# First time owner- Food mix recommendation?



## pimpinpip (Sep 3, 2014)

I just adopted my first hedgehog over the weekend, baby Pip (he's 6 weeks old). He actualy loves to be handled and is a big cuddle hog! I've done a lot of research but still have a few concerns over food and mixes.

The food that I've been feeding Pip is the Blue Buffalo Wilderness chicken formula.. that's what I feed my cat..

Crude Protein	40.0% min
Crude Fat	18.0% min
Crude Fiber	3.5% max

But now after looking into it a bit more I'm know that I should be aiming for a 30-35% protein, 15% fat (for a baby, correct me if I'm wrong! ), and 15% fiber. 
The amount of protein is kinda worrying me since my boy is still a baby and looooves sleeping so I'm not sure how much he is actually using his wheel (he is using it, I've cleaned poop off it the past 3 days) and if he is even using all the protein up I'm feeding him, so I feel panicky about fatty liver disease. 
I looked up mixes and percents.. but got kinda lost. I know I want a mix with around 30% or even 28% to balance it out but I'm kinda lost on what to pick!
I'm looking at other blue buffalo formulas and am just getting kinda overwhelmed by the options- I wanna make the right choice! 
Can someone please help me with what other cat foods to add to this to give him a more appropriate percent-range diet? Preferably blue buffalo.. that's the only good brand close to my house 

Thank you!!!


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## pimpinpip (Sep 3, 2014)

Also, I am willing to add two more blue buffalo formulas instead of just one with the one I currently have if someone recommends me to.


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## AlexLovesOlive (Jul 7, 2014)

I use the blue buffalo basic limited ingredient formula duck flavor as well as the Chicken Soup for the cat lovers soul weight and mature formula, I am thinking about trying to Blue buffalo diet food though because even after trying every trick in the book to get her to eat it (storing it with her blue buffalo, grinding it down smaller, EVERYTHING) she still picks around it! It has been 3 months and she still refuses to eat it! I also have to pick out all the lifesource bits because she digs around them or if she gets one in her mouth spits it out on the floor around her bowl! LOL She is a brat, the thing with trying new foods is even if you pick a great one that is balanced and right in fat and protein they still might not eat it! BE AWARE that some of the natural grain free foods use tomato products as filler instead of grains, I was shocked! It is toxic to Hedgehogs! Also I bought this AMAZING food called Diamond Naturals and when I got home saw grapefruit was one of the last ingredients! Another super toxic food for hedgehogs. I also give Olive a small amount of baby food every night because it is her favorite and the only way I can get her to eat any fruits or vegetables! It is called Earth's best organics, her favorite is the Turkey Vegetable dinner Purified Water, Organic Apples, Organic Carrots, Organic Turkey, and a tiny amount of wheat flower (not enough to be bad though). She loves it! I wouldn't suggest any other baby food brands though, the others put strange things in them like Canola Oil, and other weird things I can't spell. It is the only brand I trust, you can find it at any natural grocery stores, and some targets even carry it!


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## DesireeM81 (Jun 14, 2014)

Somebody correct me if I'm wrong but tomatoes in a kibble isn't going to hurt hedgehogs. It's not toxic in the way grapes or chocolate is. If tomatoes are that much of an issue than I think only one of the foods I am feeding is okay. But my hedgehogs have never had a problem with it. I wouldn't not use a food based solely on the fact that it has tomatoes in it. Tomatoes are on the do not feed list based on their acidity levels, same with citrus but they aren't going to hurt your hedgehog in a mix. 

I like Natural Balance Limited Ingredients food and the holistic food Solid Gold. I use a puppy food because it's easier to find a lower protein. I do have to cut it into 4 pieces to make it small enough. A lot of cat foods have way to high protein. Good luck with your search.


