# Mixing & Not Mixing Food



## PokeyCutie (Sep 6, 2012)

I want to feed a good quality food and from what I have read from the forum, I know what some good brands are but most of you guys mix them. Is there a reason behind why you guys mix different brands of food? I really would like to just feed one brand, is there any brands that you would suggest that would be good just to feed byitself?


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## moxieberry (Nov 30, 2011)

Mixing can give some variety, and also it's a safeguard against a recall or a change in the formula. Hedgies are very picky, so if you have to make a switch because of a recall, or the forumla is suddenly changed, they may not be cooperative about trying a new food. Personally I like to have several different protein sources in my mix - right now mine has chicken, duck, turkey, lamb, and I'm probably going to add bison or venison or kangaroo. That's overkill for a single hedgie though, and buying multiple bags of food can be expensive (which is why we offer our food mix for sale to people who buy babies from us).

One food can work great though, as long as it's a good fat/protein range and has great ingredients. I use Chicken Soup (adult light and senior), Solid Gold Katz-N-Flocken, Natural Balance Green Pea/Duck (which I'm about to replace with Fromm Mature Gold, also a duck food), 4Health (indoor) and Simply Nourish Turkey/Oatmeal. Any of those would work great as a single food choice. I personally adore Chicken Soup, which is why I use it in two forms, and back when it was only Archimedes that was the food I used before I started developing a mix. The adult light is 9% fat and the senior is 13% fat. For a single food when you're getting a baby, CS senior would be my suggestion. CS is one of the best ones in my opinion, higher in fiber than most of the popular ones, and 13% fat is a great place to start, with a good chance that it will work for an adult hedgie too.

For more details about the ones I mentioned (and some other options): http://www.volcanoviewhedgehogs.com/kib ... oduce.html


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## hedgielover (Oct 30, 2008)

Moxieberry beat me to it but here is what I was going to post anyway. 

There are lots of good reasons for mixing food. 

One is so that the hedgehog gets a variety of nutrition sources. For instance I fed a few foods with different protein sources, one was chicken one was lamb and I think also salmon (I can't really remember now). In cats and dogs feeding different protein sources helps to prevent allergic reactions from developing (chicken allergies are especially common), I don't know if this is a problem with hedgehogs but it can't hurt to give them variety. Also some brands may have more vegetables and another may have more grains, so they get a good variety. 

Having a variety of food better mimics their natural diet. Since hedgehogs are insectivores and opportunistic feeders. 

Another reason to feed multiple brands is so that you are protected in case one brand changes their ingredients or becomes unavailable. Hedgehogs are notoriously picky eaters so it is good to have an alternate food that they are used to eating just in case another food changes. 

I try to feed a variety of food to all my pets. I think it is important that all animals get variety in their diet. My cat has a mix of 3 dry foods and he gets wet food in the morning. With dogs I always recommend that people vary the food flavour they buy but keep the brand the same (most brands have multiple recipes with different protein options) but you could totally do a mix for a dog too. My other small pets always got a mix of commercial food and fresh food. 

Sorry I wrote so much, I can talk about pet for way longer than most people want to listen. Hope it helps.


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## PokeyCutie (Sep 6, 2012)

I decided to go with Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul. All I can find in the senior is senior hairball..Is that ok?
Also, I am considering another brand to mix in with it, what would you recommend to mix in?


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## moxieberry (Nov 30, 2011)

PokeyCutie said:


> I decided to go with Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul. All I can find in the senior is senior hairball..Is that ok?
> Also, I am considering another brand to mix in with it, what would you recommend to mix in?


Yes, senior is the same as senior hairball. If you decide to mix, I'd say go with one that's a different protein. Chicken Soup is chicken (obviously, haha), so any of the ones on that list that are non-chicken as the main protein would be good choices. I made a point of only putting good and excellent quality foods on that list, and most of them lean toward "excellent", so any of those options are good ones. Solid Gold (lamb) and Fromm (duck) are particularly good, imo.


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## PokeyCutie (Sep 6, 2012)

what do you think of mixing Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul Senior with Natural Balance Green Pea/Duck. Do you think thats a good combo or should I mix the Chicken Soup with something with Lamb?


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## hedgielover (Oct 30, 2008)

PokeyCutie said:


> what do you think of mixing Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul Senior with Natural Balance Green Pea/Duck. Do you think thats a good combo or should I mix the Chicken Soup with something with Lamb?


I never fed Natural Balance but I know that it is a popular one. I think it sounds like a good combo.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

I agree, sounds like a great combination!  I fed Natural Balance green pea/duck as part of Lily's mix for quite awhile and it was one of her favorites. I'm glad you decided to go with a mix, my biggest reason in favor of it is in case of the formula change or unavailability of the food. Hedgehogs can just be so silly about food changes and it can be very stressful for everyone involved if they quit eating and require syringe-feeding.


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## PokeyCutie (Sep 6, 2012)

Awesome! Chicken Soup and Natural Balance it is then!! Does anyone know what size bags these come in and about how much it will cost?


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

I believe the smallest size for both bags is about 4-6 pounds. Cost will depend mostly on the store you get them from, but if I remember correctly, Chicken Soup is somewhere around $10-12 for that smallest bag. Natural Balance I can't remember, it's been awhile since I've seen it. PetsMart doesn't carry it, but PetCo has it as $18.69 on their website. Can't remember if that's a higher or lower price for the bag though, I'm sorry. 10 pounds of food will last you for quite awhile though, at least.


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## PokeyCutie (Sep 6, 2012)

Ok, thanks!


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