# What kinds of insects are safe for hedgehogs to eat?



## Spiff The Hedge

I know mealworms are safe, but what about earwigs, spiders, ect.


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## LizardGirl

Basically any insect that is under quarter sized and bred for herp or other *pet* food is fine. Do NOT let your hedgie eat random wild caught insects or the occassional bug found in your house. Also, insects raised for bait are not a good idea, for the same reasons as wild bugs.

You can try doing a search for more information, there are lots and lots of threads on suitable insects/treats for hedgies.


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## Spiff The Hedge

What if he caught his own earwig today, will he have problems, or should I just make sure he doesn't do it again?


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## gyaku

Your hedgehog should be ok, though still keep watch over him, so he doesn't start getting the effects of pesticides. I did catch some bugs outside when I first got my hedgehog, I don't any more. I suggest you to take him into the vet if at all possible so he can be checked out by a pro, mostly I give mine mealies and grasshopers.


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## Anny

gyaku said:


> Your hedgehog should be ok, though still keep watch over him, so he doesn't start getting the effects of pesticides. I did catch some bugs outside when I first got my hedgehog, I don't any more. I suggest you to take him into the vet if at all possible so he can be checked out by a pro, mostly I give mine mealies and grasshopers.


I wholeheartedly agree that feeding insects that weren't raised for food isn't a good choice but to bring a hedgie in for a vet visit because it ate one earwig is a bit of overkill I think.

Don't get me wrong, I'll be the first to bring any of my pets to the vet if anything is wrong but I've noticed sometimes it's recommended a bit too quickly on forums for such a small issue. Unless the hedgie is experiencing anything out of the ordinary following an event like this, I'd say that it'll be fine without having to see a vet.

Of course this is my personal opinion, my 2 canadian cents! 

Cheers


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## nicholasi

at petco they have these fruit flies attacted to some kind of block with a picture of a chameleon on it, would these be okay to feed to my hedgehog?

this is what they sell: http://www.petco.com/product/12675/Flig ... SiteSearch

in store through


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## LizardGirl

A hedgie would probably enjoy licking up some flightless fruit flies or annointing with the block they come with but I doubt it has any nutritional value for them. I personally don't like fruit flies, I think they're gross. :lol:


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## nicholasi

alright, thankyou


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## gyaku

To be honest I have yet to hear of a chemeleon owner use those, the fruit flies in the block are more like skeletons of the insect and nothing else. There is a bit of protien and not much else!


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## Syker

Yeah, fruitflies are more for people who own very small herps or invertebrates, like frogs, toads, salamanders, baby tarantula, things like that. Baby tarantulas are smaller than small crickets, so the only thing they can really eat at that point are those flies. 

Insects that are okay for hedgehogs are most insects sold as herp food: crickets, mealies, superworms (which I prefer over mealies because the shell:meat ratio is smaller), roaches (dubia, etc, these are actually very nutritious), silkworms, waxworms (fatty though), phoenix worms, butter worms, hornworms, grasshopers, etc. Just make sure to understand that these are treats, because most insects are going to be high in fat (crickets less so). Of course never feed wild-caught insects, and make sure to gutload them a little before feeding them. 

The hedgehog I used to have wasn't sure about insects at first, but after a couple of days he looooved superworms, and seemed pretty happy every time I'd relent and give him a butterworm. Wax worms are nice since you can keep them in the fridge for weeks. Silkworms are pretty good, but they tend to be expensive and hard to keep for longer than a day or two since they require a special mulberry chow. I only ever pick up 10 or so at a time, giving half to the hedgehog and half to my lizard. Anymore and they would die off before I could feed them. If you've got tons of money though, silkworms are great - no shell, high in protein, and apparently tasty since my hedgie goes wild for them. You can't feed them apples or veggies though like other insects, it's only this specific thing that you'll pay a lot for. You can't realistically breed them, since they are caterpillars and turn into butterflies and all that, so you'll also be buying them everytime you're low, and they're the most expensive worms I've come across so far. Crickets are decent, but they're noisy, smelly, and get everywhere! I'm happy with my colony of superworms and going to the petstore to get the occasional wax/butter/silk. No one sells roaches around here so I don't have any experience with them, but from all I can read they are quiet, easy to take care of, and great feeder insects.

I would never leave any insect in a pet's enclosure after feeding time, since it could nibble on your pet and cause some damage (that's seen with crickets a whoooole lot). Superworms are kind of ok, since by themselves they'll just go "time to pupate!" but finding that **** beetle afterwards is a pain. Apart from that though, feeder insects cause no real danger to hedgehog since hedgehogs will chew them (so no "superworms are bad because they chew their way out!"). Even a half-chewed super will not want anything to do with chewing anything, and it'll die fairly quickly. Again, don't overfeed them though, think of them as candy or ice cream, if you're not fit you won't want to eat too many.


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