# Meatballs - Ingredients & How To?



## hanhan27 (May 12, 2011)

I have officially decided to try the meatball idea with Milly. She has snubbed the 2 cooked chicken/baby food mix & freeze ideas (I've tried each 3 times - they're going to sit in the freezer for a week until I try again, lol) and I am not giving up this healthy eating thing without a real fight! :lol: 

It would be extremely helpful if I could get some input as to ingredients used in meatballs and a step by step how-to from those of you that have had success with them! Disasters happen in the kitchen with me (I broke my mom's blender when I made my second chicken/baby food mix  ) so my mom has agreed to help me make them as long as I can get info from you guys :lol: Her words were, "I'm not doing ANYthing for that hedgehog's menu until you get a how-to from your hedgehog website thingy... if I accidentally kill Milly, you will never forgive me!" :roll: 

I want to use ground turkey, as beef isn't my favorite meat (only corn-fed cattle & growth hormone beef in my local grocery store), and Milly already has chicken as a main ingredient in 2 of her 4 cat foods.

Any help will seriously be appreciated! The more info the better


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Sorry, I haven't tried the meatballs yet, so no recipe here. I just wanted to say I'm giggling over your mom's comments. :lol: And also I'll be keeping an eye on this as well, since I'm hoping to try the meatballs soon! I want to wait until after my trip in August, to cut down on the number of things my poor aunt has to do for Her Royal Hedgie Highness. :lol:


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

I haven;t tried meatballs but have been feeding meat for months. I am actually making some meatballs today!! 

Remember: I have to keep reminding myself of this: it's tempting to add all that great stuff you can't get Milly to eat but if you do, you could be adding many new foods into her diet all at once! I had a long list of what i wanted to put in my meatballs, then remembered the 'one thin at a time' rule. So just be careful. And remind me.  I'm only adding one thing Sumo hasn't eaten before: brown rice.

I will just use the same method I have used for human meatballs a thousand times before.

So, for mine, I will need:
Ground Raw Chicken
Cooked Brown Rice
Sweet Potato (cooked)
Broccoli (cooked but very little)
Red Pepper - un-cooked
Carrots - cooked
egg for binding, if I need it
* for amounts, I will figure out and measure: I want half meat & half veggies

You can add so many different things...some add cilantro for flavor...or parsley (a great herb!)...etc etc

Cook/mince veggies...they can be bigger than the rice but not by a lot. I plan to mash the sweet potato cuz Sumo is really good at picking through his food. :roll: 

Mix your ingredients.

Form into meatballs. I will do 1" balls. 

Some people steam them. I plan to bake them on a cookie sheet (I want them to cook in their own juices). Just make sure they're completely cooked. (Although some people freeze them un-cooked, then cook them later.)

Let them cool for a bit...until they're warm-hot but no piping hot.

Place on cookie sheet (I line mine with Saran Wrap and say a prayer to the God of Recycling)

Freeze for an hour or so.

Pop them in a freezer bag/container.

At feeding time, grab one or two, defrost and serve. I will feed two and take them out in the morning and let them defrost in the fridge.

Voila! There are a lot ways to make these and an endless list of ingredients...so go with what you know Milly eats and maybe add a little bit of something she's not crazy about.


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

I forgot to add: susanap and fracturedcircle both do meatballs, so if you want to know how they've been making theirs, you will get experienced advice!!


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## hanhan27 (May 12, 2011)

Lilysmommy said:


> Sorry, I haven't tried the meatballs yet, so no recipe here. I just wanted to say I'm giggling over your mom's comments. :lol: And also I'll be keeping an eye on this as well, since I'm hoping to try the meatballs soon! I want to wait until after my trip in August, to cut down on the number of things my poor aunt has to do for Her Royal Hedgie Highness. :lol:


Sounds like a good plan, Kelsey. I can can just see Lily going, "What the heck!? Where are my meatballs??" after she gets used to having them, and then doesn't get them :lol:

MissC, thanks for the input! Let me know how Sumo takes to them. In your personal opinion, would adding one thing she hasn't eaten yet to the meatballs be OK? Milly has had carrots and egg, so I'm going to throw those in there for sure. I have been wanting to get more fiber in her diet with the brown rice, but I also want to try a new veggie... Maybe I'll just talk to Milly and see what her reaction is :roll:


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

Just a warning on the herbs. In order for the herbs to be safe for hedgie consumption, they must be in miniscule amounts. Take a look at this thread http://hedgehogcentral.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=7326&p=61534&hilit=Cilantro+parsley#p61534


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## fracturedcircle (May 31, 2010)

our meatballs: organic chicken/turkey breast, one quail egg, home-sprouted sweet brown rice sometimes substituted by freshly cooked old-fashioned oats, and sometimes with grated carrot added to the mix. you mix everything together (but do cook oats beforehand), form smallish balls, and cook them in a steamer for 5 mins. i pinch off small pieces from the patties when i feed them to my boys.

sorry, i realize this is sounding decadently gourmet. :lol:


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## LarryT (May 12, 2009)

Oh boy meatballs!! :mrgreen: Save me some i'm on my way! :lol:


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

LarryT said:


> Oh boy meatballs!! :mrgreen: Save me some i'm on my way! :lol:


Sure. Bring me your babies. :twisted:


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## LarryT (May 12, 2009)

MissC said:


> LarryT said:
> 
> 
> > Oh boy meatballs!! :mrgreen: Save me some i'm on my way! :lol:
> ...


