Hedgehog Products

Many manufacturers are selling items targeted at hedgehog owners. Just because it has a picture of a hedgehog on the packaging does not mean that it is actually a hedgehog friendly item. Below is a listing of items I feel are not appropriate and what items are.

Food and Treats

• Insects

  Hedgehogs are insectivores and I feel should be fed insects as a regular part of their diet. Mealworms and crickets are available in the reptile section of many petstores. You can also find other insects, e.g. silkworms, from online vendors.

  Store Bought vs. Wild Caught: It is not recommended to feed insects that are wild caught to pet hedgehogs. Wild caught insects can have pesticides, herbicides, or parasites that could make your hedgehog sick. Another consideration is that wild caught insects may have eaten something that is ok for them to eat but is harmful to your hedgehog. I highly recommend either purchasing insects or growing your own.

  Mealworms and Superworms: Mealworms are one of the most common foods fed to hedgehogs. They can be kept in the refridgerator, or you can start your own colony. Hedgehogs can be fed the worm, pupae or beetle stages. Never feed superworms. Superworms have been known to bite. Some recommend cutting their heads off, but it is my opinion that it is far easier to feed 2 mealworms instead of 1 superworm that has its head cut off. When purchasing mealworms, I always open the container and inspect its contents. Look to ensure that the bedding is dry, and the mealworms are not turning black or are dead. Healthy mealworms should look plump and be golden in color. Note: you may find white mealworms in your container. A white mealworm is a mealworm that has recently shed its skin. These are very tender and easy for a hedgehog to chew.

  For instructions on how to raise your own mealworms, please check out our Mealworm cultivation page.

  Crickets: Crickets can be a quite entertaining and healthy treat for a hedgehog. Crickets contain less fat than mealworms, and are a good source of fiber. At first you may have to hold the cricket to allow your hedgehog to catch it, but given time your hedgehog will hone its hunting skills and will learn to catch them. If you want a little entertainment, put a few crickets in a bathtub or other safe solid sided enclosure with a hedgehog.

  Feeding Captive Insectivorous Animals: Nutritional Aspects of Insects as Food. August 1997. Authors: Joni B. Bernard, PhD, Mary E. Allen, PhD, and Duane E. Ullrey, PhD.: This article has a lot of interesting information about the nutritional value of insects.

  Below is a listing of online insect vendors. Often it is cheaper to purchase insects online and have them shipped to you than to buy them in a pet store. However, you will have to purchase them in greater quantities than you may need.

  I have purchased from several of these sources, and the others were either recommended on hedgehog or reptile forums as good places to get insects. Some of these sources provide a variety of live, freeze-dried & roasted insect and others are limited to one or two types. The listing includes sources in the US, Canada and the UK.

  United States
  http://www.sunshinemealworms.com/
  http://www.nyworms.com/
  http://www.wormman.com/
  http://www.rainbowmealworms.net/
  http://www.exoticnutrition.com/
  http://www.ghann.com
  http://www.grubco.com
  http://www.flukerfarms.com
  http://www.tophatcrickets.com/
  http://www.mulberryfarms.com
  http://www.silkwormshop.com
  http://www.wormbiz.com/index.html

  Canada
  http://www.bugorder.com/
  http://feederfactory.ca/store/index.php
  http://www.silkworms.ca/prod02.htm
  

  United Kingdom
  http://www.jc-exotics.co.uk/
  http://www.livefoodsdirect.co.uk/sitemap.asp
  

• Food