One great thing about keeping hedgehogs is that they eat anything and everything. However, even if hedgehogs like to eat everything, it does not mean that every food is good for them. As pet owners, we always feel like giving everything to our pets, but it is important to know which foods are good for them and not compromise on their health. So can hedgehogs eat corned beef safely?
No, hedgehogs cannot eat corned beef because it is too salty for them.
While corned beef may seem like a good idea to you, it is not great for hedgehogs. Hedgehogs do enjoy protein; however, the salt content in corned beef is too high. Other salty foods like bacon are also harmful to hedgehogs and cause harm to their health.
Can Hedgehogs Eat Beef?
Hedgehogs rely on protein, but they have not evolved to consume raw meat, whether it is beef or any other kind. In the wild, hedgehogs consume insects for the most part and will only consume the meat of rodents and small animals. Therefore, hedgehogs cannot eat raw meat.
However, you can give your domesticated hedgehog lean meats in small amounts only after boiling them. It would be best to observe moderation when you feed your hedgehog beef because it is quite fatty. Hedgehogs are prone to gaining weight.
Therefore, feeding too much beef can cause them to become fat. In addition, before you give beef to your hedgehog, it is best to remove the extra fat on it and boil it without any seasonings.
Also, you must never replace beef with the actual meal. Instead, you should give boiled beef to your hedgehog as a treat occasionally.
Can Hedgehogs Eat Processed Meat?
Processed meat is something which we widely use in homes. However, the drawbacks of using processed meat are not new, and if it is not good for humans, it can certainly do no good for hedgehogs.
Meats like salami, pepperoni seem like a great idea because they are convenient. However, these processed meats contain big amounts of sodium and preservatives, which are harmful.
Can Hedgehogs Eat Ground Beef?
Meat is important for hedgehogs because it consists of protein, and hedgehogs heavily rely on it. Therefore, hedgehogs should essentially consume the majority of protein. Hence, lean meats like chicken and beef make a good choice for hedgehogs.
Ground beef is good for hedgehogs as long as it is boiled. Moreover, when you boil ground beef, you must ensure that you do not season it or add any sauces. Any additional seasonings to the ground beef will be harmful to hedgehogs.
In addition, ground beef is also a good choice because it is small in size and is not chunky.
Hedgehogs have small mouths, and therefore, they can easily choke on food. Therefore, if you choose to give your hedgehog ground beef, it will be great because it will not choke on it. Moreover, consuming ground beef is easier for hedgehogs because they can chew it with no issues.
However, it is best not to give ground beef to your hedgehog to replace its actual meal. Instead, it would help if you resorted to giving cat or hedgehog food since meat alone has a lot of fat.
Can Hedgehogs Eat Chicken?
Chicken is a good source of protein, and as hedgehogs rely on protein, you can give them chicken. However, it is important to ensure never giving your hedgehog boiled chicken or one with seasonings. Seasonings on anything can be harmful to your hedgehog, especially salt.
Moreover, you should only give boiled chicken and meat as a treat occasionally. Many people make the mistake of replacing their hedgehog’s actual meal with boiled chicken. However, your hedgehog does not rely on protein only but also fibre and other nutrients.
Therefore, you must stick with cat food or hedgehog food for your little pet and only give it along with its actual meal.
It would help if you also refrained from giving canned chicken to your hedgehog as it may be filled with preservatives and salt.
Can You Give Hedgehogs Fish?
It is not clear whether hedgehogs can consume fish. However, it is not an actual part of their diet. Furthermore, fish can cause stinky poops in hedgehogs; therefore, many people recommend going against it.
Do Wild Hedgehogs Eat Meat?
Most of the understanding of what we feed our pet hedgehogs comes from the diet of wild hedgehogs. Wild hedgehogs consume all sorts of things, but the majority of their nutrition is derived from insects. Hedgehogs in the wild also consume small animals like rodents and even snakes.
Wild hedgehogs eat insects, so they are not accustomed to consuming meat. If hedgehogs find nothing else to consume, they will resort to eating small mammals. However, hedgehogs do not consume meat, for the most part.
Therefore, you should never give your domesticated hedgehog raw meat.
Summary
Hedgehogs are small mammals and make great pets because there is no stress about what to feed them. Hedgehogs eat almost everything. However, that does not mean that all foods are good for them.
Therefore, it is important to know which foods can harm hedgehogs. While meat is good for hedgehogs because they rely on protein, giving corned beef to your pet is not a great idea. Corned beef has a lot of salt content, which makes it unsafe for consumption.
It is also bad for hedgehogs to consume processed meats since they come with added sodium and preservatives. The diet of wild hedgehogs comprises insects which they love to consume. However, when the opportunity arises, wild hedgehogs consume small mammals like rodents and roadkill.
Therefore, hedgehogs are not evolved enough to consume raw meat, nor is it good for them. Therefore, when you do give meat to your hedgehog, you must boil it beforehand.
Also, you should feed your hedgehog lean meat in moderation as it contains a lot of fat which can cause your hedgehog to gain weight.
