Hedgehog food.

[Sweety]

Are there any hedgehog foods out there that are the best and most nutritious?? I'm talking about actual foods made for hedgehogs, not cat or dog foods.

I am in Canada and will have to order it in because I haven't seen any in the pet stores I have been to so if anyone knows a good supplier of food, please feel free to tell me. :winkgrin:

Thank you muchly.

Jen

[HedgePigLove]

Hello Jen,

I'm sorry that I didn't see or get to your question sooner.

There's an awful lot of debate in the hedgehog-caretaking community about the best foods for our quilled kids: unfortunately, there has not been a whole lot of research done in the wild that's been able to determine just what the African Pygmy hedgehogs prefer to eat/need to eat. So we're trying to feed our hedgehogs "common sense" foods - high-protein, low-fat, some insects, some vegetables and fruits ... we're doing our best, but because these are relatively new pets we're still learning a lot about their needs and how best to meet them.

I don't use any of the commercially available hedgehog foods - I know that at least one brand has been formulated for the European hedgehogs (which have different dietary needs than the hedgies that we have) and that others contain items that can be dangerous for hedgehogs (such as those containing peanuts, which can become stuck in the roof of a hedgehog's mouth) and I've heard horrible things about other brands.

Instead, I've gone with a high-end kibble mix - all "light" versions of the high-protein, low-fat brands. I don't know what are available in Canada, but I'm sure other folks here can point you to some of the better brands. Also, I know that some hedgehog breeders and some folks who make hedgehog accessories also sell their own kibble mixes and you might want to look at that as an option.

I find it frustrating to not be able to approximate their natural diet, but I think we're all trying to do our best with the knowledge that we have. Laura

[bloane]

I am not horribly impressed with any of the hedgehog foods that are commercially made. Like Laura said, some are inappropriate, some are harmful, some are downright made with junk. I would go with an upper-end quality cat food, or even better, a mixture of several quality brands. www.pogstarhedgehogs.com (http://www.pogstarhedgehogs.com) has a nutrition section on their web site, including ratings of several brands of hedgehog and cat foods that might help you find a food that is available in your area. Good luck!
Becca

[Super Chin]

www.fairfaxhedgehogs.com/Feeding%20Page%20of%20Hedgehog%20Site.htm -has a bit of information on why hedgehog foods aren't good for hedgehogs.

I personally feed CSFTCLS Lite, Wellness Super Five Mix Lite, and Royal Canin Slim 37