How to Feed a Baby Hedgehog

Learning how to feed a baby hedgehog is simple, so don't be scared. Many breeders, owners, and rescue centers are practicing this kind act daily throughout the world. You got this! And just because a hoglet was rejected, doesn't mean there is something wrong with them. It could just mean that their mother was overwhelmed.

We do suggest that you contact a local reputable breeder for help beyond this article, but we want to first share with you what has been documented and proven to work. Nutrition, stimulation, and warmth are the focuses of this article and key to healthy feedings, so let's get started.

AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: Heavenly Hedgies is an Amazon Associate. We have partnered with them and other reputable merchants when they sell something that we feel will benefit our readers. By purchasing through our links, we may earn a small commission on sales, that helps us continue to provide informative and educational information for hedgie lovers. And the best part is that there is no additional cost to you. Thank you for being a loyal and supportive reader here at Heavenly Hedgies.

Normally, mama hedgehogs begin cleaning her newborns right away. This includes massaging their muscles and promoting their digestive/excretory systems to work!! It's the same kind of thing that happens when you give a human a massage to relieve gas. So mama hedgie massages their bellies to help their digestive tract do its thing! The mama hedgehog is also usually around to feed on demand and she nurses every 2-3 hours every time the baby wakes up from napping. This goes on usually for 3-5 weeks. She provides warmth and comfort by laying on top of them while they sleep. If you have found yourself in need of having to know how to feed a baby hedgehog, then you too will need to massage them, feed them formula every 2-3 hours and on demand, and provide warmth for them to thrive and grow.

Items

• Goats milk (fresh or powder)
• Soft syringe with nipple tip
• Baby bottle/food warmer
• Boiled filtered water
• Multivitamin drops
• Puppy pee pads
• Warm fleece blanket or hide
• Microwavable heating pad
• Thermometer for infants
• Weight scale
• Heated cage environment

Try to use only filtered boiled water for the mix. Follow the directions on the goats milk powder and measure out 3 mls for the syringe in a separate container. Place covered excess formula in the fridge for up to 48 hours. A hedgehog mother's milk is body temperature, so you'll need to serve the formula at 35°c / 95°F. Formula can be re-heated by placing it inside a baby bottle and then into a bottle warmer. You can also place the formula inside a sealed container and sit it in boiling water for a minute. Always swirl rather than shake it to mix it to avoid disrupting the colostrum too much. Before feeding, make sure the formula is a safe temperature by placing a drop on your inner forearm and/or using a thermometer. Making sure you have exactly 3-5 mls in your syringe, depending on age chart below, you can now move on to the next step.

Since the baby hedgehog is not being groomed by their mama, they need your help with their digestion. Grab a cut piece of puppy pad into 2″ x 2″ / 5cm x 5cm squares and wrap it around their bottoms. This is to catch any excretions that can happen. You can dip a cotton ball or an end of the puppy pad in almond or flax seed oil and gently push from their belly down to their tail. You can do this motion fairly quickly but gently, 20 – 30 times and for about a minute. The idea isn't to squeeze anything out, it's just to promote healthy internal movement of their bowels and to relieve gastric pain. If not done, it could lead to bloating and possibly fatality. This step must be performed before and after feedings. If their bellies appear darkened or bloated, seek medical attention.

Hold the syringe in one hand and the hoglet in the other. For tiny new borns, hold them in your palm on an angle so they are sort of on their backs, with your thumb under their chin. Bring the syringe's nipple tip right to their mouth if they are still too young to see it. Their eyes will open up around the second week. By 3-4 weeks they should be able to walk up to it so the hedgie will attack it with their new forming teeth and lick it. So hold it a few cm away from them and let them come to it.

The best advice regarding how to feed a baby hedgehog is to gently squeeze the formula out and never squeeze too much, too fast. It is meant to drip out just like it would from the nipple. Also, once a day, give them 4-5 drops of multi-vitamin with one feeding. Remember to keep the pee pad around their bottoms and to stimulate their belly down to their genitals when they are done each time. After you have given them a gentle message, place them back in their warm and dark sleeping area.

You will need to set an alarm to wake you throughout the night and alert you throughout the day. A feeding cannot be missed because nutrition is really important at this stage. From the beginning until the second week of life, hoglets need to be on a feeding schedule of 1-3 mls every two hours, or on demand. Between their third and fourth weeks of life, they should be eating every four hours. After five weeks, they should stop their scheduled day feedings, and only self-feed at night.

Weigh them daily to keep tack of their progress. If they are not gaining weight, increase the amount given at each feeding and feed more often. Of course, by now you should have sought extra advice from a reputable breeder, a hedgehog rescue center, or veterinarian that knows hedgehogs well.

The color of their waste will normally be a peppermint green color when feeding the goats milk formula. It will come out as oval blobs! Once they begin eating cat food, the color darkens and becomes brown once the formula has stopped. If your hoglet is not toileting themselves past 4 weeks, please speak with a breeder or veterinarian knowledgeable in hedgehogs as soon as possible. It is super important to stimulate their digestive tracts by rubbing their belly down to their tails, sometimes in a circular motion or just up and down about 30 times for a minute before and after each feeding. If their bellies become darker or bloated, there could be something wrong that needs to attention of a professional.

Their cage temperature also needs to be the same as adult hedgies, between 74° and 80° with a CHE set-up. Utilize a fleece snuggle sack in between feedings to keep them comfortable. For extra warmth, a microwavable snuggle safe pad can be used. Place it under them during feedings. At first, you may keep them in a cardboard box temporarily with the flaps closed and some shredded news paper on top. For lining, use the puppy pee pads and some zero fragrance, non clumping liner like Purina's Yesterday's News on top of the pads. Inside, snuggle sacs can be placed, as well as their food and water dishes after 4 weeks. Baby hoglets may be housed together, but same sexes should be separated before 6 weeks. Around 5 – 6 weeks you may move them into their own cages like we mention here and introduce them to an exercise wheel!

At first you need to provide constant warmth, toileting, and nutrients for them until about 5 or 6 weeks of life when they can feed themselves from inside their heated cage. The best formula to prepare for them is the goats milk meant for puppies. The formula should be heated to body temperature first before offering to the hoglet. The easy nipple tip syringe like this one is a close second to the mother's nipple, and always make sure to sterilize it after and before use. Toss all pre-made formula after 48 hours. Help their little bodies pass gas by massaging before and after feedings. And make sure they are warm and comfortable as they would be snuggled up to mama hedgie. Use an at home scale to track their weight gain progress and utilize a thermometer to check their body temperatures often!

We hope our information got you through your first hand feeding, and that your baby hoglet grows into a strong and loving hedgehog! If you are concerned about multiple vet visit fees during this time of raising a new baby hedgehog, we want to tell you about a reputable company we've partnered with. The medical savings plan they offer provides you discounts at participating veterinarian clinics. For less than $10 per month you save 25% off every single vet visit with no paper work for you to fill out. Just flash your card and save money to buy other things for your hedgehog that they need. You can cancel anytime. You'll definitely benefit from the easy search bar which finds a participating vet near-by who can provide your new baby hedgehog with a must-needed wellness check.

The earlier the better! Learn here to start litter training your hedgehog and reduce mess TODAY!

Bonding tips and tricks are here to help make your hedgie a more social one! Try them out NOW!

The hedgehog care sheet you wish you had from the start: Click here to check your hedgehog care knowledge!