# Calcium supplements and what kind of food??



## wushu1987 (Dec 26, 2015)

I read somewhere that it is a good idea to supplement hedgies diet with a phosphorus free calcium.. Does anyone do this? If so, where can I get it and what should I look for?

Also, I am currently feeding the food the breeder had her on (I'm not sure of the brand but there is enough to wean her to new food). I was going to try and switch her to the food that my cats eat in order to make things easier. They are on Purina One adult weight management. Would this be a good food? Is there something better I could feed her? Recommendations! Thanks!


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## wushu1987 (Dec 26, 2015)

Oops I meant that I feed Purina pro plan to my cats


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

There's no reason to supplement unless you're feeding a home-made diet that doesn't involve any commercial foods. It'd actually be a bad idea to supplement - calcium, like anything else, can be overdosed & will cause health problems if they get too much. If your hedgehog is getting a good quality commercial cat food, they will be getting the vitamins & minerals they need unless they have a health problem that interferes. Even with treats & supplemental foods, just make sure you're giving a variety (i.e. don't give peas every single day) & make sure your hedgehog is eating plenty of cat food as well if you do give a lot of insects.

No, unfortunately the food your cats are getting wouldn't be good for her. Aside from the ingredients (which aren't fantastic, though not as bad as they could be), the protein is too high for hedgehogs. You don't want the food to be much higher than 35% - most people try to stick closer to 30%. It's also a good idea to do a mix of two or more foods for hedgehogs as they don't do well with sudden food changes, so it's good to have more than one that they're used to in case one becomes unavailable (recall, shortage, etc.). There are a lot of stickies at the top of this forum section, I would recommend reading the Beginner's Guide and the Recommended Brands ones.


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## wushu1987 (Dec 26, 2015)

Thank you so much! Read over all the stickies and went and got some food that is much more appropriate for her


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