# acidophilus pills vs liquid..important!!



## HappyHedgies (Feb 17, 2011)

We are hand feeding Willows babies and on Hedgiepets article it says to use acidophilus..we couldnt find the liquid only the capsules..so i was wondering how many capsules would be good if i was giving 1tbsp of puppy formula. 1tbsp chamomile tea and 2 tbsp water? I dont want them to bloat but at the same time i dont want to poison them. Please help!


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## SnufflePuff (Apr 16, 2009)

I dont think you can overdose acidophilus, and since each brand contains different amounts of live cultures it's impossible to give you an exact dosage.

That being said, for large adult hedgehogs I only need 1-3 pinches of ground up tablets once a day to cure green poop / help with tummy issues so I would imagine one tiny little pinch in their mix would do the trick. My advice would to be to start off small and if it's not making a difference increase the amount slowly.

Just make sure the non-medical ingredients in the pills are nothing dangerous for hedgies.

I'm not expert - and have never fed babies acidophilus so you may want to wait for someone more experienced, but that's Just my thoughts from experience with using it.


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## Heavenly Hedgehogs (Mar 19, 2010)

I haven't used acidophilus with hedgehogs but had used it for other pets and for the humans in th house, It is friendly bacteria, my concern would be if you gave the tiny babies too much, it is a powder, and though it will break down, to much I think in their small stomachs could cause a problem. The vet said just use a pinch, In fact, the usual recommended dosage for an adult is a dose between 1 and 10 billion viable (live) L. acidophilus bacteria taken daily in divided doses is sufficient for most people. Higher doses may cause mild abdominal discomfort,


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## HappyHedgies (Feb 17, 2011)

So maybe just one capsule for the formula amount im giving them?? Does that help with bloating or should i keep using gas drops too?


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## Heavenly Hedgehogs (Mar 19, 2010)

HappyHedgies said:


> So maybe just one capsule for the formula amount im giving them?? Does that help with bloating or should i keep using gas drops too?


I used a "pinch" of it on the vet's advise for a 2 pound animal. for a baby that tiny I'd probably give an extremely small amt. As for gas drops.no clue and wouldn't want to give an opinion on that. I know with people that have gastrointestinal issues, acidophilus can help with bloating etc, I would check with your vet or see if you can get an answer here.


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## HappyHedgies (Feb 17, 2011)

Okay thanks Connie..Im sure someone will comment on the gas drops soon enough. Hedgiepets said 1-2 drops would be fine. It just weird because the babies seem to get bloating here and there.


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## Hedgiepets (Aug 21, 2008)

Bloating is caused by them sucking in to much air. I do not believe acidophilus will help with that. The baby gas drops will. How much and how often are you feeding? You will get less bloat if you feed a little less food more often. 2 weeks old, feed every 2 hrs, 3 week old, feed every 3 hrs.


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## HappyHedgies (Feb 17, 2011)

Oh we are feeding them every 3 hours and have been since we first started feeding them. So i guess we will changing the schedule a little bit more.


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