Hedgehog arrived Nov. 23rd 2023 - Does not Ship

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Hedgehog Diet

Unlike most other pocket pets, hedgehogs are considered insectivores, and these snouted critters have quite the taste for things that creep and crawl. Mealworms and crickets are the most commonly fed insects in captivity but the staple diet for a hedgehog should be a store-bought, specially formulated hedgehog kibble. It's important, especially if your kibble brand doesn't have insects in the pellets, to supplement with live insects, such as mealworms and crickets, and veggies.

Many owners and breeders still feed kitten food to their hedgehogs but this is not ideal because cat food does not contain blood meal and chitin in it.

Keeping Hedgehogs as Pets

As their name implies, African Pygmy hedgehogs are native to central and eastern Africa but most of these hedgehogs are actually a hybrid of two species: the Four-toed and Algerian hedgehogs. In the wild, they also live primarily off of small insects, grubs, snails, spiders, and small vertebrates—a diet you should strive to mimic in captivity.

Cages made for guinea pigs and rabbits are suitable for hedgehogs but wire-grate cage bottoms should be avoided since hedgehogs have small feet that will be injured if they fall through these grates. Soft bedding such as recycled paper material or towels that are changed out regularly is best for the sensitive feet of a hedgehog. Good padding for the cage is key; wire-bottom or plastic grates can lead to callus formation on the feet, which can lead to foot infections known as pododermatitis. You might consider fleece or dog-training potty pads over the soft padding or fleece to easily clean certain areas.

A large enclosed running wheel should be kept in the cage for your hedgie to exercise in along with a hide box, food bowl, and water bottle. Make sure the running wheel is cleaned regularly to avoid fecal matter from building up which can cause foot infections or infections in humans upon handling them.1

Hedgehogs are very active at night and will run several miles a day on their wheel or in their enclosed play area. If they are unable to get a large amount of exercise they require they may become depressed, overweight, and develop foot sores. Exercise and activity are very important to hedgehogs so potential owners should be able to commit to being able to provide a hedgehog with the space necessary to do so.