Hedgehogs, sugar gliders and tenrecs get lumped together as small exotics, and for feeding purposes they do share one thing: insects are part of the diet, but not the diet. Both of the common species here have a well-documented way of going wrong, and in both cases the cause is a diet built out of the wrong things in the wrong proportions. This guide covers what insects do in each diet, how much is sensible, and what the two specific failure modes are. It is general husbandry, not veterinary advice, and both species should be seen by a vet with exotics experience.
African pygmy hedgehogs: insectivores that get fat
Hedgehogs are insectivores, and in captivity the base of the diet is a prepared food rather than insects. Veterinary guidance points at a commercial hedgehog or insectivore diet, or a high-quality low-fat cat food, as the main component. One published target for a commercial hedgehog diet is around 22% protein, about 15% acid detergent fiber or chitin, and about 5% fat, with a balanced vitamin and mineral supplement.
That chitin figure is the interesting part. Insect exoskeleton is a fiber source for an insectivore, not simply an inconvenience to be digested around. It is one of the reasons whole insects have a place in a hedgehog's diet that a scoop of cat food does not fill.
The problem is fat. Obesity is a common health problem in pet hedgehogs, and veterinary guidance is explicit that hedgehogs become obese when intake is not controlled. The three levers named are reducing high-fat foods, avoiding free-choice feeding, and increasing exercise. Scattering food around the enclosure or hiding it in the substrate is specifically recommended, because it turns a meal into foraging.
Which insects, and how often
Published guidance suggests gut-loaded insects such as crickets and mealworms two to three times a week, with the note that mealworms are higher in fat and should be offered less often than that.
- Crickets. Crickets are the better routine choice. Lower in fat than most worm feeders, and they move, which gives the hedgehog something to chase. We do not sell crickets. Dubia roaches are what we sell instead.
- Roaches. Feeder roaches work well and store far better. Same argument as crickets, less noise.
- Mealworms and superworms. The classic hedgehog treat, and the classic route to an overweight hedgehog. Most of the worm feeders are fattier than crickets or roaches. Fine occasionally, poor as a daily habit.
- Waxworms. The fattiest ordinary feeder. Rare treat only.
Gut loading matters here for the same reason it does everywhere: an insect that has been fed properly carries more than one that has been sitting in a bare tub. Merck notes that calcium deficiency can result from a diet consisting mainly of invertebrates, which is the other half of the argument for keeping the prepared food as the base.
Sugar gliders: the calcium problem is the whole story
Sugar gliders are omnivores that in the wild take sap, gum, nectar, pollen and invertebrates. In captivity the failure mode is specific and well documented, and it is worth stating plainly.
Metabolic bone disease, also called nutritional osteodystrophy or nutritional secondary hyperparathyroidism, is recognized as a common problem in pet sugar gliders. Merck describes gliders kept mainly on fruit, with few gut-loaded insects or other protein sources, as very susceptible. Blood calcium falls, blood phosphorus rises, and the clinical picture runs from hindlimb weakness through to paralysis, tremors, bone fractures and seizures.
Two dietary patterns produce it. A fruit-heavy diet with almost no protein is one. A diet built on undusted, un-gut-loaded insects is the other, because nearly every feeder insect carries far more phosphorus than calcium. Mealworms alone are one of the worst possible sugar glider diets for exactly this reason.
Where insects sit in a glider diet
Published guidance describes a diet at roughly a quarter protein, a quarter leafy greens and half a commercial pelleted food formulated for the species, with a nectar or sap substitute alongside. Gut-loaded insects are part of the protein share rather than the whole of it. Crickets, mealworms, waxworms and roaches all appear in veterinary guidance for this species, and there is a secondary argument that chewing whole insects is good for dental health.
The non-negotiable part is the calcium correction. Insects for gliders should be gut loaded, dusted with a calcium supplement, or both. Whether that supplement should contain vitamin D3, and how often, is a question for an exotics vet.
Comparing the two
| African pygmy hedgehog | Sugar glider | |
|---|---|---|
| Base of the diet | Commercial insectivore or hedgehog food, or a low-fat cat food | Commercial pelleted glider diet, plus greens and a nectar substitute |
| Role of insects | Part of the protein and fiber, and enrichment | Part of the protein share |
| Main dietary risk | Obesity from fatty feeders and free-choice feeding | Metabolic bone disease from calcium-poor diets |
| Best routine feeder | Crickets and roaches over worm feeders | Whatever is properly gut loaded and dusted |
| Feeder to be careful with | Mealworms and waxworms | Mealworms as a large share of the diet |
Tenrecs and other small insectivores are kept in much smaller numbers and there is far less published guidance on them. The safe approach is to treat the hedgehog pattern as the starting point and take species-specific advice from a vet, rather than assuming any small spiny insectivore eats the same way.
Sizing and practical points
- Size is less critical here than for reptiles, because these are mammals with teeth that chew rather than swallow prey whole. It still matters for very small animals and for young ones.
- Feed measured amounts, not free choice, particularly for hedgehogs.
- Scatter or hide the insects rather than serving them in a dish. The foraging is part of the point.
- Do not use insects to replace the prepared food. That is how both of the problems above start.
- Avoid wild-caught insects. Pesticide residue and parasites.
Feeder size names are not standardized between suppliers, so if you are matching a feeder to a young or small animal a measurement is more use than the label. For roaches, the dubia roach size chart gives the length in inches behind each size name. For comparative protein, fat and calcium-to-phosphorus figures across the feeders named here, the nutrition table in our bearded dragon feeder guide sets them out side by side, with sources, and fat content is the number that matters most for hedgehogs.
Ordering, and where to go next
Both species eat small quantities of insects a few times a week, which puts them in the same buying situation as a single leopard gecko: most of what you buy has to stay alive in your care for a while. That argues for feeders that store well, for smaller and more frequent orders rather than bulk, and for keeping the feeders properly rather than leaving them in the shipping container. A tub of crickets that has been unfed for a week is a worse meal and a smaller one.
Of the feeders covered here, we sell dubia roaches, mealworms, superworms and waxworms, all in the feeders collection. When an order lands, what to do when your feeders arrive covers the unpacking.
This guide describes feeding healthy animals. A hedgehog that is putting on weight, or a sugar glider showing hindlimb weakness, tremors or reluctance to climb, needs an exotics vet rather than a change of feeder. Metabolic bone disease in gliders is far more treatable early than late.