In some animals it's easy - they only eat one thing (snakes only eat mice / rats - with the exception of the Greens, the gross insect eating). In other animals, it can be much more difficult!
Hedgehogs eat pretty much everything, or so we are told. There are lots of advice from other hedgehog keepers, what to feed your hedgie. They eat cat food, tuna, cat food, scrambled eggs, ground meat unseasoned meat, strawberries, kiwi, apple, banana, yam, carrots, corn, mushrooms - they are omnivores. How to treat meal worms, give Morio worms, pinkies (baby mice) - but they are full of fat, so should only be given occasionally, or you will end up with an overweight hedgie :)
Now we have found different, and I think just like humans and other animals, all creatures have their preferences. Pink (our albino African pygmy hedgehog) is not a fan of vegetation or vegetables! She loves her meat - wet and dry food for cats, fish, chicken, beef, pinkies, worms, ham - they may even pasta! Vegetables, it is a little more selective - all vegetables must be cooked because hedgies can choke on the stringy bits in them. They will eat cooked cauli and broccoli, the inside of sweet corn (it leaves the skin), some leafy greens (not iceberg lettuce!) Potato (cooked). She does not like salad stuff (such as tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, etc.). She loves scrambled eggs and kiwis, but you soon discover if food is not like your hedgie! Yuk! Scrambled eggs and kiwi gave her a messy tummy! As a reward she gets a pinch of meal worms or 1 or 2 or a Morio Pinkie, or a special crumbled biscuit :)
You MUST NOT feed hedgehogs milk or cheese - hedgies are lactose intolerant and this food they can be very ill.
The trick is all about trial and error. Try with everything you suggested hedgehogs, and find their preferences. Make hedgie to the reactions of your body and you will soon discover what you can and can not feed. Pay attention to what they leave in their food bowl and that will tell you what not to feed again. They are omnivorous, so make sure you find some fruit and vegetables they like to eat a balanced diet. Not so good that hedgehogs are nocturnal forgotten, so do not feed hedgehogs til mid evening (around 730/8 clock) when you put the food all it will sooner dry out and spoil you and your hedgie does not want to eat - if your pet smell the meal begins, it is in search of him, and it's such a pleasure to watch it as she takes out her favorite bits first ...
A final word of warning, if you think of a hedgie, they are pretty smelly animals - they are clean and pink is also litter trained, but they give off a strong smell right. We have a plug in air freshener in the room and it masks the smell. Apart from that hedgies are a beautiful and rewarding pet.With best wishes for a healthy happy pig
