This is the 4th article in this series. For previous ones, please check below:
Hedgehogs should never be provided with junk food. Junk foods are bad to us, but they can do severe harm to little creatures like hedgehogs. They are often deep-fried, making them filled with bad fats and can contain dangerous items like acidic veggies and seasonings.
In case you still want to give junk food to them, home cook them in a better way.
Junk food that should never be provided to a hedgehog:
- Chocolate
- Banana Chips
- Ice Cream
- Jell-O
- Jam
- Jelly
- Hot Dogs
- French Fries
- Spaghetti
- Pizza
- Lasagna
- Cereal
- Fruit Loops
- Fried/Grilled Food
- Cakes
- Pastries
- Candy
- Burger
- Sandwich
Junk good that can be provided on a special occasion:
- Unsalted Popcorn
- Tiny pieces of Marshmallows
- Plain unsalted Noodles
- Plain unsalted Potato Chips
- Homemade Cookies with healthy ingredients
- Plain unsalted pasta
Hedgehogs and chocolate
No! We would not recommend you provide your hedgehog with chocolates. However, they are delicious to us humans. But, they contain several preservatives and have high amounts of sugar and other nasty substances that are considered harmful for small creatures like hedgehogs.
Hedgehogs and popcorn
Yes, providing plain unsalted popcorns would be completely okay, but make sure that any uncooked kernel is not left there. Small uncooked kernels can get stuck in their throats and can create several problems. Only provide them as treats and in once a while.
Do remember that some readily available brands of popcorns contain high amounts of butter. They are completely not recommended at all.
Hedgehogs and marshmallows
Marshmallow is a type of candy, and therefore it mostly consists of sugars. It is also quite high in calories. So, providing it in large amounts would not be a good idea and would be determinant to your hedgehog’s health. You can give small chunks as a treat in a week or two. There are no minerals or vitamins present in marshmallows.
Hedgehogs and Banana chips
You should definitely not feed banana chips to your hedgehogs, ever. Banana chips are full of fats, and all the other macronutrients are quite low in numbers. They also have high amounts of sugar (close to 60% of the carbs present). Chips can also contain sodium in high amounts, which is not good either.
Hedgehogs and Noodles
You should not feed your hedgehog any type of noodles as they do not contain any kind of nutritional benefits for them. Noodles like commonly available Ramen noodles are full of preservatives as well. So avoid providing noodles to hedgehogs. You can, if you really want to, provide plain noodles as a treat on their birthday. That’s it.
Hedgehogs and Ice cream
Hedgehogs are lactose intolerant, and therefore you should not provide ice creams to them. Ice creams are quite high in calories and sugars, which are both unsuitable with a healthy hedgehog diet. They also do not contain any beneficial nutrients to help the hedgie’s body.
Hedgehogs and Jell-O
Jell-O are purely sugars, and therefore they should not be provided to hedgehogs. They are also quite high in calories and contain minimal amounts of protein in them. There are also no nutrients in them for them to become an acceptable part of the hedgie’s diet.
Hedgehogs and Jam
Like other sugar-based products, Jams are filled with sugars, and therefore they should not be provided to hedgehogs. They do not contain any nutritional value and contain preservatives.
Hedgehogs and Jelly
Jelly or jelly beans should never be provided to hedgehogs. They are very high in sugars, and the carbohydrate value is around 100%. There are no nutrients or minerals to be counted as something nutritionally sufficient for your hedgie.
Hedgehogs and Hot dogs
Hot dogs should not be provided to hedgehogs as they are processed foods and do not contain any nutritional benefits for the hedgie. They are also full of carbs (92%) and are high in sodium. They would also contain acidic elements like tomatoes (in the form of ketchup), which are dangerous for hedgehogs.
Hedgehogs and Chips/potato chips
Chips or potato chips should not be provided to hedgehogs if they are salted. You can give unsalted chips in meager amounts to hedgehogs. Make sure they do not contain high-fat values as that would be dangerous for the little hedgie. Avoid any preservatives, and garnishing is as well.
