# Food Mix- Need One More.



## Tom (Jul 21, 2013)

So I originally bought one bag of food- because I didn't know that food mixes were recommended so much. So I'm going to buy two more foods to make a three-food mix.

The food I currently have is:
Blue Buffalo Weight Control Chicken & Brown Rice Adult Cat Food
Ingredients:
Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Oatmeal, Whole Ground Barley, Whole Ground Brown Rice, Salmon Meal (source of Omega 3 Fatty Acids), Natural Chicken Flavor, Whole Potatoes, Peas, Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Whole Carrots, Whole Sweet Potatoes, Cranberries, Blueberries, Flaxseed (source of Omega 3 and 6 Fatty Acids), Barley Grass, Dried Parsley, Alfalfa Meal, Dried Kelp, Taurine, Yucca Schidigera Extract, L-Carnitine, L-Lysine, Turmeric, Dried Chicory Root, Rice Bran, Oil of Rosemary, Beta Carotene, Vitamin A Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Niacin (Vitamin B3), d-Calcium Pantothenate (Vitamin B5), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Biotin (Vitamin B7), Folic Acid (Vitamin B9), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Calcium Ascorbate (source of Vitamin C), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Choline Chloride, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Iodate, Salt, Caramel, Potassium Chloride, Calcium Carbonate, Dried Yeast (source of Saccharomyces cerevisiae), Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, Dried Bacillus subtilis fermentation product, Dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product 
Guaranteed Analysis:
Crude Protein (min.) 28.0%, Crude Fat (min.) 9.0%, Crude Fiber (max.) 8.5%, Moisture (max.) 10.0%, Magnesium (max.) 0.08%, Taurine (min.) 0.15%, L-Carnitine* (min.) 150 mg/kg, Omega 3 Fatty Acids* (min.) 0.3%, Omega 6 Fatty Acids* (min.) 2.0%.​
I have been trying to figure out what foods to get that will give a good mix of protein. Since I already have chicken in that one I wanted to get something like duck so I found this one:

Natural Balance Green Pea & Duck

Ingredients:
Peas, Duck Meal, Duck, Canola Oil, Flaxseed, Natural Flavor, Methionine, Choline Chloride, Taurine, Natural Mixed Tocopherols), Zinc Proteinate, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Zinc Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B-1), Vitamin A Supplement, Biotin, Potassium Iodide, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin (Vitamin B-2), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B-6), Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Manganous Oxide, Sodium Selenite, Vitamin D Supplement, Folic Acid (Vitamin B) 
Guaranteed Analysis:
Crude Protein (30%), Crude Fat (12%), Crude Fiber (4%), Moisture (10%), Taurine (.16%), Omega 3 Fatty Acids (.4%)*, Omega 6 Fatty Acids (2.6%)*,​
And for the last food I was thinking of getting something with turkey, so I found this:

BLUE Finicky Feast Chicken & Turkey Recipe

Deboned Chicken, Deboned Turkey, Chicken Meal, Turkey Meal, Menhaden Fish Meal (source of Omega 3 Fatty Acids), Whole Ground Brown Rice, Whole Ground Barley, Oatmeal, Peas, Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Dried Egg, Natural Chicken Flavor, Whole Potatoes, Fish Oil (source of Omega 3 Fatty Acids), Flaxseed (source of Omega 3 and 6 Fatty Acids), Whole Carrots, Whole Sweet Potatoes, Cranberries, Blueberries, Barley Grass, Dried Parsley, Alfalfa Meal, Dried Kelp, Taurine, Yucca Schidigera Extract, L-Carnitine, L-Lysine, Turmeric, Dried Chicory Root, Oil of Rosemary, Beta Carotene, Vitamin A Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Niacin (Vitamin B3), d-Calcium Pantothenate (Vitamin B5), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Biotin (Vitamin B7), Folic Acid (Vitamin B9), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Calcium Ascorbate (source of Vitamin C), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Choline Chloride, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Iodate, Salt, Caramel, Potassium Chloride, Calcium Chloride, Dried Yeast (source of Saccharomyces cerevisiae), Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, Dried Bacillus subtilis fermentation product, Dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product.

Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein 32.0% min
Crude Fat 16.0% min
Crude Fiber 3.5% max
Moisture 10.0% max
Magnesium 0.08% min
Taurine 0.15% min
Omega 3 Fatty Acids* 0.9% min
Omega 6 Fatty Acids* 3.0% min​
The last food I'm wondering about. I've read that people suggest having three different brands but I can't find a turkey or non-duck or chicken that's a different brand that fits the nutritional requirements. For the last food I wanted something with a little more fat because the other ones were kind of on the low end.

What do you think? Would this be good or no?

Well it looks like Finicky Feast is discontinued or hard to find (I can only see it online and it's pretty pricey with shipping!) So does anyone have a replacement for me ?


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Solid Gold has lamb, but I think the fat's around 12%, if I remember correctly. Some foods have rabbit, but I don't think that's too common in cat foods yet, and the one food that has it (Nature's Variety) has pretty high protein (I think it's around 40%). You could always check into dog foods too - they're perfectly fine to use, you just have to make sure the kibble's broken up. Dog foods tend to have more protein sources as well, and lower protein if that's a concern for you.

And I'm curious, as you're one of the ones I've seen bringing this up, but is there a reason you keep recommending protein be 30% or lower? I've always seen the cut-off point being loosely 35% (not a strict cut-off) and haven't heard of hedgies having a lot of renal issues from even that amount, so I was just wondering if there were other reasons you've been saying that, or where you've heard it.


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## Tom (Jul 21, 2013)

Lilysmommy said:


> Solid Gold has lamb, but I think the fat's around 12%, if I remember correctly. Some foods have rabbit, but I don't think that's too common in cat foods yet, and the one food that has it (Nature's Variety) has pretty high protein (I think it's around 40%). You could always check into dog foods too - they're perfectly fine to use, you just have to make sure the kibble's broken up. Dog foods tend to have more protein sources as well, and lower protein if that's a concern for you.
> 
> And I'm curious, as you're one of the ones I've seen bringing this up, but is there a reason you keep recommending protein be 30% or lower? I've always seen the cut-off point being loosely 35% (not a strict cut-off) and haven't heard of hedgies having a lot of renal issues from even that amount, so I was just wondering if there were other reasons you've been saying that, or where you've heard it.


I saw a couple forum posts about an super mod/breeders saying that 35 can be a bit high. So I wasn't sure which one was correct- so I thought I'd better play safe and choose the lower.

I know the max fat is 15% in a diet usually. But would have two 12% and one 9% be too low? (Averages out to 11%) I'm about ready to purchase that lamb one that you recommended before because I like the idea of having a lot of variety in protein.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

It mostly depends on the hedgie...it's hard to say. For a runner, it would almost definitely be too low - they usually need at least one high fat food in their mix. Babies usually do okay with a higher fat, since they're growing. So it might not hurt to have one food that's a bit higher (maybe 15-17%?) on hand, if you want, just in case he/she turns out to need it. Otherwise, for a normal hedgie, it seems like it should be okay. Like I said though, it's mostly a guessing game until you have a chance to try out the mix and watch their weight & body shape for changes. Hedgies like to be complicated. :lol:

And ahhh, okay. I'll have to search & see who it was or something, maybe I can ask them as well. Last I'd heard from one of the other mods, even up to 40% would probably be fine for a hedgie with no kidney/renal issues, but I haven't heard much more on that, so I've stuck with the 35% recommendation, since it's what I've seen the most all these years.


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## Tom (Jul 21, 2013)

So does this sound good: I buy the Solid Gold Lamb + Natural Balance Green Pea & Duck to go with the Blue Buffalo I already have and mix that. And if I notice he/she runs a lot- just buy a higher fat food to add to the mix as I see fit later? 

If so, do you have any recommendations for a 15-20% fat food? (Protein doesn't really matter I guess for this since I already have three completely different proteins in the mix. And anything specific is pretty hard to find unless it's chicken !)

