If you are feeling hungry and want to have a snack, then bananas make a perfect choice. Along with its lovely taste, it also has many benefits for us, but can we share bananas with our Hedgehogs? Can Hedgehogs eat bananas? Are bananas safe for Hedgehogs? Let’s find out!
Hedgehogs can surely eat bananas but in limited quantities only. Although bananas are packed with many essential vitamins and minerals required by our Hedgehogs, overfeeding can lead to obesity and diarrhea. Therefore, serving them no more than a small slice of the fruit once a week is recommended.
Bananas and other fruit are more like a treat for our Hedgehogs. The staple portion of your Hedgehog’s diet should be kibble, followed by insects/worms.
It is important to l learn the benefits and hazards of feeding bananas to your Hedgehog. Also, it is crucial to learn about the number of fruit to be served to your Hedgehog to avoid any health issues in the future. Read further to make sure you are feeding the correct food to your Hedgehog.
Nutrition In Bananas
Let us look in detail what are the nutritional values of 100 grams of bananas holds
| Nutrients | Amount |
|---|---|
| Vitamin C | 8.7 mg |
| Vitamin A | 64 IU |
| Vitamin K | 0.5ug |
| Calcium | 5 mg |
| Phosphorous | 22 mg |
| Potassium | 358 mg |
| Fiber | 2.6 g |
| Sugar | 12.23 g |
| Protein | 1.09 g |
| Carbs | 22.84 g |
| Calories | 89 Kcal |
| Fat | 0.33 g |
| Water | 74.91 g |
Bananas contain a decent amount of Vitamin C, an essential part of our Hedgehog’s diet. Also, bananas are rich in fiber.
Fiber is an essential element for our pet’s body. Fiber also helps in improving digestion and maintaining good digestive health. Lack of fiber in Hedgehog’s body might even result in diarrhea.
Besides this, banana is an excellent source of Vitamin B-6, Vitamin C, which even helps in proper food digestion, and healthy body development.
Роlурhеnоlѕ, present in banana in abundance, hаvе bееn proven tо rеduсе іnflаmmаtіоn. Bananas also have Omega-3, Omega-6, and potassium, along with lots of other minerals that help develop a healthy body.
Are Bananas Safe For Hedgehogs?
Bananas are completely safe for our Hedgehogs to eat. However, it is important to serve in moderation. It is like a treat, and we should serve it like one to them.
Bananas contain a decent amount of sugar which can be harmful to our Hedgehogs if overfed. In addition, it can lead to problems like obesity and diabetes, which is not good for their health at all.
Are Bananas Good For Hedgehogs?
Bananas are many health benefits for our Hedgehogs. It is packed with Vitamin C, fiber, and carbohydrates. Vitamin C makes their immune system stronger, which prevents a lot of diseases.
Dietary fiber helps with the proper functioning of the digestive system. Although too much of it can lead to the opposite and lead to digestive problems, if you feed it to them in the right quantity, your Hedgehog’s digestive system will be healthy.
It also contains potassium which is good for our Hedgehogs. The chances of the formation of bladder stones go down drastically if you serve potassium to your Hedgehogs in the right quantity.
Are Bananas Bad For Hedgehogs?
Hedgehogs are not bad for our Hedgehogs if served in moderation. Although overfeeding it can lead to a couple of health problems in our Hedgehogs.
Bananas contain up to 16% sugar. It might seem that it is not a lot, but it is really harmful to our Hedgehogs. Feeding too much sugar often leads to problems like obesity and diabetes.
You should feed fruits to your Hedgehogs in a moderate quantity as they contain a decent amount of sugar which is not good for them.
Can Hedgehogs Eat Banana Skin?
Hedgehogs can eat banana skin but only in a small quantity. Although it does not have any nutritional value, it contains a small number of antioxidants and proteins.
You can serve it to them once in a while. It contains less sugar as compared to ripe bananas. So it is not as harmful as a normal banana.
How Many Bananas Can Hedgehogs Eat AT A Time?
Hedgehogs can eat a small slice of a banana at a time. Therefore, it is essential to monitor the serving size of bananas. This is because it contains natural sugar, which can be harmful to our Hedgehogs.
Also, if you are feeding bananas to your Hedgehog for the first time, you need to be extremely cautious. Hedgehogs do not handle changes well. Please give them a tiny piece of the fruit and see how they react. If you see no negative reactions, you are good to go.
How Often Can Hedgehogs Eat Bananas?
You can serve bananas to your Hedgehogs once a week. However, serving more frequently might lead to some health problems in our Hedgehogs.
You might enjoy seeing your Hedgehogs munch on bananas but this should not make you overfeed it to them. Overfeeding might even result in severe health issues in our Hedgehogs.
Correct Way To Serve Bananas To My Hedgehogs!
Preparing bananas for your Hedgehogs is a very simple process.
Follow these simples steps to feed bananas to your Hedgehogs:
- Select the correct bananas for your Hedgehogs. Make sure that the bananas that you select for them are ripe. Raw bananas are not very good for your Hedgehogs as it contains a lot of starch.
- Also, I advise you to serve your Hedgehogs with organically grown bananas only. Fruits and vegetables available in the local market are sprayed with chemicals, which can prove to be extremely dangerous for our pets.
- Wash the banana skin properly before serving. This gets rid of any dust or foreign particles present on the skin. It might also carry a lot of chemicals.
- Cut the bananas into smaller pieces. This is essential as it gets rid of any chances of choking. Serve it to them only in the suggested quantity. Overfeeding can lead to several problems.
- Now you are ready to serve the fruit to your pet. You can either hand feed them or serve them in their food bowl.
After your Hedgehogs have enjoyed eating their bananas, make sure that you remove any uneaten parts. This step makes sure that bacteria does not build-up, and it also prevents the attraction of flies and rats.
Related Queries:
Can Hedgehogs Eat Dried Bananas?
Although Hedgehogs can eat dried bananas, you should try to avoid them. This is because it contains a lot more sugar than a ripe banana which is extremely harmful to your Hedgehogs.
Therefore, try to avoid dried bananas even though they can eat them.
Can Hedgehogs Eat Banana Chips?
Hedgehogs cannot eat banana chips. This is because it contains a honey coating and many other added preservatives, which are extremely harmful to our Hedgehogs. It also contains a lot of oil and spices.
So, it is best not to serve banana chips to your Hedgehogs at all.
