Stasi
Admin
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Re:Mealie question: - 2008/04/01 08:13
Ooohh...who's right? I guess that would depend on who you ask! 
Hedgies are classified as Insectivores. However, they are opportunistic feeders, and will eat just about anything they come across. This ranges from plants, to bugs, to small mammals/birds/reptiles.
I have numerous hedgehogs that won't touch an insect to save their lives. Two of them are my 'old ladies', one is 4 1/2 years old, the other is over 5 years now - they both look great, and certainly haven't been missing anything by the lack of mealies.
Mealies are high in fat, and don't have much chitin (the exoskeleton fiber).
If you're really wanting to feed insects as part of a staple diet, I recommend doing some research into the nutritional benefits of various insects and feeding one that has a lower fat percentage - there are different species of roach that are great, and/or crickets.
Stasi
Terrapin Hedgehogs
Joppa, MD
www.terrapinhedgehogs.com
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