APH’s are insectivorous omnivores which makes insects a highly important part of the diet but shouldn’t be the sole diet, they should have insects daily, though some insects are better left as a treat.
Ideally insects should be purchased live, gut loaded and then can be either fed live to your APH or frozen for 24-48 hours (this doesn’t make them freeze dried, that’s another process) and defrosted and fed to your APH.
Gut loading is feeding insects over at least a 24 hour period, with different fruits and veg so they get as many nutrients into them as possible and are as healthy as can be for your hedgehogs.
Some insects need more of certain nutrients than others, the list gives a few helpful tips with each insect about gut loading them.
The best fruit and veg to feed are ones that don’t go brown fast. Make sure all fruit and veg you use is safe for your hedgehogs.
This is the best way to get the nutrients from fruit and veg into your hedgehog.
This list isn’t definitive, but provides information that can be used as a reference:
Great Staple Insects for their diet
Calci-worms (Black soldier fly larvae) – These are highly nutritious, they have around 14% fat, and 17% protein. They are great for fibre. They are high in calcium. They are soft bodied and very easy to source as most online reptile/live food suppliers’ stock them; they are cheap and cost effective as they have a long shelf life. They are high in nutrition so they don’t have to be gut loaded, but you can just to make sure they are full of nutrients before freezing or feeding! When freezing take out of soil before you freeze them. Good for overweight hedgehogs
Earthworms – Is a great source for protein, around 60% and around low fat around 2-10% (Depending where you look) they are great for fibre. They are very high in calcium. Due to being slimy they may make the hogs poop a little looser than normal, this is because of the higher water content. They are easy to source and keep and have a lengthy shelf life. Only ever buy from live food suppliers as the breed them to be free from parasites/disease. They should be gut loaded with other nutrients to make them healthier feel free to use high calcium veg to boost their calcium up higher if you want. Good for overweight hedgehogs
Dubia Cockroaches – Are very high in protein, around 21-22% and low in fat around 7-8%, They are great for fibre. These are a little expensive but are readily available from online reptile shops. They should be gut loaded with nutritious fruits and veg as well as some high in calcium to help improve their nutrition even though its fairly high already. Good for overweight hedgehogs
Locust – Are very easy to get hold of and are slightly more expensive than some other feeder insects on this list, they are high in protein around 41% and low in fat around 5-6% and are thought to have a high amount of calcium. They are also great for fibre. They should be gut loaded with all sorts of nutrients to make sure they are as healthy as possible. Good for overweight hedgehogs
Isopods (Woodlice) – These are a great feeder insect! They have a protein that is fairly high at around 41%, but their fat is low at around 12%. Their fibre is also great. Isopods shells are calcium carbonate which is much calcium and not chitin like other insects. As they are terrestrial crustaceans, they have a mineralized exoskeleton which is around 24% calcium. If you can’t tell already Isopods are high in calcium! Their very high in calcium which makes Isopods are great for helping hedgehogs with their calcium! Keep it balanced with other insects as the protein is very high! They can get away with not being gut loaded, Ideally you want ones that are 1.5-2cm as they seem the size that hedgehogs eat more, but here is a list of a few – Porcellio Leavis Grey, Porcellio Sp.Servilla, Porcellio Leavis Dairy Cow, Porcellio Scaber, Porcellio Leavis White (Wait for them to be fully grown only sold as mixed sizes) Dubai Paul sells most of them at full size. Good for overweight hedgehogs
Silkworm – Are said to be the best live feeder insect available on the market, they are hard to source and are higher in cost. They have a high protein around 64% with only 10% fat. They are also great for fibre. Their calcium is high. They contain an enzyme called serrapeptase which aids in absorbing calcium. You don’t want too many as they are high protein but can still be a staple insect. Good for overweight hedgehogs
Black Crickets – These contain around 16% protein, around 12% fat. They are also great for fibre. They have poor calcium. They should be gut loaded especially with high calcium veg such as kale or broccoli, you can feed them calcium supplements too. Make sure you feed alongside higher calcium insects Good for overweight hedgehogs
Brown Crickets – These are much lower in fat around 4% and almost 20% protein. They are also great for fibre. They are also fairly poor in calcium and should be fed the same as black crickets. Make sure you feed alongside higher calcium insects Good for overweight hedgehogs
Occasional treats – More often than rare but not too frequently
Morioworms – These are pretty high in fat around 18% and a protein of around 18%. They are quite similar to mealworms, apart from they have a thinner exoskeleton of chitin. They have a poor Ca:P so should be gut loaded especially with high calcium veg, along with many other nutrients Not good for overweight hedgehogs
Butterworms – They have a fairly high calcium content of around 42.9mg/100g as opposed to the more commonly fed mealwroms but their Ca:P is still pretty poor. Their protein is around 16% and a fairly high fat content. They can be stored live up to 3-4 months in the fridge and will need feeding. They should have high calcium veg and can be fed calcium supplements too Not good for overweight hedgehogs
Rare treat insects
Waxworms – These are soft bodied insects, they are highly palatable, due to their very high fat content of around 22% with around 15% protein. They have a poor Ca:P ratio and are notoriously addictive! Always feed high calcium veg and or calcium supplements to make their calcium better. Should only be fed as treats when using a balanced diet, they aren’t as bad as mealworms though. Not good for overweight hedgehogs
Mealworms – These are one of the most common fed insects, as they are something that most people are familiar with. They are cost effective as can be stored in the fridge which increases their life span. They have a high amount of chitin compared to overall body mass – which is the indigestible exoskeleton mentioned at the start, and it is due to this that makes them not very high in nutritional value. They are around 14% fat and around 19% protein. Their Ca:P ratio is very poor at around 0.14:1 with giant mealworms only being worse than that and mealworm beetles aren’t really any better but are slightly higher than giant mealworms. Feeding too many can cause problems like MBD (Metabolic Bone Disease) They should NEVER be fed as a staple insect and should be restricted to small amounts per week. NEVER feed in an unbalanced diet! They are a rare treats only! Not good for overweight hedgehogs