# Creating New Dry Cat Food List 3.0



## Guest (Aug 4, 2011)

I wanted to get permission from one of the administrators to which I have before posting this asking all hedgehog owners that wish to suggest foods for the new listing I am compiling.

This listing will follow the HHC guidelines of Less than 32% Fat and Less than 15% Fat and include first and foremost ingredients to which will not include corn or wheat as the highly recommended.

I will still include some of the good quality foods that do have corn and/or wheat in a separate section cause I am aware of many quality breeders who mix some that don't follow the above specified guidelines and I want to include those choices on the listing as well.

I also will make a smaller separate listing for under six months and/or highly active hedgehogs that require a high fat content diet.

*All listed foods will contain the following information:

- Name of Food
- Ingredients
- Crude Analysis (Protein, Fat, Fiber, Moisture)*

I would like to request that anyone would would like to provide their mixes of foods which meet these qualifications to do so, while I will be going through every cat food for the information if you provide the names, ingredients, and crude analysis it will help me expedite the process even a small amount.

I'd prefer you email it to me or PM me the information if you can assist me with your information so we can provide a better listing for owners.

email - [email protected]


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## Guest (Aug 4, 2011)

TWCOGAR said:


> I wanted to get permission from one of the administrators to which I have before posting this asking all hedgehog owners that wish to suggest foods for the new listing I am compiling.
> 
> This listing will follow the HHC guidelines of Less than 32% Protein and Less than 15% Fat and include first and foremost ingredients to which will not include corn or wheat as the highly recommended.
> 
> ...


*TYPO Correction Less than 32% Protein and Less than 15% Fat**


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## rivoli256 (Mar 1, 2009)

great idea...i will happily contribute all that i have used in my mixes...  i will email &/or post as full list ASAP.


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## CanadienHedgie (Feb 4, 2011)

I made a list of over 70 cat foods and their protein, fat, fiber, moisture and first 5. It's all colour coded for under 6 months/runner, over 6 months, meat in first 2 ingredients and warning for fish. I can upload it onto here.


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## Guest (Aug 4, 2011)

CanadienHedgie said:


> I made a list of over 70 cat foods and their protein, fat, fiber, moisture and first 5. It's all colour coded for under 6 months/runner, over 6 months, meat in first 2 ingredients and warning for fish. I can upload it onto here.


You can and I'll just add the rest of the ingredients to the listing as its important to know them all on an individual hedgehog basis you may identify things they area allergic or otherwise prone to illness to. I wouldn't want someone to know something has an issue and look at the list see the first five and end up with a sick hedgie


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## leaveittoweaver (Sep 25, 2010)

Good quality foods with corn in them? I'm pretty sure there are none.


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## Guest (Aug 4, 2011)

Breeders use some food still with them including ones here if I am not mistaken and they take wonderful care of hedgehogs

I believe corn is a undigested product and the list will incorporate warnings stating such thing, I want a full complete list not a almost complete list


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## leaveittoweaver (Sep 25, 2010)

TWCOGAR said:


> Breeders use some food still with them including ones here if I am not mistaken and they take wonderful care of hedgehogs
> 
> I believe corn is a undigested product and the list will incorporate warnings stating such thing, I want a full complete list not a almost complete list


Whether breeders use it or not corn in my opinion does not belong in any animal's food really. 
http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food- ... food-corn/

I understand that want for a complete, I'd just make that clear on the list for those who may not know a lot about animal nutrition.


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## hanhan27 (May 12, 2011)

TWCOGAR said:


> Breeders use some food still with them including ones here if I am not mistaken and they take wonderful care of hedgehogs
> 
> I believe corn is a undigested product and the list will incorporate warnings stating such thing, I want a full complete list not a almost complete list


You can take wonderful care of a hedgehog and still feed it crappy food. Just wanted to throw that out there.

