Most Hedgies are usually uninterested in eating veggies. But there should be some tricks to add vegetables to their diet! We are here for you to share all those! For this, you need to add vegetables to your Gliders diet in a planned way! So what about tomatoes? Is it safe for your quill balls? The answer is, yes! You can add tomatoes to Hedgehog’s diet in moderate amounts. Tomatoes are full of healthy nutrients and substances, which will be differently beneficial to your Hedgehogs!
Wanna know more! Keep reading to know all the information and add tomatoes to your Hedgehog’s diet!
Table of Contents
What Type of Tomatoes Can Hedgehogs Have?
You must choose fresh tomatoes for your Gliders. Besides, different types of tomatoes will give specific advantages to your Hedgehogs! Let’s know about the major types of tomatoes and their characteristics. Take a look!
| Types | Benefits |
|---|---|
| Cherry Tomatoes | Rich in lycopene, fights with free radicals |
| Roma Tomatoes | Potassium, Vitamin C |
| Better Boy Tomatoes | Sweet and slightly tangy taste |
| Early Girl Tomato | High in vitamins A and C |
| Kumato | Reduce cholesterol level and reduce blood pressure |
| Gardeners Delight | Sweet flavor, best for giving an occasional diet. |
| Santorini Tomato | Combination of sweet and slightly acidic flavors. High levels of vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium |
Brandywine | Potassium, good for the immune system |
| Mortgage Lifter | Maintains good health, rich in vitamins and antioxidants |
| Celebrity Tomatoes | Diseases resistance |
Many options right? You can choose from any of these tomatoes for your Hedgehog companion!
How to Serve Tomatoes to Hedgehogs?
You must find the organic tomatoes first cause from those you will get the maximum health advantages for your Hedgehogs. Then you need to clean the tomatoes thoroughly. The water must be pollution free and all the dirt should be washed away.
Let’s not forget about the stem of the tomatoes! Hedgehogs can’t eat that part at all. So remove the stem along with the leaves or any type of green part of the tomatoes. Next, cut the tomatoes into small pieces, dicing them up in small cubes will be the best for the Hedgehogs. Cherry tomatoes can be cut into two or three cube pieces as they are already small. Serve them on a plate and let the Hedgehogs explore the taste. One more thing, don’t hurry at all! Rather gradually introduce tomatoes to your pocket pet!
How Many Tomatoes Are Safe for Hedgehogs?
You should never give excessive amounts of tomatoes to Hedgehogs! Medium-sized tomato cubes are appropriate for them. Giving tomatoes once or twice a month will give all the necessary nourishment to your quill balls.
Benefits of Tomatoes to Hedgehogs
To be very honest, Hedgehogs can not extract similar types of benefits from veggies as humans. Tomatoes are no different in this case.
However, there are some good parts of consuming tomatoes and we should not skip that, right! Here are some of the unavoidable advantages of tomatoes on Hedgehogs!
- Increase Immunity: Immunity is a must for maintaining your quill balls’ health and this is what tomatoes can do! The antioxidants of tomatoes especially do this job. Tomatoes help to increase the immune cells further helping the Hedgies to fight against health difficulties.
- Nutrients of tomatoes: Tomatoes have fiber, sodium, added sugar protein, and calories. Your Hedgehog is going to get all these at once!
- Folate: This is a type of micronutrient of tomatoes that helps to produce DNA. It also helps to form blood cells. Vitamin B12 and C can break down by it. Finally, this micronutrient significantly creates new proteins and tissues.
- Potassium: Potassium does wonders for the heart health of your Hedgies and will maintain their pH balance.
- Vitamin C: Vitamin C will help your pet to overcome any type of body injury. So it can be a precautionary nutrient for the Hedgehog’s body!
- Vitamin K: Vitamin K improves the bone health of your quill balls by improving bone density.
Bonus:
Hedgehog needs relatively high protein and fiber content and tomatoes are certainly a good choice for fiber. However, don’t forget that Hedgehogs are prone to being overweight. Give the right amount of tomatoes according to the Hedgehog’s health. If it is already a chubby one, a small amount of tomatoes will be fine.
Risk of Tomatoes on Hedgehogs
Excessive tomatoes can lead to stomach issues in Hedgehogs. Besides, if you don’t wash the tomatoes properly, the germs can result in foodborne illness to your spiny pets. Moreover, don’t force them at all if your Hedgehog doesn’t like to eat tomatoes. Remember, building trust with your Hedgies is your major responsibility. Forcing them to eat any kind of food will hamper this!
