I feed Wellness Indoor, Natural Balance Green Pea & Duck and just started adding Spikes Delight Pro-Diet as his "junk" food. Thank you Reaper for all of the help!Reaper said:You are correct... At present there is no "one" food that seems to meet all hedgie nutritional needs so a mix of foods still seems to be the best. As I have discussed on other topics the average life span for a wild white bellied or Algerian hedgehog is about 2 years. The easiest way to increase the lifespan in captivity is diet. For a while many breeders and enthusiasts would feed the absolute "best" foods and it seems too good of food was "too rich". Once these breeders added a "junk" food to their hedgies diets they saw those hedgies living longer. Yes hedgies are insectivores but they are also opportunistic scavengers in the wild. So their diet should consist of several things. Gail Dick of Millermeade Farms describes it this way: "You don't want your children to eat nothing but french fries, but a few once in a while makes them happy and doesn't hurt them." So it is with hedgies as well. Many breeders add what I call a "junk" food in their mix. And many believe it has extended the lifespan of their hedgies. It makes sense and it may make our hedgies a little happier. So I add Spike's Delight Premium hedgehog food in my mix as my quilled ones were fed it at the breeders. They don't eat it all the time but will pick it out of the mix on occasion. So the consensus on diet still seems to be a mix of at least three(the more variety the better IMO) quality cat foods or African hedgie foods along with live bugs,cooked chicken, turkey, eggs, fresh fruit and veggies as treats will ensure the best possible diet to increase our quilled friends lives.
