# Wet food and baby food?



## alyssinreality (Jan 18, 2012)

Okay so Diggory had a vet appointment today to finally find out what is going on with his not pooing issues. They sedated him and did xrays and everything and he doesn't have any kind of a blockage. So they think his occasional bouts of not eating are just stress related. I was told to give him some wet cat food and sweet potato baby food(because I had to force feed the pumpkin last time, we are hoping he likes this better) to get his bowels moving. I don't know how to buy wet food for hedgies though, because I know that fat content is listed different on there, what am I looking for that will be healthy for him? Also, what stage of baby food do I get?


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## HedgieGirl519 (Oct 21, 2011)

A big thing to worry about with wet food is the protein. It's a lot higher than it says, because of the moisture. The calculations are:
100% - moisture content = dry mass%
Fat % / dry mass % x100 = dry mass fat %

Generally wet dog food has lower protein and fat then cat food. 

For baby food, most people use Stage 2.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

I personally don't pay much attention to the stage for baby food, I just kind of get whatever has different veggies and such, and just double check the ingredients to make sure there's nothing extra. Typically, the stage 1 and 2 foods are non-chunky ones, that don't have things like pasta and such added to them. If I remember right, stage 1 usually has just one ingredient, so that's where you'd find just plain sweet potato baby food. Stage 2 mixes different things together, so you'd find something like chicken & sweet potato. If he turns his nose up at plain sweet potato baby food, you might try mixing in a bit of plain chicken or turkey baby food, or getting one of the already mixed ones and see if the meat being in there encourages him at all. I know Lily would try any fruit/veggie baby food that was mixed with chicken or turkey.

For wet food, you can look in the same brands as what's usually recommended for dry foods. You do have to do a bit of math to calculate the dry-matter protein percentage. Kalandra explains how in this thread - viewtopic.php?f=5&t=11177&hilit=+affecting If the wet cat food is more of a treat thing or occasional thing than an every night thing, though, I wouldn't worry quite so much about getting the protein really low.


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## alyssinreality (Jan 18, 2012)

Oh by the way, I meant to type "bouts of not pooping" instead of eating. Wanted to clear that up so no one worried. He is eating normally. 

So those calculations you told me don't say anything about protein. What am I looking for protein wise?


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Personally, I'd aim for anywhere from 30-40%, since it's a small amount that he'll eat, and it won't be offered regularly.


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## alyssinreality (Jan 18, 2012)

Lilysmommy said:


> I personally don't pay much attention to the stage for baby food, I just kind of get whatever has different veggies and such, and just double check the ingredients to make sure there's nothing extra. Typically, the stage 1 and 2 foods are non-chunky ones, that don't have things like pasta and such added to them. If I remember right, stage 1 usually has just one ingredient, so that's where you'd find just plain sweet potato baby food. Stage 2 mixes different things together, so you'd find something like chicken & sweet potato. If he turns his nose up at plain sweet potato baby food, you might try mixing in a bit of plain chicken or turkey baby food, or getting one of the already mixed ones and see if the meat being in there encourages him at all. I know Lily would try any fruit/veggie baby food that was mixed with chicken or turkey.
> 
> For wet food, you can look in the same brands as what's usually recommended for dry foods. You do have to do a bit of math to calculate the dry-matter protein percentage. Kalandra explains how in this thread - viewtopic.php?f=5&t=11177&hilit=+affecting If the wet cat food is more of a treat thing or occasional thing than an every night thing, though, I wouldn't worry quite so much about getting the protein really low.


I'm not sure how often it will be. Because if it makes him poop I may want to keep him on it. And the vet was kind of leaning towards keeping him on it too. Or at least giving it periodically to keep things moving.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

I"m kind of curious, does the vet think it'll make him poop more because of added moisture, or something else? Maybe I"m just all mixed up here (completely likely :lol: ), but I thought more protein/meat means more constipation, whereas fiber would help with constipation and moving things along. Do I have that backwards or something?


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## alyssinreality (Jan 18, 2012)

It is more fiber which is where the sweet potato comes in, but she also said the moisture of the wet food will help. It seems like she'd rather him be on that instead of dry all together but I don't know about that because I don't know what time of the night he will want to eat it and it will dry out and blah. 

Also if this doesn't get him moving in a couple days, I'm to call them back and they will give him medicine that will kind of flush him out.

This vet was great. I'm so happy I finally found one that knows what they are talking about, and she didn't even try to sell me "hedgehog food"!!


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Ah, okay! If you're thinking you might make it an every night thing then, I'd definitely aim for mid-30s on protein, but I've recently read/been told that provided the hedgie doesn't have any pre-existing kidney conditions, slightly higher protein isn't going to cause major problems. Just to warn you though, if you're looking in cat food, you may have to do quite a few calculations before you find one that's less than 40%. Like HedgieGirl said, wet dog food's usually lower in protein, wet cat food tends to be pretty high.

Good luck, I hope the diet changes will help get him more regular! And that's great that you found a good vet!  I still feel so lucky that I got along so well with Lily's vet, he's a great guy. I never realized until I joined the forums here and had been on awhile how hard it is to find a good vet.


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## alyssinreality (Jan 18, 2012)

Is there really any difference between the cat and dog food? Should I just get that instead??


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

I think wet dog food would be fine! I think we all just get stuck in the cat food frame of mind and forget that dog food is an option too. XD At least, I know I do.


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## alyssinreality (Jan 18, 2012)

Went to kroger today and had no luck. Guess I need to go to petsmart. I wasn't going to be picky about the brand as long as the ingredients and percentages were right but the lowest protein I could find was 40 in cat food and all the dog food was even higher.


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

Will he eat moistened kibble? If you moisten kibble until it is thoroughly soft it will likely have a similar effect. I had a hedgehog that over time lost all his teeth. We never really changed his diet as I continued to feed him kibble, except it was softened so he could gum it. When he first lost a bunch of teeth, the moistened kibble caused his stool to become very loose, much like if you feed them too much canned food. 

You can also try flavoring the kibble with a little unsalted chicken stock. You will have to make that yourself by boiling chicken (w/ bones gives it even more flavor) and if you want to get really creative add some veggies as you boil. You could even smash up some carrot or other veggies and mix in the kibble.

Honestly, I would use pumpkin or squash before using canned cat food to try to get them to go. Both are high in fiber, and if you are using the baby food variety of squash, it is 'liquidy.'


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## alyssinreality (Jan 18, 2012)

I'm using them all kalandra! Especially since he isn't eating any of it >.< He wanted NOTHING to do with the baby food last night. Trying wet food tonight although I think it is going to get the same reaction.


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

Hmmm, make some chicken stock, then boil a sweet potato. Leave some stock and mash it up. Feed warm. The sweet potato will have that hint of sweet, and added with the chicken, he may be more willing to eat it. 
Like Kalandra said, try softening his food with the chicken stock. It may work. My boy has lost a few teeth, and I've just been wetting down his kibble and he eats it just fine. I usually soak at about 8pm, so that by 9ish, it's nice and soft. 

Did you try warming the baby food? My boy has a thing for warm foods. If his pumpkin is cold, he will not touch it. He likes it warm.


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

Ah you have a picky one!

Warming the food is also a great idea. The heat will also help bring out some of the aroma.


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

How are things going?

I had another thought for you in case this wasn't going well and you were still looking for a moisture/fiber heavy food. Watermelon. Too much watermelon and they will pass it undigested (which can be scary when you find a red stool), but it can promote the bowels to move along.

Watermelon is also a food I have had wonderful luck with getting very picky hedgehogs to eat. I have had a couple that wouldn't touch other foods, but would eat melon.


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