What to Do If a Hedgehog Won't Eat? Causes and Solutions

With their cute appearance and gentle temperament, hedgehogs are deeply loved by children and teenagers. Nowadays, some families have started keeping them as pets. So, what should you do if a hedgehog won't eat? Below, the editor gives you a detailed explanation.

1. What to do if a hedgehog won't eat?

If a hedgehog won't eat, you need to reduce its animal-based feed and increase the proportion of plant-based food. At the same time, the feed should be varied in type, as this will increase its appetite.

2. What do hedgehogs like to eat?

1. Hedgehogs are omnivorous animals. In the wild, they mainly live by preying on various invertebrates and small vertebrates, as well as plant roots, fruits, melons and other plants. For home keeping, you can prepare feed yourself, mixing meat scraps, grains and their by-products, and green vegetables in proportion. In addition, small animals such as caterpillars, beetles, snails and earthworms, as well as fruits, can also be fed to them.

2. Animal-based food is mainly insects, and they also eat small mice, bird eggs, small snakes, etc. They breed 1 to 2 times a year, with a gestation period of 35 to 37 days, and 3 to 6 young per litter. Newborn young are pink in color, with white soft spines, their eyes are not yet open, their ear openings are not yet through, and their bodies cannot yet curl up. Hedgehogs have the habit of hibernation. In the Beijing area, they begin hibernation in October and emerge from hibernation at the end of March the following year. Before hibernation they store a large amount of subcutaneous fat, which can reach one-fifth of their body weight.

3. If a hedgehog newly caught in the wild is to be domesticated artificially, animal-based feed should account for 80% of the food, and this can then be slowly reduced while increasing the proportion of plant-based food. The feed given must be fresh and clean, and melons, fruits and vegetables should be washed before feeding. If the melons and vegetables are bought from the market, they should first be soaked in a water basin for 1 hour, then washed and fed, to prevent pesticide poisoning. At the same time, the feed should be varied in type; a single type of feed will cause hedgehogs to bite and fight each other and refuse to eat.

Keeping a small hedgehog can add fun to life. I hope the above content can help everyone.