Feeding a hedgehog: a balanced insectivore diet at home

Quick answer

Hedgehogs are insectivores, but that does not mean a bowl of mealworms. In captivity the practical, healthy diet is a good-quality dry base food, topped with a modest amount of insects for variety and enrichment, and kept in portions that hold a steady weight.

The two commonest mistakes are opposite extremes: feeding only mealworms, which is dangerously unbalanced, and overfeeding a rich diet, which produces the obesity that is one of the biggest killers of pet hedgehogs.

A measured base food in a clean bowl, with insects as an extra rather than the meal, is the everyday standard.

• Build the diet on a good-quality dry base: a purpose-made hedgehog or insectivore food, or a good dry cat food.
• Offer insects as a supplement and enrichment, not as the whole diet.
• Never feed a mealworm-only or insect-only diet. It is unbalanced and causes serious disease.
• Never give cow's milk or dairy. Hedgehogs cannot digest it and it causes diarrhoea.
• Measure portions and weigh weekly. Obesity is common, harmful and preventable.

Decide in 60 seconds

What to feed as the base

The staple, the food that makes up most of the bowl, should be a good-quality dry food with sensible protein and controlled fat.

Two options work well. A purpose-formulated hedgehog or insectivore diet from a reputable maker is the obvious first choice. A good-quality dry cat food is the other widely accepted base, and it is often better than many cheap bags sold as hedgehog food.

That last point corrects a common myth. You will read that cat food is unsuitable for hedgehogs. In reality a good dry cat food, chosen for reasonable protein and moderate fat, is a long-standing staple for pet hedgehogs. The problem is not the word cat, it is picking a fatty, low-quality food, whatever the label says.

Read the food the way you would any label. Look for a named protein high in the ingredient list, protein that is solid rather than skimpy, and fat that is moderate rather than high. The guides on reading a hedgehog food label and on hedgehog obesity go into this in more detail.

Where insects fit

Insects matter, both nutritionally and because hunting them is exactly what a hedgehog is built to do. But they are the topping, not the meal.

Measuring the base food keeps portions honest. Insects are added in small, counted amounts on top.

Offer a small number of insects on top of the base food a few times a week. Mealworms, crickets, dubia roaches, waxworms and silkworms all work as part of a varied rotation. Waxworms and mealworms are fatty, so keep those the smallest part.

Live insects offered occasionally turn feeding into foraging and give real enrichment. A few crickets to chase does more for a hedgehog's night than any toy.

Vary the insects rather than relying on one type. A rotation gives a better nutrient spread than any single species, and it stops the hedgehog holding out for its one favourite.

Extras, and what to skip

A little fresh food can add variety, but it stays a minor part of the diet.

Small amounts of cooked plain meat or egg are useful protein. Tiny pieces of certain vegetables and the occasional bit of low-sugar fruit are fine as treats, but keep fruit small because hedgehogs handle sugar poorly.

A quality dry base, insects and small fresh extras cover a hedgehog's needs without home-made recipes.

Some foods are firm no's. No cow's milk or dairy of any kind, because hedgehogs are lactose intolerant and it gives them diarrhoea. No sugary, fatty or heavily processed human snacks. Avoid the sticky, sugary treats sold for small pets, and take care with hard, whole nuts and seeds and anything a hedgehog could choke on or that lodges in the mouth.

You do not need to cook for a hedgehog. Home-made diets are easy to unbalance, especially for calcium, and a good commercial base with insects on top covers the bases far more reliably.

Water, portions and weight

Provide fresh, clean water at all times in a shallow, tip-proof bowl. Most hedgehogs drink more readily from a bowl than a bottle.

Measure the base food rather than free-pouring it. A hedgehog left with a permanently full, rich bowl will overeat, and the extra weight comes on quietly. Feed a consistent evening portion and adjust it to the hedgehog's body condition.

Weigh weekly and write it down. Weight is the clearest early signal of both obesity and illness, and a slow upward or downward drift shows in the numbers long before you notice it by eye.

Judge condition by feel as well as by the scale. You should be able to feel the ribs under a light covering, without them being sharp, and a hedgehog that struggles to ball up fully or has fat bulging at the legs is carrying too much.

What never to do

Do not feed a mealworm-only or insect-only diet. It causes obesity, fatty liver and bone disease.

Do not give cow's milk or any dairy. Hedgehogs cannot digest it.

Do not dismiss cat food on principle. A good-quality dry cat food is an accepted base. Choose it on protein and fat, not on the name.

Do not free-feed a rich food. Measure the portion and weigh the hedgehog weekly.

Do not build a home-cooked diet without expert guidance. It is easy to get calcium and balance wrong.

Do not offer sugary treats, especially not to a hedgehog already carrying extra weight.

When to get help

Diet is mostly a day-to-day matter, but appetite and weight changes can be the first sign of illness.

Contact a hedgehog-experienced vet if your hedgehog stops eating, is losing or gaining weight steadily despite a consistent diet, has persistent diarrhoea, or shows signs of weakness, wobbliness or difficulty moving that could point to a nutritional problem.

A hedgehog on a measured, balanced diet stays lean, active and steady in weight over the long run.