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Topic Review (Newest First)
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| 10-22-2019 09:23 AM | |
| Emc |
The concerns with mealworms predominantly with wild European hedgehogs; people were literally feeding them mealworms and nothing else, and it caused metabolic bone disease. As they say, the dose makes the posion and so long as your hedgehog is not surviving on solely/mostly mealworms, youve got nothing to worry about. They do need a wide variety of insects in their diet though, and mealworms alone wont cut it. I recommended also looking into dubia roaches, morioworms, crickets, locusts, waxworms, black soldier fly larvae, and fruit beetle grubs - you can even offer snails, so long as they are captive bred (the same applies to any feeder, really). Ideally, you want at least 5 different types and insects should be fed daily - only certain types (like waxworms or fruit beetle grubs, for example) should be kept as treats due to their fatty nature. |
| 10-22-2019 09:02 AM | |
| New2hedgies2019 | Thank you for the tips. I will definitely seal the gaps. I plan on upgrading the wheel this is just what was on the shelf in store (options were limited even tried 3 different pet stores). There is so much conflicting information that I’ve read it’s hard to know what’s real and what’s not 🤷‍♀️ I’ve actually read that mealworms are not good for their bones while others have said they’re great treats. I did a ton of research before hand but after she got here I’ve realized that I just need to find what works best for her because all the contradicting information that’s out there makes it difficult to know everything in advance and also makes it frustrating for new parents that just want their babies to be happy and especially healthy!! |
| 10-22-2019 08:21 AM | |
| Emc |
Water bottles are not recommended; they can chip and break teeth, and a hedgehogs teeth do not grow back - when they're gone, they're gone. They also only release small droplets of water at a time, often leaving the animal dehydrated - particularly when its a species who do drink a fair amount of water (i.e. rabbits, hedgehogs), so definitely switch to the bowl! I havent heard of hedgehogs using them as bathrooms. They typically hate water, so them willingly climbing into a water dish would be quite unusual. If that is your concern, its as easy as giving them a bowl that they cant fit into. Also a note on the Silent Spinner; there have been (many) reports of nails getting caught in the gaps where the blue & white pieces snap together, so please do be careful. Bucket wheels are far safer and i'd recommend either switching to one, or sealing the area on the silent spinner where the two pieces snap together. If you wanted to give her more uninterrupted floorspace, you could also remove the divider from her midwest enclosure also. Losing quills at 8 weeks is likely quilling, so nothing i'd be concerned about - so long as it is not accompanied by excessive balding, or red irritated skin, you've got nothing to worry about. |
| 10-22-2019 08:05 AM | |
| New2hedgies2019 |
New home and bath ❤️ I got pearl last Thursday (5 days ago) and I started out with a 40 gallon Breeder tank that held the smell in something terrible! I ordered the MidWest guinea home from Amazon which came yesterday and I think she’s going to like it! She has so much more room and since she has more ventilation I’m not so worried about having the heat set up! She was less than impressed with bath time but she smelled awful 🤷‍♀️ After her bath I noticed a couple quills on the towel. She’s 8 weeks old. I’m assuming she’s beginning to quill? The Breeder said that she uses water bottles but I am worrying that she’s not drinking enough. When I get her out at night for her treats and a little forced bonding time 😂 I put a little water in a dish and she laps it right up. I’ve read that they tend to poop in their water dishes sometimes and I don’t want her to drink unsanitary Water even though it’s changed every day. Does water dish placement play a role in the possibility of her pooping in it? |