By a "complete list", what do you mean? A complete list of every cat food that people on HHC feed their hedgehogs? Or a complete list of acceptable cat foods with good ingredients and a guaranteed analysis in the right ball park? Just because a breeder feeds it to their hedgehogs, doesn't mean the food is good... look at *ahem* Vickie's Hedgehogs. Or the breeder I got Milly from, who feeds all of his hedgehogs, babies and adults, one kind of Purina (first few ingredients are poultry by-product meal, corn meal, corn gluten meal. Umm... ew).

I guess I'm just curious what the point of including the crappy foods in the list is, other than the fact that some breeders feed them to their hedgies lol


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## Guest (Aug 5, 2011)

hanhan27 said:


> TWCOGAR said:
> 
> 
> > Breeders use some food still with them including ones here if I am not mistaken and they take wonderful care of hedgehogs
> ...


I am aware of LarryT and others feeding food a lot of people here consider crap and I want to note very respectable people use them and have very happy and healthy hedgehogs.

I am aware of corn issues very much thank you for informing me of something I know.

My list was pretty much going to be exactly like Canadians and I had asked for permission to even do it from one of the admins here.

I was going to have the highly recommended foods and then young and active hedgehog foods and then good or lesser foods which are widely used with no real issues by breeders who are good, Spike's Delight is crap I am aware.

Purina Chicken and Rice is actually used by many very respected breeders from what I know of, and if you look a lot of the breeders here will even post to saying they use such things in their mix.

I felt it was just something to note in the list but with proper explanation on the topic to why these are typically avoided.

I will be requesting this topic closed because I really don't want this to turn into some flame war because of what is or isn't best as I have stated Hedgehog health and Diet has come a long way but IMHO its still no where near where it needs to be so many unknowns and I am certain I and everyone is still making little mistakes which will happens for years still to come.

All i wanted to do was provide a updated list to help our community and nothing more


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## leaveittoweaver (Sep 25, 2010)

Woah, I was not being snappish in any way so you should probably calm down. 

My point is just because breeders use it doesn't mean it's good food. And I too was just wondering what the updated list was going to be like. You got permission, great fantastic. I just was throwing in my two cents on the inclusion of crap foods in a list that's available for newcomers. If breeders have no problem feeding crappy food, that's just awesome. 

You should not get your panties in a bundle over people asking questions and then ask for the thread to be closed because your feeling were hurt. Jeez.


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## CanadienHedgie (Feb 4, 2011)

leaveittoweaver said:


> You should not get your panties in a bundle over people asking questions and then ask for the thread to be closed because your feeling were hurt. Jeez.


The point of closing a topic isn't because someone's feeling got hurt, it's because this thread is going no where other then a heated argument.


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## Guest (Aug 5, 2011)

CanadienHedgie said:


> leaveittoweaver said:
> 
> 
> > You should not get your panties in a bundle over people asking questions and then ask for the thread to be closed because your feeling were hurt. Jeez.
> ...


That was my point exactly thank you


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## hanhan27 (May 12, 2011)

TW, I didn't mean to come across as rude, and I sincerely apologize if that's how it sounded. Like you've said in the past, it's easy to misconstrue someone's tone (or lack thereof, since this is text, haha) when using the internet to communicate. Sometimes I forget to add the necessary things to make it clear that I'm being polite, and it gets me in trouble.

The point of my post wasn't to start an argument or create hard feelings - I just don't think it's in any hedgehog's best interest to include a list of mediocre (at best) cat foods in an informational thread aimed at new hedgehog owners. Even if you do include a note saying that "while these foods aren't the greatest, you can still use them", there will be people that think, "Well, since these are on the list, I might as well get the cheap ones" and then load their hedgie up on cat foods where the first ingredient isn't even a real meat or meat meal. TW, you are a VERY caring hedgehog owner - I'm sure you have done your research on corn, and can understand where I'm coming from by expressing my concern over advertising for cat foods with less-than-good ingredients. I'm sure if you offered your hedgehogs ground up corn and meat, they would choose the meat every single time, because it tastes better and IS better for them.  

