# Quail eggs, okay to feed?



## iamdbf (Aug 28, 2008)

Me and my mom bought some quail eggs for us to try. I thought, why not feed Jade a raw one? Hedgehogs can't get salmonela, plus this exerpt is from hedgehog central:

Besides eating a wide range of insects, they will also dine on small rodents, snakes, bird eggs and chicks, as well as fruit, roots and groundnuts. There seems to be virtually no limit to what a hedgehog will eat. 

so... is it okay if i feed her a raw quail egg? Wild hedgies eat them. If u guys say i can feed it to her, i'll take a video of it so u guys can watch her be cute and pig out. (in case u don't know, quail eggs are about an inch wide, or tall or watev., about a bit less than half the size of a chicken egg. it is a common egg size to find in the wild.)
If u guys say i shouldn't, then i guess i'll feed her some of it hard boiled. (i know that that is okay to feed it to her that way). no vid. of that tho. it wouldnt be that interesting, plus she'd enjoy it less.
so if i can feed it, plz tell me so. If I cant... why??? From the segment i showed above, i don't see why not. i am just chuking, cuz i want my girl to be same and ok and fine and stuffffs. :roll:


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## iamdbf (Aug 28, 2008)

I thought, how its written nowhere about feeding raw chicken eggs, because maybe eating a raw egg that big would have difficult methods for the hedgie. but i think a small egg that is raw would be fine. any input sum1?
plz? :?: 


...


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## Hedgie17 (Aug 28, 2008)

I really dont know, but that is a good question.


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## iamdbf (Aug 28, 2008)

thx. i think that since wild hedgies eat eggs (obviously not bb-q'd) then scince Jade has the exact same body and such, I think its okay. i will just wait longer to see if sumone knows the answer for sure before i try anythin stupid.

If the answer is yes, u can all look at a cute vid of her egg-massacre to be posted here. (maybe in another post. it depends how good the vid. is.)(but it still may be posted here)... :mrgreen:


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

I've never seen any posts suggesting giving a hedgehog a raw egg...I don't know if I'd risk it, though. If you were going to feed it raw, however, I'd crack it and just give her the insides, and not let her get to the shell at all. She could choke or cut herself on a piece of egg.


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

I think...The key word in all that you posted is "WILD". APH's aren't found in the wild, they cannot survive in the wild, they are not wild, they are domestic bred. Just because a wild hedgie can eat something, doesn't mean our APH's can. I personally wouldn't risk feeding raw. I'd stick to feeding hard boiled. But that's a personal preference, and that's also IF it's ok to feed.

Edit to add:
And for full chart on nutritional value:
http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/dairy-and-egg-products/128/2

For those who can give more insight into the matter.


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## iamdbf (Aug 28, 2008)

Just sayin... the breeds that they come from are found in the wild...
wll, just so i kno, does anyone hav an idea of wat bad it could do?


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Could either make them sick, or could give them parasites, if the eggs have either. Same reasons people usually cook their eggs before eating, we don't want salmonella or parasites. It's also the same reason we don't feed hedgehogs uncooked meat. You don't know what could be in the meat that could make your hedgehog sick. Maybe hedgehogs can't get salmonella, but I've never heard that before. I wouldn't risk it either way.


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

I don't see anything wrong with feeding it cooked, from the information that I have found. Though it would be good if someone who has done extensive research into hedgehog nutrition could give some insight.

I'm just unsure of feeding it raw. I wouldn't eat it raw, so I wouldn't give it raw to any of my animals.

I've also never heard of hedgehogs not being able to get salmonella, though from what I remember, we can get salmonella FROM APH's. http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/publicat/ccdr-rmtc/97vol23/dr2317ea.html That being said, also found some other website saying how you can't get salmonella from quail eggs because of the higher body temperatures of quails(I can't find the website where I read that again, I'll edit it in when/IF I find it XD )...But...Is it worth the risk?


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## iamdbf (Aug 28, 2008)

Oh. Jade's vet mentioned that hedgies can't get salmonella (though they often carry it).

I never thought of uncooked eggs having parasites. It never cam to mind. It is just the kind of food that seems... I dunno. U think how cows and plants are left on their own, but eggs are taken right when they laid, so parasites never come to mind. Thx!

I might as well ask this too: I will scramble one and hard boil one, cuz i kno hedgies can eat that, but wat about sunny side up? i never read if that is okay or not. Scince the center is gooey, i was thinkin they would connect better with it being the egg they eat in the wild. Is sunny side up egg okay to feed?


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

all eggs fed to hedgehogs should be scrambled or boiled..in otherwords hard cooked. Sunny side up is not hard cooked. You also have to remember that just because wild hedgehogs eat other things in the wild it doesn't mean its healthy for them..they eat insects...even ones with pesticides...they can''t tell the difference..but it doesn't mean its safe to feed them wild insects. We want our hedgehogs to live longer healthier lives than wild ones, which only live to about 2 years old. One last point...in the wild they would eat all types of eggs from birds that nest on the ground..not just quail..which are not found everywhere that hedgehogs are.


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## azyrios (Feb 2, 2009)

the problem with cooking a sunny side up egg is the grease from the pan. The butter it is cooked in or the grease it is cooked in would not be good for a hedgie.

Also about saying from the wild... would you feed your hedgehog a mouse or a lizard? Whether a different species of hedgehog can eat a raw egg or not is irrelevant. An APH is not a European, much like a Husky is not a Labrador, and the Husky can die from eating peanut butter. Even if a European hedgehog can kill a snake, i wouldn't think an APH would be able to do the same.

Also just letting the hedgehog have the egg, it wouldn't know what to do. To the APH it would just be a ball. They do not have the survival instincts a wild European hedgehog has "it's food until it proves otherwise". Breaking the shell and letting the hedgie see it is food would also be bad as shell can cut up a hedgehogs throat as well as be a choking hazard. 

I would be interested in seeing a paper where it says hedgies cannot get salmonella, if you could ask your vet for where he got his reference i'm sure more than just me would be interested in reading it.

Personally if there is any chance of it hurting my hedgie i will no do it. There are to many factors with raw eggs, much less par cooked eggs, it is just better to play it safe. 

As for the statement about Jade having more fun with a raw egg, how can you be certain that she would enjoy it more unless you have already done it. With APH living with plenty of treats and kibble, i think i leaky egg would be just as dissatisfying to her as it would be to me. I may also be wrong, and it may be like insects to them, maybe a raw egg to them has a multitude of flavors, or maybe she will annoint with it and get messy. There is just no way to know for sure how someones enjoyment from a raw egg would be.


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## iamdbf (Aug 28, 2008)

k thanks for the help ppl.
though this isn't necesarry that much, does any1 kno if hedgies like scarmbled or hard boiled better? :?


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

Mine prefers hard boiled. He eats that quicker than he does the scrambled.


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

I haven't fed hard boiled, but Inky LOVES scrambled eggs...


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