# Do hedgehogs store their food?



## Alastrina (Sep 18, 2009)

Hey everyone!

I'm curious to know if hedgehogs (in the wild or in captivity) store/hoard/bury their food in their sleeping space/nestbox?

I've watched Charley the past few times I've fed him, and he takes a bite of his favorite kibble, crunches it up a bit, then runs into his house and I hear more crunching and scuffling around inside then he comes back out and repeats the circuit. When I clean out this same area, I find alot of crumbs and largish chunks, almost as if he's saving them for later?

It's never any more food than would fit in a baby spoon, and could very well be discards. I've seen cats and dogs do this too, though they weren't trying to save anything. I had a cat once who refused to eat out of a bowl; she'd take a mouthfull of food from her dish, spit it out on the floor, and eat it there. 

I'm just wondering if there's a pre-programmed biological reasoning behind this, or if he's just trying to make sure no imaginary interlopers can drop in and steal his munchies! ^_^

~Katie


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## hedgielover (Oct 30, 2008)

The closest thing I've seen to that is when Quigley spills his food and then moves his bed on top of it. He doesn't do it every night but for some reason every couple of nights or more he decides he is lazy. He dumps his food dish over and then picks up all the blankets and liners in the cage (lifts them from underneath) and moves everything so it is right beside the food dish and he is sleeping on top of all the spilled food. I don't know how purposeful his actions are or if it is a sign of hording but I think it is really cute. If I leave him an egg carton (placed open and upside down, like a tent) he puts that on top of his food instead of his blanket.


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

Some of them like to eat in private, since they feel more secure than eating out where the dish is.



> or if he's just trying to make sure no imaginary interlopers can drop in and steal his munchies! ^_^


 :lol:


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## Alastrina (Sep 18, 2009)

He's probably trying for more privacy...his sleeping place is too big for him to move on his own or I bet he would have just moved his house to the food dish. I plan on making him some hedgie bags as soon as the rest of my fabric arrives (it is hard as heck to find a local supply store in Germany!) so I might see some of that behavior in the future too.

I think it's adorable to watch him trundle back and forth, and he doesn't seem to mind the exercise. ^_^

~Katie


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