I actually personally use a Purina brand  But only because the first ingredients aren't corn or by-products, lol, and because I wanted a "junk" food to include in Milly's mix since she's young and needs a little extra fat. I'm not saying that every single kind of Purina or Iams or whatever you want to talk about is crappy... just that foods with corn and icky by-products shouldn't be anyone's first choice of food for their babies, and that new-comers to the world of hedgehogs shouldn't be directed to a thread that makes it seem as if a cat food with by-products and corn for the main ingredients are comparable to a cat food with real meat or meat meal and no corn. I know we can all agree that they aren't comparable, lol.

Hugs to you, TW, for the great idea and effort on your part to help educate hedgie owners. And once again, I'm sorry if I came across as rude.


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## Guest (Aug 5, 2011)

I am not upset at anyone in particular lately there has been so much taken out of context and explaining it won't help ^.^, it was in my mind to do it and your reasons are rational


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## Hissy-Fit-Hazel (Jul 15, 2011)

That sounds kind of cool...I realize there are some lower cost foods avail that are just fine for some feeding a herd economic wise but for those of us with a single Hedgie or 2 it really is not that costly to feed THE BEST POSSIBLE! I would not mind seeing a list in Best Possible, Good and OK-BUT type idea.


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## Hissy-Fit-Hazel (Jul 15, 2011)

Hmmm just read thru...I don't think most people would just choose the cheap brand cause they work. Most newbies only have one hedgie = not that expensive to feed. In my case even tho I tend to use very high quality and more expensive kibblesI would still like to know cheaper = ok just because of the picky factor. 

I once had a dog...sick for years with intestinal issues (Gastritis/ IBD and such) and I tried every perfectly organic/ expensive food/ raw food/ hypo allergenic out there...in the end the only food I could feed him that gave him firm stools was some crap I would not even feed as a treat EVER, the ingredients disgusted me... I hated it but it fixed him right up. 2 years of sick and a 16 biopsy exploratory $2000 surgery...fixed by a crap dog kibble  

So it is nice to know what works even if it is cheapo stuff.


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## leaveittoweaver (Sep 25, 2010)

The thing is not that the food is cheap because honestly there's a lot of expensive crappy foods out there(e.g. Royal canin, Iams, Eukanuba(although Eukanuba Pure isn't really that bad). The cheap stuff that is crap is more like Beneful, Ol Roy, Friskies, etc. In the end it ends up being more expensive because you could very likely end up with more health issues resulting in more vet bills.


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## LarryT (May 12, 2009)

I feed Purina One and always have. I don't think of myself as a bad person for it :roll: Opinions on food and buttholes have one thing in common, everyone has one. :lol: Anyone else hear of that hog that lived 11 years with Meow Mix as the staple of the diet? :shock:


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## leaveittoweaver (Sep 25, 2010)

LarryT said:


> I feed Purina One and always have. I don't think of myself as a bad person for it :roll: Opinions on food and buttholes have one thing in common, everyone has one. :lol: Anyone else hear of that hog that lived 11 years with Meow Mix as the staple of the diet? :shock:


Feeding a low quality food doesn't make ANYONE a bad person and that is certainly not what I'm saying. Of course it's a "matter of opinion" to some extent. But all research I've done has indicated a low quality food to negatively effect the health of an animal. 

I'm sure many animals have lived years on foods that weren't good, but there are many factors that play into long life aside from diet.

Purina has actually improved over the years as well, in fact their new line Purina Beyond is really not bad at all. 

People should feed what they feel is nutritious, and I suppose that is a matter of opinion. But I would hope that as a forum we would promote the best quality foods  That's all I'm saying.


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## LarryT (May 12, 2009)

leaveittoweaver said:


> LarryT said:
> 
> 
> > I feed Purina One and always have. I don't think of myself as a bad person for it :roll: Opinions on food and buttholes have one thing in common, everyone has one. :lol: Anyone else hear of that hog that lived 11 years with Meow Mix as the staple of the diet? :shock:
> ...


My post was made in general not aimed at you or anyone else. Purina One is not a low quaility food IMO.


