# How much should my hedgehog eat?



## Mrs.Lovette (Mar 27, 2014)

Hi, I have a pretty simple question here. How much food should I feed my hedgehog, and how many times per day? Also, how many times per week should i feed him fruit and veggies? (I have a mix of two different dry cat foods that I read were good for hedgehogs.)


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## sc2001 (Oct 12, 2014)

Your hedgie should have an unlimited supply of food in his cage at all hours (free-feed). But you should also change his food daily to prevent the food from getting stale. So, count the amount of kibble that your hedgie eats every night and put that amount+some. Start out with one tbs. If he eats the whole thing, give him 1.5 tbs, and so on. This is just to reduce the amount of food you waste at the end of the day when you have to change out the food. 

Fruit and veggies aren't a huge necessity in their diet So you can feed them as treats. I'm not sure how often. It really depends on the hedgie. But maybe 2-3 times a week? 

You also need to feed insects every day (or close to it)! They should be a regular part of their diet. I feed a few mealworms every day as treats when my hedgie is out of the cage. 

You can also feed baby food as treats


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## Mrs.Lovette (Mar 27, 2014)

Thanks for the info on insects! I'm reading about it now and it seems like crickets are the simplest and best thing, but I live so far from town that I really can't be going to get live crickets all the time, and I don't want to house them, so what about dried ones? And what about the brand Flukers for freeze dried crickets?


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## shinydistraction (Jul 6, 2014)

I would avoid freeze dried as part of a regular diet. Since they have so little moisture in them they can cause an impaction. You could do canned though. It's not really necessary to feed live insects all the time, I think most people feed them as a treat. So long as the cat food you're using is of a good quality it has all the things he needs for a balanced diet already.


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## Mrs.Lovette (Mar 27, 2014)

Okay, I definitely think canned would be better for me. I'm looking at Flukers Gourmet Style Canned Crickets, and they seem good because they have lots of protein (17.9%) and not much fat (2.5%). Would that be a good option?


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## Mrs.Lovette (Mar 27, 2014)

Oh, it looks like the same brand also makes canned mealworms. Will hedgehogs eat those, as well?


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## sc2001 (Oct 12, 2014)

Mealworms are the most popular insects among hedgies! And I think I read that their nutritional value is higher than crickets (But don't quote me on that).


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## lilsurfergrlsp (Dec 13, 2013)

I'm not 100% sure on this, but I think the nutritional value of crickets vs. mealworms depends on what they're gut-loaded with beforehand. So, in this case, I don't think you can tell with the canned insects. But, they're still a good option for hedgehogs  canned is much better than freeze-dried. And really the only difference between those two are the fat content - the mealworms are higher in fat than the crickets. So, depending on your hedgehog's activity level, you can gauge how often to feed which one. For instance, a really active runner would need more insects that are higher in fat. But (as for all new foods being introduced to hedgehogs) start slow and work your way up to multiple insects, and watch for any weight gain.


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