# Help: 6 week old not eatting a lot



## Sugargliderlove (May 27, 2012)

I really had no other choice but to come back after I chose to leave. but that aside I am needing help with Sprinkles.

I was transitioning her over to the kibble mix that I feed Sonic, I do not have anymore of the food she was eating. She runs like crazy in her wheel and barely touches her food. The only food she eats that I know for sure if the stuff she was eating at the breeders. I took out her wheel just now to try to get her to eat something and all she is doing is running around the cage. I am not sure what to do to get her to eat her kibble. When I had the food she was eating at the breeders in her bowl she ate all of it. she was eating like 3 TBS of it. I am not wanting to feed her the stuff she was eating. she was eating Purina One but I don't know which one.


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## Twisted Angel (Dec 21, 2009)

Honestly I would contact the breeder and find out which variey she was eating, and buy a bag of it. The risk of hepatic lipidosis is very high if she goes completely without food for long periods of time. Are there any special treats she loves? If so, give her those, she has to eat something. After she has been eating well again for a couple of weeks, you can try to start the transition again, but do it slowly. Start by mixing a single kibble of the new food into the bowl with the current. If this doesn't cause her to go off her food, add 2 kibbles the next night, 3 the next, and so on. If at any point she refuses her food, go two steps back and hold there for a day or two, and try again.

If she is off her food completely, even the old brand, I suggest getting a syring feeder like the kind used to feed abandoned kittens, and trying to syringe her canned food (hills /cd, while crap otherwise, works well for this if you mix in some baby food and water); you have to put it through a strainer or it will clog. You have to be *very* careful when you do this. Go *very* slowly (like 1/4cc at a time) and put it in the side of her mouth; NEVER into the center of the mouth and down the throat. She has to swallow it herself, otherwise she could choke or aspirate the food into her lungs.


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## Sugargliderlove (May 27, 2012)

I just checked her bowl she has eaten some of the new kibble and all of the Purina One. there is about 2 TBS of the new kibble in her bowl. As far as treats I have tried mealies and soft cat treats she will not touch them. I put her wheel back in because I feel bad since she is running around the cage.


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## Sugargliderlove (May 27, 2012)

I just got ahold of the breeder and she is feeding her hedgies Purina ONE Indoor Advantage Hairball & Healthy Weight Formula Dry Cat Food. I dont like it at all the is no meat in it all there is by product meal. would I be able to get something from the same brand that has a meat product instead?


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## jholstein11 (Dec 13, 2012)

What about the Purina One Beyond? It doesn't have the fillers and meat is the #1 ingredient.


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## Sugargliderlove (May 27, 2012)

I would like to put her on Purina One Sensitive system but my main concern is getting something that she will eat and that is not "crap" food.


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## Christemo (Oct 5, 2011)

Purina is crap food. Spend the money and get Wellness or Blue Buffalo.


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## Sugargliderlove (May 27, 2012)

The kibble mix that I am wanting to put her on is Innova senior, simply nourish turkey & oatmeal, and solid gold Katz n flocken but she refuses to eat it. She will only eat the purina that was being fed to her at the breeders.


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## fionas_mommy (Oct 27, 2012)

I know its not the best, but Fiona has Purina one beyond chicken and oat meal (I think that's the name) in with 4 high quality cat foods. Before I got her all she ate was Purina so giving her new stuff was hard.she is very picky. The one beyond chicken and oat meal is not great, but its not horrible. It has real meat as the first ingredient. I slowly mixed in better foods so now she eats all of it, but will not eat if the Purina is not there. Maybe you can try this? The Purina is her favorite tho but she will eat the other stuff.


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## Sugargliderlove (May 27, 2012)

When I went to Petco and looked at the food that she was eating before ingredients and the first ingredient was turkey so it makes me feel a little better then before. The Petco website has the ingredients wrong. I hope I am able to get her to switch over to the mix I feed Sonic, if anything I guess I will have to add Purina One to the mix I have already. I am really hoping that I do not have to do that. The calculations for percentages for all 4 of the kibbles would be protein 35.45% fat 10.6%


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## jerseymike1126 (Jan 20, 2011)

I do a mix of royal canine and blue buffalo. Most seem to eat the blue buffalo before all the others.

