# Fussy eater only likes high fat food



## Nick120180 (Oct 27, 2014)

I have a 7month old male hedgehog who weighs 465g. Whilst he was growing I fed him a mix of high quality no grain kibbles and some kitten kibbles. All have a fat content of around 20-22%. Now he is getting a little porky, although still very active, so I am trying to wean him on to lighter food. I'm now trying to create a mix with an average fat content of 13-15%. 

The problem is whilst he is happy to eat almost any kitten kibble or rich one, he rejects all lower fat options. In the uk we have limited options of really good food and I've already spent a fortune trying almost everything. What do I do?

If I do leave only low fat in his bowl he wil eat a few but no where near enough to be healthy and I then feel terrible that I'm starving him:sad:

P.s Ive always mixed new food with old for a couple of weeks but the diet or low fat options just get ignored always


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## josieanick (Dec 23, 2014)

I have the same problem! Jeter, my 5 month old hedgie, really likes this one brand of kitten food. I read that hedgies shouldn't eat kitten food because it's too fatty. So, I gave him adult food and he refused to eat it. I bought him a different kind of kitten food (because the store was out of the kind he liked) and he won't eat that either. He doesn't like grubs or hardboiled eggs or cooked chicken. Will he just eat the food if he gets hungry enough? Or do I have to go out (for the third time) and buy another bag of kitten food? I've tried mixing but he's too smart and eats around the stuff he doesn't like.


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## DesireeM81 (Jun 14, 2014)

How long have you left the new food in without the old food? Sometimes it takes a bit of tough love for the hedgehog to get on a new food. Especially when considering that he gets his way if he eats a little but it might be worth it to only feed him the new stuff. How much is not enough? How many kibbles does he eat normally and how much is eating on the low fat food? Depending on the numbers, leave the new food in his cage at night for a few days and see if the tough love approach will get him on the new food. One of the things I did with my guys and switching them off of food they liked but I didn't, was to count how much of each food they were eating and then upping the amount of food they weren't eating a lot of until they HAD to eat the food or go hungry. It worked pretty well for me. They never went hungry either.


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## Nick120180 (Oct 27, 2014)

Desiree I've taken that approach and he is sort of eating the new food, although only 10-20 kibbles a night compared to his usual 50-60. As a result I'm giving him extra treats as im scared he's hungry. Maybe I need to be even tougher. 
He's acting fine other than that and has definitely lost a little chub. I've just run a selection of kibble so through a blender and will add a little water to it to make a paste and see if he'll like that more. Fussy little bugger!

Long term I'm looking at switching to a more natural raw and insect diet so I'm going to up his locust, ****roach and cricket quota a little, then bit by bit start adding raw food and leaving kibble as the backup food. I notice when he's had plenty of insects his skin seems healthier and he seems more active so feel it's the way forward.


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## DesireeM81 (Jun 14, 2014)

I wouldn't give him any treats for about two or three days and see how his appetite is. If he is a still eating, that's good, he may just be filling up before getting to his kibble. My girl, Rose, only eats about 5-10 kibbles a night with her raw and wet food, she averaged about 20 before the raw and about 40 or so on the bad food. With better quality food, they don't need as much food to get all their nutrients so that might be why he is eating less as well. 

Also is the size different between the two kibbles? Different sizes and shapes mean different volume and it can be hard to tell how much he's actually eating by counting. If you have a small scale, that measure tenths of a gram you can get a better reading on how much he is eating by weighing it. Of course, you will need to weigh the old food too though. 

Good luck and I'm glad he is already losing weight.


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## MomLady (Aug 14, 2010)

Have you tried storing the 2 foods together so that they can start smelling/tasting the same?

It's worked for other people on HHC.


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## Nick120180 (Oct 27, 2014)

Yes I've mixed 5 foods including old and new to try and blend the smells. I tried grinding them together and making a paste also, he still picks his old ones first then waits till he's really hungry to eat the lower fat stuff. The paste was ignored.

Anyway good news is I've started offering more in the way of live low fat insects as well as a whole mixture of meat and veggies to supplement the kibbles. The mental stimulation of live insects seems to do him a world of good. He now only eats 10-20 kibbles a night but is way more active. He wheels far more and if I let him loose in the house he runs solid for hours (before he'd just snuffle slowly or hide). He just seems a lot 'happier'.

Other benefits of a less kibble based diet (so far) seem to be he's way friendlier and interested in me which is insanely cute. He also bizarrely seems to be responding to a few basic commands now. I can hold him in my hand on his back and say still and he'll freeze (used to flail), is responding to his name enough to not just be flukes. I had friends round yesterday and he was behind the setee, they asked to see him so I called his name (as a joke) I almost fell over when 5 seconds later he runs over!!! Maybe he's just matured but I think the mental stimulation of chasing the insects around the bath has really helped him.

Anyway all is looking good, he's 8g lighter but looks tons better. Thanks for all the advice. it's been a really good process and I think both of us have gained a lot.

Can't believe what an awesome little hog I've got!


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