keep him healthy and active, but remember that too much fat could be to his detriment. Fruits can be offered on occasion, maybe twice per week as well, and their absolute favorite is the banana. Two small slices should suffice, filling him up nicely without making him sick. Try to offer all treat foods from your hands, as this will instill yet more trust and appreciation between the two of you.
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