# Spikes delite?



## GailC (Aug 20, 2011)

Do any stores carry spikes delite or can it only be ordered online? I'd like to add it to my mix but hate the idea of having it shipped.


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## amylynnbales (Jan 27, 2013)

I know you weren't asking for opinions, but I've heard Spike's Delight is, well, not all that great quality.


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## GailC (Aug 20, 2011)

It actually one of the highest rated hedgie foods there is. After doing much research over the last few days, I'm really inclined to think that high quality cat food isn't quite right for hedgies. They aren't carnivores after all and thats what cat food is made for and you are right, I didn't ask for opinions and I'd prefer not to hear anymore. I know how everyone feels about cat food vs hedgie food, I just have a different view.


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## JJStefaniec (Nov 27, 2012)

I beleive you can only order it online.


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## shmurciakova (Sep 7, 2008)

Gail, I tend to agree with you to some extent. Rather than going into some long winded post about my reasoning you can read what I wrote in the "confused about food" thread. I think there is a fine line as to what to feed a hedgehog and I do like that some of the hog foods include things like meal worms and other insect ingredients. Hedgehogs are omnivores in the wild and I do think it is possible for them to thrive on certain cat foods as long as it is supplemented with insects and other things like sweet potatoes, eggs, some veggies and so forth. I personally have not tried Spikes Delight, but one food that always intrigued me is called insectivore diet. The only problem is that it is a strange consistency and at least Snoball, my first hog did not like it. I haven't fed it to Daisy though...it might be something to check out.
Anyway, good luck deciding what to feed. A lot of the more interesting choices have to be shipped unfortunately, unless you can convince a local pet store to carry them, or order them for you.
-Susan H.


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

My concern with Spikes Delight is that recently there were problems with plastic like pieces found in the kibble. There was at least one hedgie I know of that had severe mouth injuries from it. When the company that makes Spikes Delight was contacted they refused to even look into the problem.


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## GailC (Aug 20, 2011)

As much as I would like to feed spikes delite, ordering it online really is a hassle and hearing about a issue like the plastic that the company won't look into just adds another reason not to bother with it.

I got a sample bag of blue buffalo indoor cat food, I really like the size and I'm hoping that it isn't as hard as the chicken soup kitten I'm using now. I'm starting to add in fresh veggies but so far neither hog is impressed. They will eat a bit of baby food veggies though so its a start. I'm also thinking about adding a "lower" quality cat food to the mix so the protein level isn't so high.

I also looked into the insectivore diet by mazuri but absolutely refuse to use it because of the preservative they use. I can't think of the name at the moment but it can cause liver failure and/or cancer. Too bad really, its softer and really small.


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## gogrnny1955 (Jul 6, 2011)

If your hedgie will not eat the vegies feed them to your mealworms.
The hedgies eat the worms and get the vegies that way.
Works for us


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

A few members have also had great success making "mashes" of basically leftover veggies and fruits in their fridge, along with a meat protein. Boil it all in a pot and blend. Then you can just freeze in ice cube trays and thaw as needed.

Of course, this is fed as a side dish to kibble.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

I second Immortalia's suggestion - I used to create big mixes of baby foods for Lily and freeze them into ice cube trays. She got about a tablespoon to a tablespoon and a half each night with her kibble, and she loved it. The mixes were a jar of meat with 3-4 veggies and one or two fruits mixed in. As long as there was a meat in there, she'd eat any combination of veggies and fruit, though I never did find a veggie that she'd eat fresh or cooked - though I admit I didn't really try very hard, since my family doesn't eat a lot of veggies, and I didn't want a lot of leftovers thrown away if she didn't like something. That's why I liked baby food so much.

And I completely agree with you about Mazuri insectivore diet, Gail - I looked it up and it has BHA and Ethoxyquin, both on the red-flag NO list.


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## RondackHiker (Jan 21, 2013)

I'm loving the baby food idea. I'm really worried about getting Knarla on a great diet. She had two years of the "never feed!" hedgie food and I know it likely has taken a toll on her. I want to give her a shot at a long life with a good food from here on out. But she won't eat veggies and the only fruit she's eaten is bananas. This sounds like a great way to into more into her. I'm also going to try feeding crickets and mealies some yummy stuff and see how that goes.


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