# Cat Food vs Hedgehog Food



## c0urtneyH (Oct 10, 2014)

I just took Thorin to the vet for his first check up. He is 13 weeks and doing great. I was asking her some questions on food and told her he was eating a variety but high protein cat food provided by the breeder was his main staple. She recommended I starting giving him actual hedgehog food and recommended the Mazuri brand because she said it had the good nutritional value and it is easier for them to eat. I picked some up at the store and he will eat it if he has to but I've still been mixing it with his cat food. He also eats many hedgehog-friendly people food as well and he loves his meal worms. 

What are your thoughts on Mazuri Hedgehog food? I know they make some hedgehog food that isn't great for them, but it does seem like more companies are making hedgehog food available. 

What are your thoughts?


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## Prickerz (Sep 17, 2014)

I would definitely ignore your vet's advice and stick with cat food. 
Even the best hedgehog food is garbage!
If he isn't having a problem eating the cat food, why switch?

Many breeders on here have been feeding cat food longer than I bet your vet has been practicing and they swear by it!


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## sc2001 (Oct 12, 2014)

I've always heard that high quality cat food is MUCH better than any hedgehog food you can find out there. I would stick to just giving your hedgie a good cat food with high quality ingredients. 

I also saw you posted a question about nail clipping. Nail clipping is very important. If you don't keep up with it your hedgie could get injured. The nail could curl and stab the bottom of the paw. It is also more likely to get caught on something and potentially rip off if it's too long. A few weeks ago my hedgie completely stopped running on her wheel. So I asked the forum and someone told me to check her nails. So I did and realized they were pretty long. As soon as I cut them, my hedgie hopped right back on her wheel. So it's good that your hedgie's nails are still short But keep an eye on them. You will eventually need to give them a trip. I need to do it about every two weeks or so. There are tons of videos online showing the best way to trim nails. Most people do it while giving their hedgie a bath because their nails are softer and the hedgie won't curl up into a ball. 

Good luck!


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## ellisrks01 (Mar 25, 2014)

*Why Mazuri hedgehog food is bad*



Lilysmommy said:


> The ingredients are what concern me:
> 
> *Poultry by-product meal, poultry meal*, ground brown rice, dried beet pulp, ground wheat, ground soybean hulls, dehulled soybean meal, corn flour, fructose, dried egg product, ground aspen, *poultry fat preserved with ethoxyquin*, poultry digest, powdered cellulose, dried apple pomace, *animal fat preserved with BHA*, wheat germ, dried whey, shrimp meal, fish meal, brewers dried yeast, soybean oil, fish oil, lecithin, phosphoric acid, salt, DL-methionine, taurine, potassium chloride, choline chloride, pyridoxine hydrochloride, menadione dimethylpyrimidinol bisulfite (vitamin K), d-alpha tocopheryl acetate (natural source vitamin E), thiamin mononitrate, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (vitamin C), cholecalciferol (vitamin D3), inositol, biotin, vitamin A acetate, folic acid, *ethoxyquin (a preservative)*, riboflavin, cyanocobalamin (vitamin B12), calcium pantothenate, calcium carbonate, nicotinic acid, ferrous sulfate, copper sulfate, zinc oxide, manganous oxide, calcium iodate, ferrous carbonate, zinc sulfate, cobalt carbonate, sodium selenite.
> 
> ...


I quoted a responds from Kelsey on this food instead of writing myself. I just would like to add, after the first 2 gross ingredients the next few are fillers. So even though the protein and fat percentages are ok I would disregard the vets opinion on the food and find a good quality cat (or kitten depending on age) kibble.

Edit: make sure you check out the link provided. It's great info to know


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## DesireeM81 (Jun 14, 2014)

Courtney I just want to say that between your two posts about nail clippings and the horrible food suggestion, I might look towards getting another vet or at very least, do your research before taking her advice. I'm not comfortable with the advice she has given you so far. You can also, if you feel comfortable, see if she will be willing to learn more as well, from you or direct her to sources such as this site. 

My first vet was absolutely awful and I felt bad because I trusted her advice over the health of my animal because I figured she knew what she was talking about. One of my hedgies was in pain for about month longer than she needed to be. If I had found adequate health care in the first place it wouldn't have taken as long as it did to discover her issue. She is doing fine now but no thanks to the first vet that I saw.


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## c0urtneyH (Oct 10, 2014)

Thank you everyone for the advice. I was disappointed with my vets advice about hedgehogs. I've only had Thorin for a month and I think I'm far more knowledgeable about them than she is. I read about 3 books and studied this website for months before I finally adopted one. I will definitely be looking for a new vet. 

I appreciate all of your advice. I'm so thankful for this website!


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