Hedgehogs and French fries
You should definitely not provide French fries to your hedgehog in any case. French fries are fried in fats and therefore contain lots of them. They do not contain any nutrients or vitamins at all. If you can provide unsalted, unseasoned French fries to your hedgie on a special occasion, that’s fine.
Hedgehogs and Spaghetti
Spaghetti or any type of noodles would not be a healthy choice for hedgehogs. Do not provide them at all. Spaghetti is only high in manganese, and there are no other substantial vitamins or minerals present in them. They also mostly consist of carbs, and the amount of proteins is minute (14%).
Hedgehogs and Pizza
Pizza contains a lot of seasoning and has milk products like cheese. It can also contain acidic elements like ketchup. Therefore providing Pizza to hedgehogs is not a good idea. A cheese crust pizza is relatively high in calories (276 cal per 100 g).
Hedgehogs and Lasagna
Lasagna should not be provided in any condition to hedgehogs. Lasagna consists of tomatoes and a lot of seasoning, both of which are quite bad for hedgehogs. He may like them, though, but that does not mean you should provide it to him.
Hedgehogs and Cereal
You should definitely not provide cereal to your hedgehogs. Cereals mostly consist of carbs and have minuscule amounts of proteins and fats. They are also quite high in calories (357 cal per 100 g of cereal). There are not many minerals or vitamins present either.
Hedgehogs and Fruit loops
Fruit loops are high in calories, and most of their calories come from carbohydrates. Therefore, you should not provide fruit loops or any other type of sugar-based cereal to your hedgehog. There is one good thing, though – fruit loops cereal is high in vitamin C.
Hedgehogs and Fried/grilled food
You should definitely not provide fried or grilled foods to your hedgehog. There are many reasons for it, but mainly they contain a lot of bad fat. Also, due to cooking at high temperatures, they may contain carcinogenic elements like Acrylamide.
Hedgehogs and Cookies
Cookies available in the market are mostly carbs and contain a lot of sugar. They have low to nothing in vitamins or minerals, and therefore they have no value to your hedgehog. Hence, please do not provide cookies to your hedgehog ever.
In case you want to make cookies for the hedgy at your home, here is a recipe.
Hedgehogs and Cakes
Cakes are made from milk products and therefore, can be dangerous for hedgehogs who are lactose intolerant. Cakes are also full of sugars, and there is not much value in them nutritionally. They also contain lots of fat which isn’t suitable for your hedgy in large amounts.
Hedgehogs and Pastries
Similar to cakes, pastries should not be provided to hedgehogs. Pastries are made from bread, milk products, and sugars. Therefore they have no value to a hedgehog.
Hedgehogs and Candy
Candy should never be provided to hedgehogs. Candies are hard to chew and consist entirely of sugars. They also do not have any vitamins or minerals present in them. They could also damage the delicate teeth of your hedgie.
Hedgehogs and Burger
Burgers can contain tomatoes both in raw form and in the form of ketchup. They can also include cheese and other seasonings. Both of these are harmful to hedgehogs. Hence they should never be provided to hedgehogs.
They, like other junk foods, have not much nutrition value either. A fried burger can be a health hazard, as well.
Hedgehogs and Sandwich
There are different types of sandwiches, and prescriptions for each can vary. But, as a rule of thumb, they should be avoided for hedgehogs. Sandwiches can contain both milk products as well as acidic vegetables like tomatoes— hazardous to hedgehogs. Hence, they should never be provided to a hedgy.
Hedgehogs and Pasta
There is no reason to feed pasta to your hedgehog. It has no nutritional value for them. Pasta does not contain any minerals or vitamins in substantial amounts. Also, pasta, made in restaurants, can have a lot of seasoning, which is quite dangerous for the little creature. Hence do not provide pasta to your hedgehog.
