Being able to check on a list to see what a hedgehog can’t eat, makes it easier to avoid the dangerous and toxic food choices. Thereby avoiding any potential health issues.
What can’t hedgehogs eat? Pet hedgehogs can’t eat:
- avocados
- citrus fruit,
- grapes
- raisins
- pineapple
- tomatoes
- self-caught insects
- bait-shop insects
- processed meats
- raw meat
- raw eggs
- onions
- garlic
- celery
- chocolate
- peas
- corn
- kitten food
- dairy products
If you inadvertently give your hedgehog food that’s dangerous or toxic to them, you must seek urgent medical advice from a licensed veterinarian in your area.
Here’s my list of 45 bad foods for hedgehogs with details of why they shouldn’t be given.
Avocados
Avocado is not recommended as they contain toxins that can be dangerous to hedgehogs. They are also very fatty and this would cause fatty liver issues and obesity.
Citrus Fruit
Citrus fruit is not good for hedgehogs to eat, as it’s quite acidic for them and can cause digestive problems.
Oranges
Citrus fruits like oranges are quite acidic, causing digestive issues and damaging the hedgehog’s digestive tract. Oranges will cause discomfort and pain to any hedgehogs eating them.
Lemons
Citrus fruits like lemons are quite acidic, causing digestive issues and damaging the hedgehog’s digestive tract. Lemons will cause discomfort and pain to any hedgehogs eating them.
Limes
Citrus fruits like limes are quite acidic, causing digestive issues and damaging the hedgehog’s digestive tract. Limes will cause discomfort and pain to any hedgehogs eating them.
Grapefruit
Citrus fruits like grapefruit are quite acidic, causing digestive issues and damaging the hedgehog’s digestive tract. Grapefruit will cause discomfort and pain to any hedgehogs eating them.
Grapes
Grapes can be toxic to hedgehogs. They can cause damage to their organs including renal (kidney) and liver damage.
Raisins
Raisins can be toxic to hedgehogs. They can cause damage to their organs including renal (kidney) and liver damage. There is an increased choking risk and possible toxic reactions to preservatives used to keep the raisins edible for longer.
Dried fruits
Dried fruits contain concentrated amounts of sugar compared to their natural counterparts which contain water to dilute the sugar. There is an increased choking risk and possible toxic reactions to preservatives used to keep the dried fruit edible for longer.
Pineapple
Fruits like pineapple are quite acidic, causing digestive issues and damaging the hedgehog’s digestive tract. Pineapple will cause discomfort and pain to any hedgehogs eating them.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes are actually fruits and are quite acidic, causing digestive issues and damaging the hedgehog’s digestive tract. Tomatoes will cause discomfort and pain to any hedgehogs eating them.
Self-caught insects
Insects caught outdoors run the risk of carrying pesticides, parasites and other nasties that could be dangerous to hedgehogs. Reputable pet shop insects are bred in carefully controlled environments.
Bait shop insects
Insects bought from bait shops run the risk of carrying pesticides, parasites and other nasties that could be dangerous to hedgehogs. Reputable petshop insects are bred in carefully controlled environments.
Processed Meats
Processed and canned meat contains additives and preservatives not too good for hedgehogs. These foods also tend to be smoked or salted and are generally high in fat.
Bacon
This is a highly calorific food which is fatty, salty and contains chemicals for preserving like nitrates, that might be toxic to hedgehogs.
Sausages
This is a highly calorific food which is fatty, salty and contains chemicals for preserving like nitrates, that might be toxic to hedgehogs.
Ham
This is a highly calorific food which is fatty, salty and contains chemicals for preserving like nitrates, that might be toxic to hedgehogs.
Raw Meat
Raw meat has bacterial risks like Salmonella, Campylobacter can cause severe illnesses in hedgehogs.
Raw Eggs
Raw eggs have bacterial risks like Salmonella, Campylobacter can cause severe illnesses in hedgehogs.
Onions
Onions are not recommended as they cause gastrointestinal irritation, leading to red blood cell damage. Seek urgent medical veterinarian advice if a hedgehog eats onions.
Garlic
Garlic is not recommended as they cause gastrointestinal irritation, leading to red blood cell damage. Seek urgent medical veterinarian advice if a hedgehog eats garlic.
Celery
Celery is not recommended as they cause gastrointestinal irritation, leading to red blood cell damage. Seek urgent medical veterinarian advice if a hedgehog eats celery.
Chocolate
Contains milk (hedgehogs are lactose intolerant), with high amounts of fat and sugar (obesity risk). With other ingredients also being toxic to hedgehogs.
Peas
Can upset the calcium to phosphate balance, causing the hedgehogs to expel calcium from their bones out in their urine and faeces. Leads to bones breaking and is extremely painful for hedgehogs.
