Hedgehog orphans

Question
I have been taking in hedgehogs over the past 5 years and recieved a call 2 weeks ago about 5 orphaned hedghogs. I have been feeding them goats milk and recently started them on a little bit of watered down cat food. I noticed on friday morning that the smallest wasacting strange. He was really floppy, wouldn't eat or drink and started breathing strange, within an hour he had died. When i later checked on the others i noticed 2 of them were acting the same and they too died within an hour. The forth died during friday night and the fifth has just died. He was normal up until half an hour ago. Do you have any idea what may have been wrong with them?

Answer
Thank you for using all experts and rescuing hedgehogs. I always understood that they should never be given milk. The recommendation is always as you did wet cat/dog food minus fish flavor. You can also feed them chicken, beef, finely chopped (due to their small teeth), cheese, regular no salt peanuts. It is always said not to give them bread or milk b/c of digestion issue which can led to death due to diarrhea.

If you want to feed them food they will eat in the wild you would go with bugs. Beetles and caterpillars are what they mainly eat. Things like slugs and snails they can eat but it can carry lungworm which is will cause death.

I dont know if the milk may have made a difference or if it was due to being in the elimates where you live w/o their mother.

Here are some great sites about hedge hogs you may like to view:

http://www.hilltopanimalhospital.com/hedgehogs.htm

http://www.angelfire.com/wa2/comemeetmyfamily/CaringForYourHedgehog.html

http://www.thehedgehog.co.uk/diet.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lungworms