# Not impressed with petco's food selection



## Artemis-Ichiro (Jan 22, 2016)

I spent a good time in petco looking for another food for Mr. Stubborn and couldn't find anything. Most were chicken and or salmon, very few lamb or duck and the lamb one was full of fillers. Most foods had fat of 14% or higher. 

Ichiro loves the pink natural balance that is chicken and salmon but it's 17% fat and 34% protein so I'm looking for a lower fat one. We also have Merrick in the mix but he's not a fan; he eats some kibbles but picks the other one first. 

This is not my first time looking in petco; today I expanded to the dog food but nothing... I guess I'm going to start looking online to see what else is available. A lot of the brands mentioned here on regular bases are not available there. 

The search for the perfect food will continue...


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## shinydistraction (Jul 6, 2014)

Did they not have anything from Solid Gold? Or have you tried it already? I've been really happy with the Winged Tiger recipe. I think it's quail as the primary ingredient.


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## Artemis-Ichiro (Jan 22, 2016)

Ichiro, AKA Mr. Stubborn did not like solid gold. I have tried like 4 different types and he only likes natural balance and tolerates some Merrick but is not a big fan of it. The other brands that others mentioned like Fromm or others that Kalandra, Nikki or Lilly's are not in there.


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

You'll find Fromm and some of the other varieties in the smaller mom/pop type shops. If you don't have a good mom/pop type shop around, go online. I have used used chewy.com and petflow.com for a while. In the last couple of years I've mostly used chewy since I had an amazing customer service experience with them over a black friday oops I made.


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## twobytwopets (Feb 2, 2014)

The thing with the chain stores are they typically don't have much control over their stock. Every inch of a store essentially costs money. If a product doesn't sell and is on the shelf, it is taking space for products that move. 
The big name brands of product spend a significant amount of money to be recognizable and in your mind. Advertising, packaging and store placement all goes into this. 
The main office of these chain stores will have individuals or teams of people looking at what is or isn't selling in their stores, and that directly effects what you see on the shelf.

Mom and pop stores have some similar issues, they want product to move. However they also need something to set them apart from the big chain stores. As a result, they can stock products that the big stores don't. They also have control over what they carry. So if you find one you like there or online that you like, mention it to them. Give them that feedback or suggestion.


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## Artemis-Ichiro (Jan 22, 2016)

Thanks guys, I'll look for a small store but the only one I had found only carries high protein cat food and believe hedgies should eat hedgehog food.


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## twobytwopets (Feb 2, 2014)

You don't have to tell them what your feeding


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## Draenog (Feb 27, 2012)

Can't you order food online? Edit: sorry must have missed that part in your OP. Most pet stores here don't have suitable food for hedgehogs either so I always order mine online (it has to be imported from the US/Canada/UK)


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## Artemis-Ichiro (Jan 22, 2016)

I know but I bought a toy hedgie and the Che... And usually I open my mouth too much in those stores. 

In oetco they told
Me they don't sell hedgehogs because they are not native to Florida... But the sell ferrets...


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## Dumble (Feb 22, 2016)

Artemis-Ichiro said:


> I know but I bought a toy hedgie and the Che... And usually I open my mouth too much in those stores.
> 
> In oetco they told
> Me they don't sell hedgehogs because they are not native to Florida... But the sell ferrets...


That is hilarious. You must have been like .."wait? what did he just say?"


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## Artemis-Ichiro (Jan 22, 2016)

Exactly. After that I stopped asking or basically talking. Lol.


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## twobytwopets (Feb 2, 2014)

And if you need to discuss what your looking for. Go with specifics like this protein range, this fat content, none of this or that, and this particular protein... whatever your goals are.


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