# Diet Questions



## Megan Chantal (Jul 22, 2009)

Well, the first question I have is, do hedgies need to eat bugs? Becasue I am deathly afraid of bugs and I don't think my mother is willing to help in that catagory  Also what is the best cat food for him? Is fancy feast elegent medlies okay? Are scrambled eggs a good treat? And could anyone tell me how to stop a hedgie from bitting yourself?  Thanks


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## gyaku (Jul 9, 2009)

Yes hedgehogs eat bugs (but only feed them it as a treat not a regular meal) you can buy some in your local pet store, and when you feed your hedgehog some, try wearing a pair of gloves and make sure that its baggy, if its too tight your hedgehog will eventually start thinking that your fingers are the treat (for me that would be meal worms). The ones in the metal container are dead so they won't start hopping around, or running away...
For your question about the best cat food, sadly there is none that reigns the best over all, if you want to give your hedgehog the right amount of nutrition you have to mix I suggest you to check out Reaper's recommendations about that one.
Scrambled eggs are ok as long as they are not served on a regular basis (like once or twice a week is ok) though keep in mind some hedgehogs completely hate eggs, and try to use as minimal salt as possible.
Do you mean biting you or itself? Sorry I am confused on that one...


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

Hey Megan,

I moved your topic to Diet and Nutrition, since it is about food. First, bugs are important but not absolutely necessary in a pet hedgie's diet. Most hedgies (but not all) love mealworms. If you want, you can go into a pet store and look at them. In Petco they just have them sitting out in little cups near the reptiles. If you feel like you can deal with them, your hedgie would probably enjoy them once in a while. You can use tweezers to pick them up if you need to.

There is no "best" cat food out there. We don't know what ideal hedgehog nutrition is, so it's best to feed a mix of at least two foods to hopefully cover most of the bases. If you look at the top of this forum there is a sticky with Reaper's cat food list. All of those foods are acceptable. Fancy Feast, however, is NOT. I haven't looked at its ingredients in a while but I imagine it is still full of byproducts, fillers, dangerous preservatives, etc. Please don't feed grocery store brands like Friskies, 9 Lives, and all of those.

Scrambled eggs are a fine treat. Make sure they are not to hot when you offer them and that they don't have salt/pepper or seasoning on them.

For the biting, go ahead and do a search in the Behavior and Personality section, that question has been covered many many times.  

Good luck and feel free to ask any more questions!


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## Zalea (Sep 12, 2008)

As LizardGirl said, you can use tweezers to pick up mealworms if you want to try those. I was a little creeped out by them at first, but I started a mealworm farm and quickly got over that--they can't bite you. They're not very intimidating bugs.

If you don't want to deal with live bugs, many pet stores sell canned bugs. You can pick these up with a spoon. They smell, but you don't have to touch them and they aren't wiggling around. Canned crickets and mealworms are good choices in that category. Avoid getting freeze dried bugs, as most hedgehogs ignore them; if they do eat them, they can cause internal blockage if too many are consumed.

The list referred to can be found here: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=15. All foods on this list are hedgie suitable. Wellness Healthy Weight, Natural Balance Green Pea and Duck, and Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul are often the most recommended out of the bunch. It's best to do a mix of 2-3 different foods from the list in case one is discontinued or your hedgie stops eating one for whatever reason. That way you have a back-up food and the hedgie isn't without a normal food to eat. A mix of 2-3 foods from smaller bags will last 6+ months for one hedgehog (stick what you're not using within a week or two in the freezer).

What's your hedgie eating now?

When I do scrambled eggs, I put them in the microwave for about a minute (varies depending on microwave), then cut a few small pieces off for my hedgie. Wait until it cools (you do not want to give hot foods), then give the treat. This way there's no extra oil or seasonings; it's just the egg itself. You don't want to give more than a few little pieces or you could cause tummy problems. You can then season and eat the rest of the egg yourself.


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