Food and nutrition are important elements of having a pet. Hedgehogs enjoy having a varied diet, and therefore, are open to trying new things. While hedgehogs rely on protein, they also consume fruits and certain vegetables. One question that people have is, can hedgehogs eat broccoli?
Yes, hedgehogs can eat broccoli. When feeding broccoli to a hedgehog, ensure you cut it into small, bite-sized pieces.
Hedgehogs like to munch on vegetables along with their main meals. Therefore, you can give your hedgehog broccoli to eat.
It is good for the hedgehog if you cut the broccoli into small pieces or steam it. Hedgehogs may have difficulty chewing larger pieces of food; therefore, smaller pieces are better for them.
What Vegetables are Good for Hedgehogs?
While hedgehogs can eat vegetables, you should not get too excited and feed them all. Some vegetables can be harmful to hedgehogs. However, there are loads of vegetables that your hedgehog can consume with no problem.
Carrots
The first vegetable on the list is carrot. Hedgehogs enjoy eating carrots, but you must take care about how you serve them. A carrot is a hardy vegetable, and your hedgehog will have difficulty chewing if you give it as it is.
Instead, boiling the carrot beforehand will be better for the hedgehogs. Hedgehogs have small mouths. Therefore, you should boil the carrot and cut it into small pieces before giving it to them. You must also ensure that you do not add any seasoning to the carrots you give.
Peppers
Another vegetable that hedgehogs can eat is peppers. It would help if you were careful with how you give peppers to your hedgehog. Peppers are not easy to chew for hedgehogs. It is best if you cut them into small pieces.
Big chunks of vegetables have a strong chance of becoming a choking hazard for hedgehogs. In addition, peppers have a sweetness to them so hedgehogs should eat them in moderation. Too much sugar can cause hedgehogs to develop diabetes.
Cucumber
An excellent choice of vegetable for your hedgehog is cucumber. Apart from the health benefits that cucumbers have, they are a great source of hydration because of their high water content.
To prevent any choking incidents, you should peel the cucumber skin off and cut it into small pieces before giving it to your hedgehog. You can also use a teaspoon to scoop the seeds out from the inside leaving just the cucumber flesh for them to eat.
Zucchini
You can also give your hedgehog zucchini to eat. However, like with all hard vegetables, you should take care about how you give zucchini to your hedgehog.
Zucchini is a hard vegetable; therefore, you must boil and peel it before giving it to your hedgehog. Peeling and boiling the vegetable will make it easier for the hedgehog to chew and swallow. Also, cutting the vegetable into small pieces is important to prevent your hedgehog from choking.
Leafy Greens
If your hedgehog enjoys variety, you can give it leafy greens to eat. These greens include kale, spinach, lettuce, watercress, and cabbage.
You will need to ensure that you wash the leafy greens properly before giving them to your hedgehog. Leafy greens are sprayed with pesticides and insecticides that can be harmful to hedgehogs if not washed away.
Green Beans
You can also give your hedgehog green beans to eat only if they are cooked correctly. You must never give raw green beans to your hedgehog because it can choke on them easily. You must also avoid putting any seasoning on the green beans.
Can Hedgehogs Eat Cooked Vegetables?
Hedgehogs can eat cooked vegetables. It is good for the hedgehog if you cook any vegetables before you feed them. Uncooked vegetables are hard, and hedgehogs do not find it easy to chew and swallow them.
Uncooked vegetables are a big choking hazard for hedgehogs.
However, cooked vegetables do not mean that you add seasonings to them. Nor does it mean that you add any sauces to them. Any kind of oil or seasoning is harmful to hedgehogs. Therefore, you can only give plain and boiled vegetables to your hedgehog to eat without any flavouring.
How Often Can I Feed Vegetables to My Hedgehog?
As aforementioned, hedgehogs enjoy eating a variety of things. Along with insects and meat, hedgehogs also like to eat vegetables. Hence, as pet parents, it is only natural to give your hedgehog vegetables to munch on.
However, eating too many vegetables can pose a threat to hedgehogs. As with everything, you must observe moderation when giving vegetables to your hedgehog. You must be careful never to replace your hedgehog’s meal with just vegetables.
Hedgehogs get the majority of their nutrition from consuming protein-based diets. Some vegetables are on the sweeter side, and too much of them can lead your hedgehog to gain weight.
You can feed your hedgehog vegetables once a week in small amounts only. One to two tablespoons of any vegetable are enough for the little guy. Hedgehogs do not have a cecum; therefore, they cannot digest vegetables in large amounts like other animals.
Summary
Hedgehogs make great pets because they eat almost anything. Although the main component of a hedgehog’s diet is protein, it also consumes fruits and vegetables. However, not all vegetables are good for hedgehogs.
On the other hand, you can give broccoli to your hedgehog given that you boil and cut it into small pieces. Apart from broccoli, you can also give other vegetables to your hedgehogs, such as carrots, peppers, cucumber, zucchini, and leafy greens.
Before giving any vegetable to your hedgehog, it is best to boil, peel and cut it into small pieces to prevent it from choking. You must also avoid putting any seasoning on the vegetables.
Moreover, you must never replace your hedgehog’s actual meal with vegetables. Hedgehogs cannot digest vegetables in big amounts as they do not have a cecum. Therefore, you must observe moderation in giving vegetables to your hedgehog.
