# newbie food advice



## TortMad (Sep 8, 2009)

Hi Im new to the hedgehog world (I have posted in an intro thread to explain) and need some advice

I am getting a roughly 2 year old male hog in the next week or so and have been researching their care, food wise this is what I have been told, is this right, I also have a few questions

Good foods

Good quality cat biscuit, chicken flovour (low fat, high protein)
unseasoned cooked mince 
Good quality wet cat food
Boiled eggs
lowfat yoghurt
lowfat cottage cheese
banana, melon, apple, pear, strawberries
cooked veg
mealie worms

Not to feed

seeds
grapes
lactose
fish
grapes
nuts
chocolate

Questions

Are hogs lactose intolerant, yoghurt and cheese appears regually on hog food lists?
I presume fruit should be fed sparingly due to the sugar but is there any thing else I should avoid like phosphous levels?
Veggies, do I need to avoid any thing?
Have I missed any thing, or is any thing on my list that you wouldn't recommend?


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## FiaSpice (Jan 16, 2009)

TortMad said:


> Are hogs lactose intolerant, yoghurt and cheese appears regually on hog food lists?
> I presume fruit should be fed sparingly due to the sugar but is there any thing else I should avoid like phosphous levels?
> Veggies, do I need to avoid any thing?
> Have I missed any thing, or is any thing on my list that you wouldn't recommend?


1. I always wondered about that too, I never feed cheese or yogourt anyway
2. I was told by my vet not to give too much fruit because it can cause diabetese. But some ocasionly shouldn't do any harm


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## knitfreak (Jul 17, 2009)

List looks good to me! There is a sticky in this forum with an acceptable cat food list, hopefully you can find some in your country (as you call ground beef mince I am assuming you're from somewhere British :lol. A mix of three base cat foods is usually suggested to give some variety to the diet. 

FYI, a lot of hedgies are really picky with treats. Mine will so far only eat mealies, crickets and cooked "minced" turkey, hehe. Ummm, and sometimes cooked chicken cut into pieces, but he isn't as into that as the turkey.

I think the lactose thing comes from people feeding wild hedgies in England milk. They would drink a lot more of that than say, a spoonful of cottage cheese. So that would affect them more than a treat would. Still, no point in me risking it, I don't want my little guy to get an upset tummy (and I am CERTAIN I don't want to have to clean up after it!)


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## Anny (Jul 17, 2009)

Regarding the lactose issue and dairy foods on the list:

I'm quite sure that yogurt and cheese are on the lower side of lactose content and that's why you'll see them on some hedgie treat lists. Hedgies tend to be lactose intolerant but these dairy products are quite low in their lactose content, hence why they can be offered in small quantities.


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## GottaGoFast (Aug 20, 2009)

Are fish really bad for hedgehogs? One of the cat foods in my mix is salmon based.


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

GottaGoFast said:


> Are fish really bad for hedgehogs? One of the cat foods in my mix is salmon based.


Fish isn't bad, in fact, my boy LOVES seafood.

However, people don't use it as often because apparently, their poop becomes smellier if they are eating fish. I do not know how true that is, but that is the word that gets passed around. But, if your hedgie is doing fine with it, I don't see the need to change, as long as it's a good quality food. ^_^


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## TortMad (Sep 8, 2009)

Yep hands up Im british  

I had no idea mince was ground beef in the states, i just presumed it was minced meat every where :lol:  

Thanks for the advice, think I will be avoiding any diary products as I most definately dont wish to clean up the mess after either :lol: 

Another question I have if any one would like to answer, ive searched and cant seem to find the answers anywhere.

Why is dry cat food the norm and not dry dog food? I have visited lots of stores lately and read many packets of cat and dog food and most of the dog food falls within the parameters of 30% protein and 10% fats/oils. The dog food I have already is 26% protein/ 10% fat?

Is there a reason I shouldn't be using dog food?


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

Dog food is fine nutrition wise, but the pieces are large and too hard for a hedgie to eat. You'd have to crush the kibble so they could eat it.


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## hedgielover (Oct 30, 2008)

If you can find a dog food designed for small dogs that fits the nutrition parameters then you won't have to crush kibble. If you do a good way to do it is in a coffee grinder, some people on here have one devoted to crushing hedgehog food.


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

Usually even small breed dog food is too hard, even if the size is right. One of my labs has esophagus issues and has to eat her food elevated, and have the small version of everything. Those kibble are a decent size but IMO are still too hard for a hedgie's little mouth.

Sounds strange but cutting the kibble into halves/quarters with scissors really does work. I have a pair of scissors just for cutting Inky's larger kibble pieces up.


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

haha I prefer a hammer over a pair of scissors for making smaller kibble pieces. :lol: GREAT for frustrating days ^_^

But I also agree that dog kibble tends to be harder, at least that's what I find comparing my small dog's kibble and my cat/hedgie kibble.


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## Bengall77 (Aug 1, 2009)

The only other food I wouldn't feed based on what others have said is any type of dried fruit. They can stick to the roof of their mouth and the hedgehog may do harm to itself trying to claw it off.

As for veggies, sweet potatoes (or yams) are a huge hit in my house. But they also have a lot of sugar so feed sparingly like you would fruit. I've also heard that green bell peppers are a good treat.


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