# Foods/snacks NOT to give a hedgehog?



## carriej73

Hi! I am brand new to hedgehogs. We adopted a male who was dropped off at a pet store, then nursed back to health by Katie's Critters Small Animal Rescue. I couldn't find any books locally on hedgehog care, so I ordered 2 online. I have been searching the web, and I see general things like "fruits and vegetables" but I was wondering if there is a list of what foods not to give a hedgehog somewhere. I'd guess no chocolate or sugary foods, but I was wondering what veggies I can give him as a treat. We have been giving him mealworms (he loves them) and waxworms (he doesn't love them). For food, the rescue gave me Exotic Nutrition Hedgehog Complete mixed with Royal Canin Baby Cat 34. They also gave him canned Royal Canin food and I gave him turkey baby food (he loves that too!) We also have a pet rat and a bearded dragon so I have various veggies for them and I was afraid to give SONIC any without checking first. I did give him some hard boiled egg.

Thanks!
Carrie & Sonic


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## megan4032

First of all congrats on the new hedgie!  as for the food NO: nuts and seeds, large amounts of peanut butter, dairy products other then small amounts of cottage cheese, raisins, I'm sure there are more though.


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## megan4032

Also junk food, and many types of cat food, dog food, ferret food etc. are not good for hedgies. You can find lists of the good types of food in the food section of the forum.


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## pearlthehedgie

ACCEPTABLE TREATS INCLUDE: meats (cooked/unseasoned) like chicken, turkey, beef, fish, etc.; apple; banana; cantelope; cherry; honeydew; papaya; peaches; pear; pumpkin; squash; strawberry; watermelon; blueberries; kiwi; asparagus; broccoli; carrot; corn; cucumber; green beans; green pepper; peas; spinach; sweet potato; turnip; zucchini; eggs; baby food; wet cat food; cottage cheese; insects like mealworms and crickets. 

Make sure you remove seeds like in the kiwi, strawberry, blueberries, etc. I also take the skin off the peas and corn.

NOT SAFE FOODS: chocolate; avocado, raisins; grapes; anything with tea tree oil; dried fruits; seeds; nuts; human junk food; dairy products other than small amounts of cottage cheese (I'm not sure about yougurt). 

Hope that helps.


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## carlyvoelcker

I read somewhere on here that yogurt is okay in small portions.


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## Brayrox

No proccesed food i heard


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## CanadienHedgie

Yeah, no processed food. Like lunch sandwich meats.

Read this as well  It's from hedgehogworld.com

http://www.hedgehogworld.com/content.ph ... ing-Treats


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## silvercat

megan4032 said:


> First of all congrats on the new hedgie!  as for the food NO: nuts and seeds, large amounts of peanut butter, dairy products other then small amounts of cottage cheese, raisins, I'm sure there are more though.


What's wrong with peanut butter?

As for the dairy - it's because hedgies are lactose intollerant. Some dairy (cheeses, yogurt) are ok in small quantities


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## megan4032

Peanut butter is high in fat


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## silvercat

megan4032 said:


> Peanut butter is high in fat


ah, i could see that. I buy light peanut butter though, so hadn't thought about the fat content. You do need to be careful with peanut butter too as it can stick to the roof of their mouth


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## Heddgie

Thank you for the awesome tips!


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