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## CanadienHedgie (Feb 4, 2011)

I've noticed that if a new comer comes and mentions in a post that they feed a food with corn and by-products, everyone tells them corn isn't digestible, by-products are disgusting, etc. But if someone more "respected" says they use corn products, they change their opinion slightly or say they didn't mean it that way (not directed at hanhan47 btw). 

In simple, high quality foods don't contain fillers and by-products. They use the more expensive options to make the food. Human-grade options. 

That being said, animals can live very long, healthy lives on foods containing "garbage". Both sets of my grandparents only feed cheap foods. One set feeds Alpo, they've never had health concerns with their dogs. The other set feeds Purina, Pedigree, IAMS, Store Brand etc. (whatever is cheapest that week). They've never had a problem either. Are there worse foods then Purina, definitely, yes. There are some that are filled with corn, wheat, by-products, animal digest and artificial colours and preservatives.


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## LarryT (May 12, 2009)

CanadienHedgie said:


> I've noticed that if a new comer comes and mentions in a post that they feed a food with corn and by-products, everyone tells them corn isn't digestible, by-products are disgusting, etc. But if someone more "respected" says they use corn products, they change their opinion slightly or say they didn't mean it that way (not directed at hanhan47 btw).


Are you talking about me? :lol: I do hope i'm respected after years of being here everyday. Granted i'm not the sharpest tool in the shed but I can copy and paste when needed.


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## leaveittoweaver (Sep 25, 2010)

CanadienHedgie said:


> I've noticed that if a new comer comes and mentions in a post that they feed a food with corn and by-products, everyone tells them corn isn't digestible, by-products are disgusting, etc. But if someone more "respected" says they use corn products, they change their opinion slightly or say they didn't mean it that way (not directed at hanhan47 btw).
> 
> In simple, high quality foods don't contain fillers and by-products. They use the more expensive options to make the food. Human-grade options.
> 
> That being said, animals can live very long, healthy lives on foods containing "garbage". Both sets of my grandparents only feed cheap foods. One set feeds Alpo, they've never had health concerns with their dogs. The other set feeds Purina, Pedigree, IAMS, Store Brand etc. (whatever is cheapest that week). They've never had a problem either. Are there worse foods then Purina, definitely, yes. There are some that are filled with corn, wheat, by-products, animal digest and artificial colours and preservatives.


That's exactly what I'm saying, it's kind of a double standard.

And yes many dogs live a long time on foods that aren't necessarily the greatest. My grandma's dog is going on 12 on Beneful although it's a beagle and is grossly overweight(60lbs!) so I've had them switch to Solid Gold Holistique Blendz since I've seen the best weight loss results with that food.

If your dog does fine on lower quality ingredients and has no problem digesting grains, and no health issues then at my job we usually won't recommend to switch unless the owner is interested in healthier options. But a lot of times that's not the case :/ Most of the time I see food allergies it's because the animal was being fed "junk" food. It all depends on the animal, but if you can feed a higher quality food successfully I think that's best. But again, just my two cents.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

Since we have another thread that is turning into a war, I'm going to step in here with a few facts. 

None of you that are giving advice or writing these lists have any long time, multiple hedgehog experience so to say something is good or bad is your opinions based only on what you have read. 

You weren't owners in the beginning when kitten food was the norm and breeders and owners alike were having good results. Some still feed kitten. Then things started to change and people/breeders were feeding the crap foods and having equally and yes, many still feed the crap with no problems. 

Now the trend has gone to feeding the highest quality foods but are we really seeing any benefits? We have already seen many cases in the past few years where Wellness has caused problems with stomach upset. Many people, myself included, feel these high quality foods are too hot for our hedgehogs and will cause problems either short or long term. 

So, in other words, nobody really has a clue what is best for our quilled friends. So to say that someone is feeding a crap food, well it may be crap for them but we really don't know for sure. Same with the high quality foods. Sure they are excellent quality but are they necessarily good for our hedgehogs. All this is purely speculation. 