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## AlexLovesOlive (Jul 7, 2014)

The tomatoes are extremely acidic as well as can hurt hedgehogs with joint issues, WHS, and other ailments which is why I steer clear of them in general. Too much acid is very bad and a PH balanced food is important. That's why most other brands use Peas, sweet potatoes, quinoa, or plain potatoes instead of Tomatoes. The brands that use potatoes use A LOT of them and are usually in the top 5 ingredients. Them being in kibble does not make it safe, a tomato is a tomato is a tomato.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

I highly doubt tomatoes in kibble would really cause that much of an issue. Honestly, most fruits & veggies in kibble are tossed in to make the mix look good - much of the time, they're so far down on the ingredient list that they're not contributing much anyway. Considering how small of an amount there would be in the batch of kibble as a whole, then considering how little your hedgehog eats of kibble in a night means they're likely getting hardly any tomato anyway. I wouldn't consider them a serious issue unless you're actually feeding small amounts of ripe tomatoes. I agree with Desiree, that I wouldn't rule out a food simply because it has tomatoes. It's just not something I would be nearly as concerned about as many other ingredients found in pet foods, such as grains, by-products, harmful preservatives, etc. Grains are considered inflammatory too - if your reasoning for avoiding tomatoes is that, then grains in any amount should be avoided as well.


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## AlexLovesOlive (Jul 7, 2014)

The foods I have seen the Tomatoes were in the top 5 ingredients, most were the second ingredient right after meat, which is a lot of tomatoes in food, I also don't feed grains. Most of the tomatoes are in the grain free food. It wouldn't be a big deal if they were way down in the ingredient list like the grapefruit I saw, but most of the foods that use the paste or whatever it is is the main filler in place of grains.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

You mentioned the wheat flour in the baby food, which is what I was pointing out.  I don't think I've seen foods with tomatoes that high up before...that's interesting. I'll have to keep an eye out! I don't think they'd be a concern at all after the first few ingredients, but I suppose I could understand some hesitation if they're in the first several. That's strange though, they seem like they'd be an expensive filler, compared to the other commonly used non-grain ones.

(I swear, I'm just liking kibble less and less. I can't wait to see how my next hedgehog does with being introduced to a raw/natural diet!)


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## pimpinpip (Sep 3, 2014)

Thank you for all the responses!! 
I checked the ingredients in the high protein food I'm feeding him, it's grain free and has no tomatoes in it, but I'll be sure to look for toxic ingredients in whatever other kibble I mix with it! 
Still looking for other kibble recommendations to mix with the one I'm currently feeding him.


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## MomLady (Aug 14, 2010)

Besides the Chicken soup Lite, I have been using Solid Gold Katz-n-Flocken "all life stages cat food" (the bag I have is purplish) It's 34% protein--lamb and chicken meal. I like the way it smells too. The kibble is X shape, I break them in half.

I have Merrick (Purrfect Bistro) Healthy Senior in the mix too--it's 38% protein, a little high, but OK for a mix. It's made in the US from "local growers". It's supposed to be grain-free. 

I am always on the lookout for new foods to add to her mix. Seems like they quit making one of the foods when I go back to look for it again. 

One thing that my Nara really liked was Royal Canin, but it has corn as one of the first ingredients, so I quit using it. I used to have Natural Balance lite--pea and duck in the mix but she always left those pieces. 

I also give her "Nara meatballs". I posted the recipe a few weeks ago, it's made from baby food. 

BTW, I hear from friends with cats--they won't eat the "life source bits" either. I don't know if cats or hedgehogs are the pickier eaters, pretty much a tie.


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

> The foods I have seen the Tomatoes were in the top 5 ingredients, most were the second ingredient right after meat, which is a lot of tomatoes in food,


Which foods have tomato in the first 5? I have a long spreadsheet of dry foods. It has quite a lot of brands/varieties in it and only a few have tomato in them in the first 7 ingredients, none in the first 5. A couple of the Halo varieties have it as #6.

My spreadsheet doesn't contain any Purina, or similar companies. Your statement about tomato in the first 5 caught my attention. So now I'm curious to find out which brands you were looking at that had tomato so prominently listed in their ingredient list. Were they dry or canned?


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## infinitepi314 (Aug 28, 2014)

I am a brand new hedgie owner as well! I decided on a blue buffalo rabbit and salmon mixed with canidae (i think chicken or duck?) i cant remember. But you add the protein or fat and divide by however many different foods you have, I was aiming for 30% or less protein, around 18% fat, and i think mine is around 12% fiber or so. I got my numbers from the all about hedgehog book that was recommended on here somewhere. hope that helps!


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