I'll stick to recommending 35% now too  I just get worried when I see someone say that something is bad and can cause problems- I'd feel bad about recommending it.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Yup, that sounds like a good plan! I don't have a ton of suggestions for a higher fat food, but I know one that I remember a few people with runners really liking was Halo Spots Stew - higher fat (I think around 18%) and it has nice small kibble, smaller than most foods. That might be one to look around for, or just look for kitten foods - most of those are over 15% fat, and most of the good brands have kitten foods in their line. 

I did just do a really quick search for 'protein' and did find several posts mentioning 30%, that were 1-3 years old...So I stand corrected! Still though, if I remember correctly (which I may not :lol: I may try another search later), over time a consensus was reached where up to 35% wasn't bad, as long as it didn't get much higher? Maybe one of the other mods/admins will jump in here & clarify as well. I just don't want to stress people out a lot trying to find acceptable foods that are under 30% - seems like a lot of cat foods (especially the better ones) are higher in proteins since that's what cats need, but a lot of people seem to still be iffy on the idea of using dog foods, which are lower in protein. It'd be so nice if someone would just make a good-quality hedgehog food with the right protein & fat content. :roll: I'll check in with the other mods & see what they say too. I could definitely be remembering wrong!


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## Tom (Jul 21, 2013)

Major typo. Won't let me edit it though. *Duck (not dick)

I'll look for that one around when I go to the pet store eventually  I peruse this forum pretty much all day and I'm always refreshing on my phone for new posts. Got to cram my brain with as much knowledge as possible! Got to be an expert if I decide to breed hedgies in the distant future ! (Definitely no time soon) And I wish someone would make a nice hedgehog food too! I don't get why they advertise foods for hedgies but it's bad. I guess they're like the Friskies of the hedgie world.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

I wonder if perhaps the post where it said 40% protein is okay, was in a mix of other foods that had lower protein. 

The problem with kidney/renal issues is, often we don't know about it until it's too late so avoiding high protein foods from the start is best.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

Tom said:


> Major typo. Won't let me edit it though. *Duck (not dick)


Fixed it for you.


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## Tom (Jul 21, 2013)

Nancy said:


> Fixed it for you.


Thanks! 

Just bought two bags of food, play pen, storage container, cute food bowls all for under $70.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

I spend too much time on here too, mostly because I just like reading questions & being around just in case. :lol: I probably post too much, but...oh well. I'll probably end up a lot scarcer once school starts at the end of the month, so might as well enjoy it while I can. Getting more information is always great, and another reason I like being on here so much...can't have a hedgie right now, but wanna stay up-to-date for "someday".  And wow, nice deal!


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## Tom (Jul 21, 2013)

I get my hedgie in about 5 weeks  I start school in 2. At least I only have classes twice a week.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Ooooh, now I feel lucky. XD I don't start until the 28th, which is a week later than I expected. Twice a week isn't bad though! I'm back up to Monday-Friday classes, I'm slightly dreading it. x.x


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## Tom (Jul 21, 2013)

I usually try to get a couple online classes and make my classes either 2 or 3 days a week. (My school doesn't have M W F classes though! Just M W, T TH, F, S. )

I just moved, my old school started around the 28th. This school I get longer breaks, and it ends sooner. The only thing I'm dreading is finding classes. I've been to campus once- and luckily we parked in the parking garage that was close to the building I needed. So I have no idea where to go.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Oh dear...do you have time to get over to campus once or twice before classes start? Perhaps you could go through your schedule & find your way to classes before you're on a deadline. Does your college have maps that you can get, either at an office or print from online? That's literally how I made it through half of my semester last fall, my first semester at my college - I had maps with me in my purse at all times and used them quite a bit when I'd get turned around. :lol: Longer breaks sounds nice, at least! Our school just shortened our winter break, I'm still annoyed. :roll:


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## Tom (Jul 21, 2013)

My fiance works but hopefully on Monday I can get to campus and get my student id so I can ride the bus/light-rail for free and check out classes. I have a map- hopefully the map just seems bigger than it actually is (that's how it was at my old school). Maps are just intimidating and I'm pretty much map illiterate. hah. My winter break is a little over a month long I think!


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Nice!  And good luck...Once you've been there for a few weeks, it won't see so big or confusing to you, promise! You get used to it pretty quickly.


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