# Hedgehog not eating as much



## Laylin (Feb 16, 2018)

I got my hedgehog Oliver a few months ago when he was around 2 years old. For the first couple months he ate a ton, over 1/2 cup every day. The past week or so he's been eating considerably less - while he use to eat almost if not the entire bowl, he now only eats 1/3 of the bowl or less. His previous owners had him on kitten food but for the past couple weeks I've been mixing in cat food, which he isn't eating well. He's still drinking.

It's almost important to note that for the first couple months he had a homemade wheel (from his old owners) that was too small for him (he's a very large hedgehog) so I bought him a new wheel that fits him properly a week or two ago. 

His cage is around 71-73 degrees on average but last week after a window was let open it slipped down too. I'd rather it be warmer but he has a big cage, which is hard to heat, that I can only fit near a window so while I try and keep the heat up it's hard in the winter!

I know that mixing in the cat food is partially to blame but even the nights lately where I put little cat food mixed in he eats considerably less. He's still eating a normalish amount for a hedgehog but considerably less than he use too so my question is: do you think I should be concerned? What can I do to get him to eat the cat food better (besides mixing it with water)? Is there any food supplements that would be useful in making him eat but also losing weight? Any other advice would be greatly appreciated.


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## autumnfox (Feb 5, 2018)

The temp in his cage NEEDS to be warmer, and is likely the case why he has stopped eating as much. The low temperature can cause hibernation and death of your hedgehog. The LOWEST temp that it should get is 72, but even that is not highly recommended. Get a CHE light with a thermometer. I would keep the temp around 76. Since you said his cage is big, I would get at least two heat lamps.


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## Yukidama's mama (Apr 4, 2017)

As well as increasing the temp of his cage which is a must (you really do not want to risk a hibernation attempt as they can be fatal if you do not catch it quick enough and then slowly warm them back up), you should introduce any new foods very slowly. The recommended switching phase for kibble is: 
- week 1: 25% new kibble with regular food
- week 2: 50% new kibble " " "
- week 3: 75% new kibble " " " 
- week 4: 100% new kibble

However if your hedgie shows signs of eating less, not eating the new food or has green poop, you need to slow down the phasing. My boy was really fussy and would not eat any new food after trying a couple pieces. I had to go really slow like only adding a few pieces for a good few weeks. It also gave him green stools. The only way I managed to get him to eventually eat it was to mash it up with water and put cut up superworms in it! 

Also make sure there are no drafts hitting his cage. If it's an open wired cage I'd partly cover it to block any drafts but make sure light still gets into his cage during the daytime. Are you using a light schedule too? This can help get them in a routine of when to be awake/asleep and with a heating setup and the correct cage temp, will all help increase his appetite.


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