# What NOT to feed a Hedgehog



## Evanstheone

I've been looking for a comprehensive list on what NOT to feed a Hedgehog. I'm mostly looking for things that will cause life threatening problems, not the "it's not nutritional enough" for him foods.


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## dorasdaddy

Avacadoes, Rasins, any citrus fruit, onion, grapes, nuts, aloe (not fed obviously, but still toxic in soaps and mousturizers) these are all i can think of off of the top of my head...all of these are either toxic or are a choking hazard


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## Aleshea

Their is a thred in the health section that has all thing toxic for hedgies.....


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## Lilysmommy

And here it is. viewtopic.php?f=5&t=40


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## Zalea

Sometimes I think the list of what TO feed is shorter. 

When it comes to kibble avoid:
by products, animal digest 
"animal fat"
Blood Meal
beet pulp, pea hulls, brewer's rice, wheat gluten
corn (this includes any kind of corn meal)
BHA, BHT, Ethoxyquin -- these all cause cancer
sweeteners (corn syrup, sucrose, propylene glycol...)
coloring additives
nuts and seeds

When it comes to treats, avoid:
* grapes/raisins
* avocados
* oranges/lemons/lime/citrus anything
* nuts or seeds
* chocolate
* milk/dairy products (exception is cottage cheese and that should be only a little)
* alcohol
* bread
* celery
* onion and onion powder
* raw carrots
* tomatoes
* human junk food (chips, candy, anything really sugary, etc.)
* honey
* raw meat (ANY meat you feed a hedgie should be cooked!)
* Wild caught bugs

Most of those things are listed on the toxic list you were linked to already but there are a few more here that should be avoided as well.


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## hedgieluver

also processed meat: hot dogs, bologna, ect


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## chaos_emerald

what's wrong with wild caught bugs? just the risk of pesticides?


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## Lilysmommy

Pesticides, and I believe maybe parasites or such, too.


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## Mattplusness

i'm just curious as to why wild bugs would be unhealthy...
they are wild creatures, what do they eat in the wild..? Cat food?


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## dorasdaddy

Mattplusness said:


> i'm just curious as to why wild bugs would be unhealthy...
> they are wild creatures, what do they eat in the wild..? Cat food?


The hedgies we raise are not found in the wild. they are actually a cross breed of at least 2 other breeds. and it goes without saying that bugs in the wilderness have alot less pollutants than bugs that are around inhabited areas. pesticides are meant to kill, why would you want your hedgie to ingest something like that?


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## Reaper

And in the wild the average lifespan is 2 years.


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## drpepperheather

Just curious...why should Wheat Gluten and Beet Pulp be avoided? 
(Looks like I need to take the Max Cat out of my junk-food mix...)


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## dorasdaddy

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm ... 4&aid=2705

This talks up the advantages of beet pulp, and it says the cases of the belly swelling are for the most part unsubstantiated. It is in alot of higher quality cat foods that are listed as ok to feed.


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## drpepperheather

Thanks for the beet pulp link dorasdaddy! I work for Nutro, and we have Dried Beet Pulp in all of our foods (we're told it's a good fiber source and really helps to "firm up" the poop). 

I was just wondering why it wasn't recommended for hedgehogs. I think the sugar may be an issue, but from my understanding the beet pulp is the by-product after most the sugar has been removed. So maybe is there another reason? 

I want my Ziggy to live forever (or as long as hedgehogly possible) so I am willing to do whatever it takes, and avoid whatever I need to!


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## Zalea

It's mainly because it's a filler. It's in a lot of foods so it's okay further down the ingredient list, but if it's in the top few ingredients I'd consider a different food. Same for wheat gluten. There are just more nutritional foods out there that don't have those in the top few ingredients. It's not dire that they not be in the food, it's just better when it's further down the list.


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## drpepperheather

Ah, okay. I was worried that maybe they've been known to cause health issues in hedgehogs or something. I have Max Cat (which has Wheat Gluten as one of the main ingrediants) in my mix because I wanted a "junk" food that didn't use artifical crap, corn, or by-products. There is only a tiny bit of the Max Cat in my mix relative to the rest of the "good" foods, so maybe I'll leave it in there for now. Thanks for the info!


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## pedro

If grapes and nuts are not good to feed a hedgehog, how come this forum said its ok to feed grape nut cereal?


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## Lilysmommy

Grape Nuts cereal, rather contrary to its name, doesn't contain either grapes or nuts. :lol: It's just oat bran or something like that, I can't remember exactly what. But it's a good source of fiber for hedgehogs who'll eat it (mine, Lily, eats around it), since cat food doesn't contain much fiber.


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## roxy

raw carrots are bad ? i didn't know this ! i've gave them to roxy a couple times and she seemed to like them, but i got her spoiled on mealies and she wont snack on anything else these days... aside from her kibble. what is is about carrots that makes them bad ?


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## dorasdaddy

they pose a possible choking hazard


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## [email protected]

Rspca site says crushed nuts/sunflower seeds ok-here it says no nuts mo seeds.clarity getting less clear!&#55357;&#56848;


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## Lilysmommy

This site is for pet hedgehogs, which are a species from Africa. The RSPCA site discusses wild European hedgehogs. But even besides that, I'm not seeing on their site where they say nuts & seeds are okay. You'd be better off offering dry or canned dog & cat food for wild hedgehogs if you're putting food out for them.  If you have a pet hedgehog, then this site will be more helpful for you.


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