Basically, people need to do what they personally feel is best for their own hedgehog based on what we know so far which really isn't much. We know that high protein is harmful. We know that fish based food make their poop stink. We know that Wellness can cause stomach upset. We also know that for many hedgehogs kibble size and shape is as important as taste. 

So, in all my ramblings, I suggest that the food list be simply that, a list that states the facts about each food. Highlight the foods that are over 35% protein as not appropriate because we know high protein is not good. Highlight the fish based foods as causing smelly poops, and highlight that Wellness has been known to frequently cause stomach upset. Otherwise, it's up to the individual owner to decide if they want to feed what many consider to be crap. 

To state that certain foods are good for certain ages, or activity levels is very deceiving because there is no cut and dried answer and fat levels need to be based on the individual hedgehog, not just because it is under or over 6 months. 

I agree the original food list needs to be updated but with facts, not personal opinions. I also think we need the opinions of some of the hedgie people who have been around from the beginning.


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

Well said, Nancy.  

As Larry pointed out before, quoting a post on HHC does not make you an expert. We're all just trying to do what's best for OUR hedgies. There's no right/wrong...good/bad. 

I think what muddies the water even more are the many, many opinions stated as facts. There are no 'facts', man.


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## CanadienHedgie (Feb 4, 2011)

Larry has also said "copying and pasting doesn't make an expert", yet he copy and pastes. 

"Granted i'm not the sharpest tool in the shed but I can copy and paste when needed."


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

MissC said:


> Well said, Nancy.
> 
> As Larry pointed out before, quoting a post on HHC does not make you an expert. We're all just trying to do what's best for OUR hedgies. There's no right/wrong...good/bad.
> 
> I think what muddies the water even more are the many, many opinions stated as facts. There are no 'facts', man.


Exactly what I was trying to say.


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

Fact: Many catfoods contain corn.

Fact: Many owners feed catfoods with corn to their hedgies.

Fact: Corn's outer skin/coat/whatever is not digestible by humans and most animals.

Fact: Hedgehogs need digestible food in their diet or they won't get enough nutrition.

Conclusion: Feeding some catfoods with corn will not harm a hedgehog; but neither will it provide a lot of nutrients. So....decide for YOU how much you want YOUR hedgie to eat.


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## LarryT (May 12, 2009)

CanadienHedgie said:


> Larry has also said "copying and pasting doesn't make an expert", yet he copy and pastes.
> 
> "Granted i'm not the sharpest tool in the shed but I can copy and paste when needed."


That was with pun intended.


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

LarryT said:


> CanadienHedgie said:
> 
> 
> > Larry has also said "copying and pasting doesn't make an expert", yet he copy and pastes.
> ...


 :lol: I get it.
I will give up my puns when they pry them from my cold, dead zingers. :lol:

LOVE that one. 
My fave joke ever: I am dyslexic of Borg. Your ass will be laminated.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

I notice Standing Bear of Flash and Thelma Hedgehog Rescue has been on here recently posting about PJ's paintings of his hogs. He is a very long time owner/rescue and I believe he feeds Royal Canin which many people feel is expensive crap. TWCOGAR, perhaps write to him and ask his input on food and why he feeds what he does. Many people have fed Royal Canin over the years and it used to be a part of my mix but when they changed the shape, many peoples hedgehogs, including mine, would no longer eat it.


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## Guest (Aug 5, 2011)

Nancy said:


> I notice Standing Bear of Flash and Thelma Hedgehog Rescue has been on here recently posting about PJ's paintings of his hogs. He is a very long time owner/rescue and I believe he feeds Royal Canin which many people feel is expensive crap. TWCOGAR, perhaps write to him and ask his input on food and why he feeds what he does. Many people have fed Royal Canin over the years and it used to be a part of my mix but when they changed the shape, many peoples hedgehogs, including mine, would no longer eat it.


Thanks Nancy I will do that and see if I cannot try to formula opinions from other long term owners/breeders if nothing else but my own interest in the matter


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

Hopefully he will respond. The more people giving their experiences and opinions, the better the list will be.