Corn
Can upset the calcium to phosphate balance, causing the hedgehogs to expel calcium from their bones out in their urine and faeces. Leads to bones breaking and is extremely painful for hedgehogs.
Kitten Food
Kitten food is designed for growing cats and contains higher levels of fat, with most also containing milk. Hedgehogs are lactose intolerant so the milk will cause digestive problems.
Dairy Products
Pet hedgehogs like all hedgehogs are lactose intolerant, making milk and all dairy products difficult for them to digest. More than likely dairy products will cause a painful upset stomach.
Cheese
Cheese is a dairy product containing lactose which hedgehogs can’t digest so the cheese is not recommended.
Other dangerous food
Other type of dangerous food not to give to hedgehogs includes the following.
Spicy food
Hedgehogs have not evolved to eat spicy food and will most likely end up with stomach upsets. Spices themselves may be dangerous to hedgehogs. Spicy foods may contain nuts, peas, milk and other foods not suitable for hedgehogs.
Pomegranates
Fruits like pomegranate are quite acidic, causing digestive issues and damaging the hedgehog’s digestive tract. Pomegranate will cause discomfort and pain to any hedgehogs eating them.
Tea Tree oil-based foods
Tea Tree oil is highly toxic to hedgehogs. Do not even use in bath water or as a treatment for mites as they are likely to ingest it through drinking the bathwater or by licking themselves.
Nuts
Nuts are a choking hazard and should be avoided. Nuts also contain large amounts of fat, can also be salty and smoked which also isn’t good for hedgehogs.
Seeds
Seeds are choking hazard as the hedgehog is unable to eat seeds the way a rodent-like a rabbit can by grinding them down. This increases the likelihood of choking.
Chives
Chives are not recommended as they cause gastrointestinal irritation, leading to red blood cell damage. Seek urgent medical veterinarian advice if a hedgehog eats chives.
Mushrooms
Mushrooms are dangerous to hedgehogs with some varieties being more deadly than others.
Wild Hedgehog Food
Be careful with food designed labelled as hedgehog food, as this type of food is generally designed for wild hedgehogs. They generally contain too much fat as these foods are designed for hedgehogs who will be very active and will hibernate in the colder months.
This food will make hedgehogs kept as pets obese. Some varieties also contain insects that if fed regularly can damage bones as they upset the calcium to phosphorous ratio in hedgehogs. can contain nuts and seeds
Dog Food
Dog food can contain large amounts of corn or peas, which is used as a filler. Both corn and peas upset the calcium to phosphorous ratio causing bone damage in all hedgehogs.
Cat Food with additives
The choice of cat food requires some diligence as some cat food can have large amounts of additives and fillers like corn and peas. These upset the deplete calcium from hedgehog bones causing them to break, as the phosphorous in these additives and fillers are too high in ratio to calcium.
Grass
Grass contains pesticides and parasites, it’s not digestible by hedgehogs and should never be fed to them.
Potatoes
Potatoes are highly calorific from their high carbohydrates and offer very little nutritional value. Raw potatoes are toxic to hedgehogs.
Rhubarb
Rhubarb is dangerous to hedgehogs even their leaves are toxic and must be avoided.
Popcorn
Plain popcorn is highly calorific and likened to junk food for hedgehogs. Salted, sugary or buttery varieties are not recommended. The hull of popcorn needs to be removed as this can be a choking hazard.
Bread
Bread has no nutritional value and is calorific. So this is not recommended for hedgehogs.
Fish
They do not eat fish in the wild, so may not have evolved to eat fish and it may cause them digestive problems as they may not be able to digest the fish properly.
Peanut butter
Peanut butter is very fatty and contains large amounts of salt. Not recommended.
Sweet Potato
Sweet potatoes are high in carbohydrates but also high in vitamin A. Vitamin A can’t be easily expelled from the liver and can build up to toxic levels.
Calcium Leaching
Calcium leaching causes loss of calcium from a hedgehog’s bones making them weaker and prone to breaking. As you can imagine this would cause a lot of pain for a hedgehog and may require the animal to be put to sleep to ease their suffering.
The high phosphorous content of some foods combines with the calcium in the hedgehog’s body. This causes the calcium in the hedgehog’s bones to be expelled in their urine and faeces, resulting in bone problems.
Vitamin Toxicity
Certain vitamins can become toxic when food containing the vitamin is eaten regularly by the hedgehog. Vitamin A and Vitamin D are vitamins unlike Vitamin C that the hedgehog just like humans will have problems getting rid of if too much ends up in their livers. This will undoubtedly lead to toxicity and damage to their livers.
Related Questions:
What can hedgehogs eat list? Dry cat biscuits, certain insects, certain fruits, some vegetables like broccoli are considered to be safe for hedgehogs.
What fruit can hedgehogs eat? Bananas, apples, pears, blueberries (skin removed), watermelon are generally considered safe for hedgehogs in moderation as they contain a lot of sugar.