Can You Feed Hedgehogs Cat Food?

If you have run out of hedgehog food, you may be wondering whether you can feed your pet cat food. While there are many people that suggest this, you may be wondering whether this is true.

To answer this question, yes, you can feed a hedgehog cat food. While cat food may not be the most suitable option for a hedgehog if you are able to source hedgehog food, it is a great option to use in an emergency situation.

When it comes to a hedgehog’s diet, it is important that it is receiving all the nutrition it needs.

With this in mind, cat food is a complete meal that is packed full of goodness and nutrients that a hedgehog will benefit from. Given this, it is a great option to consider if you do not have direct access to hedgehog food.

When choosing cat food, we would recommend an option that is high in protein. While you can choose any type of cat food, this is the better and most nutritious option for the hedgehog. 

As hedgehogs do need to have a certain level of protein in their diet, they benefit from consuming cat food. They are not an overly fussy animal, and as a result are likely going to enjoy consuming the cat food too. 

Why can’t hedgehogs eat fish based cat food?

A common misconception surrounding hedgehogs and cat food is that they cannot eat fish based cat food. However, this is not actually the case. They can eat fish based cat food with no issues. 

The only problem that may arise is that the hedgehog will not be as keen on the flavor. This is because they are more used to meat based protein diets, rather than seafood. However, it is not going to negatively affect them.

On some occasions, you may find that your hedgehog’s stools will be slightly more pungent if you are feeding fish based cat food, which is something that some hedgehog owners will want to avoid. But, this is not always the case. 

Can hedgehogs eat cat food in gravy?

Yes, it is completely fine to feed your hedgehog a cat food that has a gravy base. Just with the fish based food, this is not the most ideal option for a hedgehog, but it is something that they can eat and digest.

If you are able to choose between jelly based or gravy based cat food, we would recommend a jelly base. This is because the majority of hedgehogs do prefer this type of food.

However, the most important thing to ensure is that the food is of a good quality. This is essential as your hedgehog needs the nutrients and protein to survive happily.

This is why you should always purchase cat food that is high in protein. While these do tend to be slightly more expensive, they are a better option overall. 

Can You Feed Hedgehogs Dog Food?

While you may have heard about feeding hedgehog cat food, feeding them dog food is far less common.

However, hedgehogs can eat both wet and dry dog food too. While cat food does seem to be the better option of the two, dog food can be used as a substitute if this is the only option available to you.

When it comes to dog food, the kibbles tend to be a lot larger in comparison to dry cat food. As a result of this, you will want to ensure that you are crushing up the dry food before serving it to your hedgehog.

You should always keep in mind that hedgehogs only have very small mouths in comparison to a dog. Given this, they will need help in breaking down the kibbles.

If the wet food has particularly large chunks of meat in it, we would recommend crushing this and mashing it too. If you are feeding the hedgehog dog or cat food, you will always want to check the ingredients thoroughly. 

In the same vein as the wet and dry cat food, where possible, we would recommend feeding a meat based protein. This is because hedgehogs are used to this diet in the wild. However, they can eat fish based foods too.

While it is not common for cat or dog food to contain milk, in some cases this can be included. If the food has milk included, you should not feed this to your hedgehog.

This is an ingredient that will cause a hedgehog to become ill and suffer from diarrhea. As a result it should always be avoided.

Though it may be tempting to give your hedgehog milk as a treat, the better option is to provide fresh and clean water as this is not going to make the hedgehog ill.