# What and how much to feed......



## BlaineC (Feb 10, 2011)

Ok so I got my new lil one today....I'm a first time owner.....now what I'm wondering is how much am I supposed to feed her??? I have a commercial hedgehog food but will be weaning her off and putting her on high quality cat food mix.....but for now how much am I supposed to be feeding her and for fruits and veggies...how much do I give her of these?? Do i allow free range of fruits and veggies or only offer them as a treat....or do I just feed them to her at night??? OMG I'm so confused I don't want to starve the poor thing and I also don't want her to be overweight.......anything anyone can tell me would be great...I got her at the pet store and they didn't really give me much information.....I have my hedgehog book but I'm stll a little confused on her feeding!!! :? ........thanks for all your help in advance


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## Hedgieonboard (Nov 15, 2009)

It's hard to tell at first how much to put in but gets easier as you can start seeing a pattern. Most people here free feed so you will always want food available. You can start counting the kibble or weighing them if you want and then you will be able to get an average of what she's eating and always add more to that number, that way they have it available at all times but you won't be wasting a bunch with fresh food changes daily. With the snacks its best not to give them right away if she has never been introduced to them. Each snack you try you will want to give time in between to observe if there is going to be stomach issues with them. If there is too many things introduced at the same time then it will be hard to distinguish and hurt their tummies too. Since you are wanting to ween onto a new high quality food I'd probably go with that change first and then start introducing snacks when that is complete. I usually do a week in between each new snack but I'd wait for some more suggestions because that's only based on experience with 2 hedgies and some people have done it a lot more times.

Congratulations on your new hedgie


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## Nebular (Dec 28, 2010)

As Hedgieonboard already stated, free feeding is the most popular. I don't weigh or count the food I give my little guy though. I've found that some nights he's more hungry than others so he'll eat more or less based on what he wants. I always make sure there's food in his dish in case he gets the munchies during the day while I'm out. I thought giving him snacks in the early evening would possibly change how much he would eat, but I've been proven wrong on a number of occasions. :lol: 

If you have a wheel, gaining excessive weight shouldn't be too big of a concern. Most hedgehogs eat until their satisfied rather than eating everything that's put in front of them. With a wheel they have a chance to burn off their excess energy and maintain their weight.

Don't worry about the fruits and veggies right now. They should usually be left as treats, and going without treats for a few days isn't going to hurt her. (she might argue otherwise, but don't give in to her demands! :lol Their main staple should be their kibble.


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## BlaineC (Feb 10, 2011)

This is great guys!!! Thank you both so much!!!! I wasn't sure if I was supposed to give her fruit and veggies everyday or not!!! That has cleared up a lot for me...I only put a small amount of kibble in her bowl when I brought her home...so if it's gone when I get home from work I will add some more!!! Another quick question.....What about chicken and meat....should that be given daily or is it another form of treat??? 

Thanks!!!


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## Nebular (Dec 28, 2010)

The only thing I give Norman on a daily basis as actual food is his kibble. Everything else is a treat for him. Granted, he typically gets a few mealworms each day when I have him out, but not always. He'd love to have chicken or turkey every day though. Little guy goes absolutely bonkers for that stuff.


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