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## Herisson (Jan 7, 2009)

I learned the hard way about feeding the "best" when Herisson developed FLD. A breeder asked me what I was feeding and advised to remove the Wellness Indoor immediately. The followup blood-work brought him into the normal range.

The other finding in his original blood-work was a high calcium level which can indicate cancer. This was resolved by removing Royal Canin which has a higher amount of calcium than most foods.

I started a thread on this subject to see if anyone else had similar findings. 
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=5680&st=0&sk=t&sd=a
It would be great if anyone has any information to add or lab results to share. 

I'm not active on here for the same reason susanaproenca states in her thread:
viewtopic.php?f=29&t=12489

It's sad that Hedgehog Central rivals the common TV show in drama.


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## leaveittoweaver (Sep 25, 2010)

Herisson said:


> I learned the hard way about feeding the "best" when Herisson developed FLD. A breeder asked me what I was feeding and advised to remove the Wellness Indoor immediately. The followup blood-work brought him into the normal range.
> 
> The other finding in his original blood-work was a high calcium level which can indicate cancer. This was resolved by removing Royal Canin which has a higher amount of calcium than most foods.
> 
> ...


That's really interesting. I did not know about the high calcium levels of Royal Canin. I wonder if this only effects hogs or other mammals as well.

I'd love to see breeders list what they feed, and list their previous hedgehogs cause of death and age of which they died. I think that would bring about some very interesting data.


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## Herisson (Jan 7, 2009)

> That's really interesting. I did not know about the high calcium levels of Royal Canin. I wonder if this only effects hogs or other mammals as well.
> 
> I'd love to see breeders list what they feed, and list their previous hedgehogs cause of death and age of which they died. I think that would bring about some very interesting data.


When the calcium level came in my vet was concerned about cancer. After nothing showed up on x-ray or ultrasound we looked at the food. I think RC is a good food but if the calcium can cause an elevated reading I will not feed it.

It would take more people having blood-work done and repeated to know if it was Herisson or all hedgehogs.


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## Ava99 (Jul 6, 2011)

Just a suggestion, but rather than create another dry cat food list (referencing drama central) would it be possible to create a comprehensive list of varying types of food to be fed?
Where some people are feeding only one dry cat food, others a mix and insects, and still others feeding all natural diets (fruits and veggies and occasional meat only) would it be possible to create a list of the maybe the most commonly fed or recommended of all the options? 
There seems to be no "right" way to feed our hedgies, only "recommended" ways, so wouldn't a full list cover more of the bases?

Have a section for dry kibble that only gives the name, nutritional and ingredient breakdown, and maybe a notes or issues section (i.e. wellness can cause tummy upset, fish=smelly poo, etc.)

Then have a section for fruits/ veggies that are commonly fed, and if frowned upon, why (i.e. blueberries are frowned upon, but are ok if the skin is off)

Then maybe an insect, wet food, and meat section.

This would allow for a more informational list rather than a suggestive list, allowing the new hedgie owners to decide what would be easiest for them. And yes, I am aware that this is wishful thinking due to the amount of time and effort required for such a list, but maybe if a few of the members collaborated on it, it may not be so difficult.


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## leaveittoweaver (Sep 25, 2010)

Ava99 said:


> Just a suggestion, but rather than create another dry cat food list (referencing drama central) would it be possible to create a comprehensive list of varying types of food to be fed?
> Where some people are feeding only one dry cat food, others a mix and insects, and still others feeding all natural diets (fruits and veggies and occasional meat only) would it be possible to create a list of the maybe the most commonly fed or recommended of all the options?
> There seems to be no "right" way to feed our hedgies, only "recommended" ways, so wouldn't a full list cover more of the bases?
> 
> ...


I think that's a really good idea although it will definitely be an underhauling, there are so many cat kibbles out there, including ones that are only available in certain areas such as Country Mae Naturals, Orijen, etc. But I think this would be a good idea if someone wanted to do it.