Can Hedgehogs eat processed tomatoes?
Not at all! Any type of processed tomatoes like tomato sauce, ketch-up or juice is a big no for Hedgehog’s health. All of this contains additional sugar, flavor and other ingredients which can lead to obesity to your spiny companion. They will also face major digestive issues. Besides, the spice and oils of this type of processed tomatoes can make them sick easily. So it’s better to choose the organic tomatoes and give it as a special diet for your Hedgehogs!
Which vegetables are absolutely fine for Hedgehogs?
If you are searching for any other vegetables other than tomatoes, here are some of the options.
You can give steamed spinach and zucchini. Both are safe for Hedgehogs. To be more precise, these veggies can be given more frequently than tomatoes! Still, you should not give excessive amounts of any vegetables.
Alternative Vegetables for Hedgehogs
The main diet of Hedgehogs is mainly associated with protein. This animal is mainly insectivorous omnivores. Insects are mandatory for the Hedgehogs’ diet, then some meat, eggs, and small amounts of plants. Generally high protein content and low fat is what Hedgehog wants.
Also, a good amount of fiber is required for them. Unfortunately, they can’t digest cellulose very well, which is found in plants. So as a main diet, you must look for other options. Now let’s explore an overall chart of vegetables and their benefits on your quill balls!
| Vegetables | Special Benefits |
|---|---|
| Steamed Spinach | Good for eyes health, anti-inflammatory properties |
| Steamed Sprouts | Protein,vitamin C,easily digestible, vitamin B complex |
| Zucchini | Good for eyesight, improves heart health and bone health |
| Radis | Calcium, Iron, vitamin B6, |
| Turnip | Iron, calcium,potassium, vitamin c,sodium |
| Green Pepper | Vitamin C,vitamin E, vitamin A, enhances immune system |
| Strawberry | Manages body sugar, prevent heart diseases, vitamin C |
| Sweet Potato | Improves skin and function of brain, protein |
| Asparagus | Vitamin E, vitamin K, protein, sodium |
| Beans | Prevents fatty lover, folate, antioxidants |
| Cucumber | Good for fur, gives better skin,digests easily |
| Arugula | Vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, calcium, Iron |
| Kale | Prevents heart disease, improve skin and hair health |
All of these can be given as occasional treats. The insect skeleton is the appropriate source of fiber for Hedgehogs. Adding Insects to their prime diet is a must. Insects like mealworms, wax worms, earthworms, hornworms, crickets, and grasshoppers can be given to them live or frozen. You can also keep good quality cat kibble in the Hedgies cage. Pink mice or fuzzy mice can also be their food option. Give scrambled or hard-boiled eggs to your spiny friends as an additional source of protein.
Bonus:
If you want to change your Hedgehogs diet or add any type of veggies to it, you should do that slowly. Let them get used to the new taste. However, vegetables should only be given as an occasional diet.
Conclusion
We hope you have got all the answers to your questions! Yes, Hedgehogs can have tomatoes but you must maintain the consumption. Tomatoes will certainly help Hedgehogs to get the necessary nutrients from it. The perfect amount of these vegetables will make your spiny friends healthier and happier!
FAQ
Can I give vegetables regularly to Hedgehogs?
No, you can’t. Tomatoes can be given as an occasional treat to your Hedgehogs. The diet chart of your pet quill ball is mainly inspired by the wild Hedgehogs. The wild one rarely eats any type of vegetables. Similarly, the captive ones are not into veggies. So it is wise to avoid giving vegetables regularly.
What is the most appropriate diet for Hedgehog?
For having an appropriate meal prep for your Hedgehog, go for the ancestral diet of Hedgehogs. This type of diet consists of different types of worms and various types of protein formulas along with supplements.
Are green tomatoes safe for Hedgehogs?
It’s better to choose the ripe one for your Hedgehogs. As they are already unwilling to eat vegetables, present them in the best possible ways in front of your quill ball companion. And according to past practices, Hedgehogs prefer to eat the ripe vegetables.
Should I force Hedgehogs to eat tomatoes?
Not at all! There is a possibility that your Hedgehog won’t eat tomatoes on the first go and it’s fine! You should gradually introduce them to tomatoes. But if they don’t want to take it, don’t force them at all!
Are Tomatoes a good choice for Hedgehogs?
Tomatoes can be a great occasional food choice for your Gliders. Not the regular one. So it is perfect as a special treat. But if you are looking for something that can be given more frequently, choose the other mentioned alternative veggies!
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