I don't see how removing the wheel would increase appetite.

How old is sonic? I would think his mix would be different then sprinkles.


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## Sugargliderlove (May 27, 2012)

I was trying anything I can think of this morning. Sonic is 2 yrs and 7 months old.


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## jerseymike1126 (Jan 20, 2011)

it is not great food but i have heard hedgehogs love that purina one...sounds like she probably enjoyed it more than the new kibble. 

did you wean sprinkles off the purina or did you just suddenly change her diet?


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## Sugargliderlove (May 27, 2012)

I was weaning her off with the amount that the breeder gave me of the Purina. I put some Purina in her cage. After I take her out to play I put her by her food bowl, she eats a few pieces of kibble. Ive been doing this throughout the day since I got the Purina because she only ate 1 TBS of her food last night and I want to make sure she is getting some nutrition in her little body.


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## Christemo (Oct 5, 2011)

It's probably because you're feeding her during the day... even my best eaters won't eat during the day.


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## Sugargliderlove (May 27, 2012)

She normally eats at night but last night since she barely ate anything I have been waking her up so that she can eat a little bit of food. I keep food in their cages all the time in case they want a snack during the day. Sonic sometimes comes out and gets a snack. and Ive seen sprinkles doing the same before as well.


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## alexvdl (Dec 19, 2012)

I understand that people think Purina is crap. But in my mind, a hedgehog eating Purina is better than a hedgehog not eating anything.


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## Sugargliderlove (May 27, 2012)

alexvdl said:


> I understand that people think Purina is crap. But in my mind, a hedgehog eating Purina is better than a hedgehog not eating anything.


I agree with you, I knew she liked it and it was being feed to her at the breeders. She wasn't eating the kibble I was switching her to. Honestly I would rather have her at purina then nothing at all.


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## jholstein11 (Dec 13, 2012)

Hey, I'd love if my son would eat fruits and veggies, but he won't. We do what we can.


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## Sugargliderlove (May 27, 2012)

Exactly. Update on Sprinkles she ate 2 tablespoons last night. I only put the Purina in her bowl. I am going to let her eat that for a few weeks and then try to wean her on to the my kibble mix.


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## pickles17 (Feb 18, 2012)

You should put both foods in her bowl, and then if she only eats purina, she only eats purina, but you might as well keep the other stuff in there cause she might decide to try a nibble. Hedgehogs can be stubborn with their food selection. Just keep trying.


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## Sugargliderlove (May 27, 2012)

I had both foods in her bowl and she only ate the Purina. Im am going to try a slower transition. if I have to I will make up a mix for her that has the purina in it


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## moxieberry (Nov 30, 2011)

If you grind up the Purina with the other food(s), into a coarse powder, maybe with some larger chunks in it, she won't be able to pick out her favorite and you have a good chance of getting her to eat it without bias.


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## Sugargliderlove (May 27, 2012)

I have a food chopper but it doesn't really make it into a course powder just smaller pieces. Im ok with her taking her time on switching over to the new kibble.


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## Sugargliderlove (May 27, 2012)

Last night I gave her just the Purina she ate 2 TBS. I am going to give her that for a few more weeks then add a few pieces of the new kibble in at a time and see how it goes. If I have to I will have to make a kibble mix up for Sprinkles but I really hope I dont have to.


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## Shell (Aug 23, 2012)

Does she like peices of chicken, fish, or ham? I always worry about how much meat is actually in cat food, even the best one's, so I give Percy baked chicken every few days and he loves it. I just feel better that he's getting some fresh meat in him ontop of his kibble.


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## Sugargliderlove (May 27, 2012)

I am not sure I have not tried it with her I have only had her for a week.


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## Sugargliderlove (May 27, 2012)

I put a piece of each of the new kibbles in her food last night and she ate all of the food in her bowl. So I am putting 2 of each new kibble in her bowl with her kibble. so she has 2 TBS of her purina and 6 pieces of the new kibble


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