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## greenbeansrabbitry (Sep 10, 2008)

I figure I may as well throw my 2 cents in! Just so everyone knows, this is just my opinion on how my hedgehogs should be cared for. I am by far not an expert, I ask alot of questions, just ask Nancy and Larry :lol: I still have several years to learn things, even then I don't think I'd consider myself an expert. IMO there are so many things we don't know about these little guys, and we'll be learning new things for years to come. Again this is just my opinion on my hedgies care.

I got my first hedgehog in 2006. I was a complete newbie and had no idea what I was doing. At first I fed kitten chow and I thought I was doing great with that, Calista was always at a good weight, maybe a little on the chubby side, but she wasn't thin. She had reallyyy dry skin and someone told me it was the crap food that I was feeding. So I switched food, tbh I can't remember what the specific food was, but I know it was a mix of Blue Buffalo and Royal Canin. She did great on it and her skin wasn't as dry. That is what I fed her up until the day she crossed the rainbow and went to hedgie heaven. She passed away before her 2nd birthday, I don't know the exact cause of death because I didn't have a necropsy done. She had all the symptoms of WHS, however it could have been several things. She was also a baby from a littermate breeding (full brother/sister). So maybe it was some kind of deformity or cancer. I will never know. I have never really associated it with food and still don't. 

In 2009 I got my next 3 hedgehogs, DFM Harvey GBH, DFM Esmerelda GBH, and DFM Isabella GBH. Both Harvey and Esmerelda went to new homes last year because I was not comfortable breeding them (a litter I got from them had deformed babies so I didn't breed them after that). I started out feeding Blue Buffalo Indoor Health and PurinaONE Chicken and Rice Formula. I have no problem feeding either of those, in fact PurinaONE Chicken and Rice Formula is in my mix. I have never had a problem with it. Other than the PurinaONE my mix has Blue Buffalo Weight Control, By Nature Organics Chicken Formula, Innova Low Fat Adult Cat, Natural Balance Green Pea and Duck Formula, and Solid Gold Katz-N-Flocken. My hedgehogs do great on this mix. However, I supplement it with other foods. Each hedgehog has an individual diet, several of them don't like the same things, so I'm just going to try to do a general thing, but it varies depending on the hedgie. Each night they get kibble, a type of meat, some fruit, some veggies, and insects. Some get more of one thing and others get less. I try to fix it so that they're getting what I think they need and what they like. So far it has worked for me. I also use flax seed oil on their kibble to help with dry skin, I'll be switching to SF soon. 

Like I said each hedgie is different, for my runners and mommas I feed Royal Canin BabyCat34 to help keep weight on them and help the mommas with their calcium levels. With my chunkier hedgies I feed less fatty foods. Each diet is personalized to what I think it should be. 

Obviously not everyone is going to agree with how I do things, but it is what I feel is best for my babies and so far I like it.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

Great ideas Ava99. If everyone works together giving experiences, opinions and reasons why a food has or has not worked for them we could have a great food list. That is providing someone (TWOCGAR?  ) is willing to compile all the information. 

Over time, issues do show up such as Herisson has posted and only through everyone giving input do we find out about these issues. Herisson in particular is a wonderful example as she has the before and after lab reports to prove what the certain foods were doing. 

If a group of owners/breeders/rescues are consistently feeding XYZ and seeing hedgehogs getting sick and dieing at a younger than average age, then do we suspect the food? Likewise if we see a group of owners/breeders/rescues consistently feeding ABC and their hedgehogs are living to a ripe old age, does that mean ABC is the food most suited to hedgehogs? 

It takes years for trends to show up in humans and cats and dogs and billions of dollars are spent studying these things so it's not likely there will be any major breakthroughs in hedgehog feeding for years to come. If everyone gives their experiences and it is written down somewhere, then someone else might realize, yeah, that happened to my hedgehog too when I fed XYZ. We've already seen this happen with the number of upset tummies caused by Wellness and Herissons issues that were resolved by removing Wellness. Every tidbit of information helps. What one person has noticed may not seem significant to them at the time, but when it's mentioned, often someone else will have noticed the same thing. 

Of course this is way beyond the scope of a food list, but a new food list is a start and as people comment on it and give their experiences, in another few years, we will most likely start to see other trends with certain foods.


