Investigation of milk composition in hedgehogs

Orphaned hedgehog: suckling are frequently presented to veterinary hospital s or hedgehog stations. The success oi artificial rearing of these animals especially depends on the simulating of the natural conditions. Therefore t he aim of the present study was to investigate the composition of hedgehog milk to develop a suitable milk replacer. The study was carried our on four female hedgehogs, each with 3-5 suckling young. Milk samples were collecte d during the whole lactation period (max. 54 days) or at the beginning of t he lactation period. The following results were obtained: Hedgehog milk is extremely concentrated (dry matter: 45.2%), rich in protein (16%) and crude fat (25.5%), whereas only traces of lactose could be found. In the pattern of amino acids. In terms of the fatty acids, long chain and unsaturated fa tty acids (18: 1, 18:2) are predominant. In comparison with the milk of dom estic animals the contents of both macro and trace elements are high, which can he partly explained by the high energy density.