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## Guest (Aug 6, 2011)

I'm still willing to work on everything I feel really ill last night and still not feeling fantastic, but I'll be doing some asking and investigating to compile a listing shortly


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## Guest (Aug 6, 2011)

Alright so feeling about 50% better after a lot of OTC meds I will be compiling a list not of cat food alone but off hedgehog foods.

As it stands right now I will be asking those with long term experience of at minimum two years of hedgehog ownership and breeders/former breeders with at least two years experience on their diet reasoning and found methods.

As I feel comfortable I will be asking people with less experience or people trying creative ideas in diets and their findings.

Keep in mind I know there will be opinions, but I want to try to lean towards opinionated factors as in I have found feeding _____ has led to issues in their digestive track or I have found since switching to _____ their skin has been increasingly less dry or I have found by adding a _____ fruit to their daily diet their activeness has increased.

Those are just examples, I will be challenging everything cause I want this list to have solid reasoning to fruits/veggies, cooked meats, baby food, kibble, dog kibble, etc.

I am expecting this project to take anywhere up to 3 months (Likely More) depending on free time, I will be wanting to contact plenty of experienced people and owners on their thoughts and feelings on the subject and will ensure the list includes the following:

*
- Cat Food
- Ingredients
- Protein/Fat/Fiber/Moisture %(s)
- Kibble Size (I will do my best to compile this however I do not know if this will be complete)
- Reason(s) both positive and negative found by adding it to a hedgehog diet.

- Dog Food
- Ingredients
- Protein/Fat/Fiber/Moisture %(s)
- Kibble Size (I will do my best to compile this however I do not know if this will be complete)
- Reason(s) both positive and negative found by adding it to a hedgehog diet.

Cooked Meats
- How Cooked
- Fat/lean content
- Reason(s) both positive and negative found by adding it to a hedgehog diet.

Cooked Meatball w/Veggies
- How Cooked
- Vegetables added
- Fat/lean content
- Reason(s) both positive and negative found by adding it to a hedgehog diet.

Baby Foods
- Ingredients
- Amount per serving of Fat/Fiber/Sugars/Protein (In Grams)
- Reason(s) both positive and negative found by adding it to a hedgehog diet.

Fruit & Veggies
- Serving Size of Fruit/Veggie
- Reason(s) both positive and negative found by adding it to a hedgehog diet.

Insects
- Size of Insect Species (Mostly the worms as they vary in sizes)
- Nutritional Content
- What they are gut fed prior to being feed to hedgehogs
- Fed Alive/Frozen & Defrosted
- Reason(s) both positive and negative found by adding it to a hedgehog diet.
*

If you have been working exclusively with any of the special diets please email me detailed info at* [email protected] *

If someone feels I missed something feel free to let me know I will be open to expanding this listing within reason


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## hanhan27 (May 12, 2011)

Don't forget insects


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## Guest (Aug 6, 2011)

hanhan27 said:


> Don't forget insects


I don't know what your talking about, Insects are on there and I most certainly didn't edit my post a few moments after you posted as the forum suggests XD.


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## hanhan27 (May 12, 2011)

:lol: :lol: :lol: 

Tooooo funny.


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## Hissy-Fit-Hazel (Jul 15, 2011)

Just a quick suggestion...survey monkey and such sites allow you to simply send a survey link (say about a food) that people can answer and then it compiles the results for you based on the question results. In order to decifer between experienced opinions and newbies you would need only make it a question. Would be a lot of work to do a survey for each food type tho!

I'm prone to trying foods not only that may be the most healthy but that others suggested their hedgies actually "Like" the taste of. Many great kibbles based on ingredients but that doesn't help if they won't eat it. Individual experiences are rather helpful. For instance I'm kinda reconsidering the Innova low fat because Hazel does not seem to like it much.


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## Guest (Aug 6, 2011)

I actually just paid for a website domain and depending on circumstances I may program my own survey up as most sites put limits on free responses and the amount of questions.


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