 Just posted the new puppy pics on my facebook page and website  www.thomasonratterriers.com


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

LarryT said:


> MissC said:
> 
> 
> > LarryT said:
> ...


I know...bring me all your babies. :twisted:


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## hanhan27 (May 12, 2011)

fracturedcircle said:


> our meatballs: organic chicken/turkey breast, one quail egg, home-sprouted sweet brown rice sometimes substituted by freshly cooked old-fashioned oats, and sometimes with grated carrot added to the mix. you mix everything together (but do cook oats beforehand), form smallish balls, and cook them in a steamer for 5 mins. i pinch off small pieces from the patties when i feed them to my boys.
> 
> sorry, i realize this is sounding decadently gourmet. :lol:


It does sound pretty gourmet, lol. Is there a reason you use quail eggs over chicken eggs? If it's a nutritional thing, I may be interested in using those instead. (If I can find them within a 50 mile radius *Sigh*)

Is there a difference between baking and steaming them health-wise?


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## fracturedcircle (May 31, 2010)

hanhan--quail eggs contain way more vitamins and minerals than chicken eggs. they also do not cause allergies. as for steaming over baking--the latter preserves more nutrients.


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## fracturedcircle (May 31, 2010)

also quail eggs are good for GI tract, immune health, skin conditions, and such.

i am such a nerd.


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## PJM (May 7, 2010)

And quail eggs are just too stinking CUTE!!


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

PJM said:


> And quail eggs are just too stinking CUTE!!


And everyone knows this is the most important criteria when choosing foods any pet: the level of cuteness. :roll:

Pijm. You kill me.


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## LarryT (May 12, 2009)

PJM said:


> And quail eggs are just too stinking CUTE!!


 and TINY! :lol: I had to scramble two dozen for one egg sandwich. :roll: :lol:


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## PJM (May 7, 2010)

MissC said:


> PJM said:
> 
> 
> > And quail eggs are just too stinking CUTE!!
> ...


Being cute is high on MY list of priorities for everything - food included!  Hubby laughs at me because I'm always bringing home either really little things or really big things. Like those cute little patty pan squash! ADORABLE! And the super long beans - so neat! I like weird colored stuff too - like purple potatoes. I figure if I have to be the one to cook it up, I may as well enjoy it with my eyes as well as my mouth! :lol:



LarryT said:


> PJM said:
> 
> 
> > And quail eggs are just too stinking CUTE!!
> ...


 :lol: :lol: :lol: Next time use the little tiny bread. That way you can eat like 20 sandwiches & feel like a giant! :lol:


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## hanhan27 (May 12, 2011)

fracturedcircle said:


> also quail eggs are good for GI tract, immune health, skin conditions, and such.
> 
> i am such a nerd.


It's not nerdy at all, I promise.  I find it helpful, and it's amazing that you know so much about quail eggs! I didn't even know you could purchase quail eggs until you told me :lol:

I hope my mom knows how to steam stuff... I need a Cooking for Dummies book.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

hanhan27 said:


> It's not nerdy at all, I promise.  I find it helpful, and it's amazing that you know so much about quail eggs! I didn't even know you could purchase quail eggs until you told me :lol:
> 
> I hope my mom knows how to steam stuff... I need a Cooking for Dummies book.


 :lol: You're not alone, I promise...I have no clue how to go about steaming anything either. I don't _think_ we have a steamer, but I probably wouldn't recognize it if we did.  No clue where I could buy quail eggs either, though Lily doesn't even like eggs, so I'm not sure if I'll include them in my meatballs or not.


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## hanhan27 (May 12, 2011)

Lilysmommy said:


> :lol: You're not alone, I promise...I have no clue how to go about steaming anything either. I don't _think_ we have a steamer, but I probably wouldn't recognize it if we did.  No clue where I could buy quail eggs either, though Lily doesn't even like eggs, so I'm not sure if I'll include them in my meatballs or not.


Phew. At least I'm not in this alone!  We can struggle to figure out how to do it and waste perfectly good food in our attempts to make meatballs... together. hah!


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## fracturedcircle (May 31, 2010)

hanhan27 said:


> Lilysmommy said:
> 
> 
> > :lol: You're not alone, I promise...I have no clue how to go about steaming anything either. I don't _think_ we have a steamer, but I probably wouldn't recognize it if we did.  No clue where I could buy quail eggs either, though Lily doesn't even like eggs, so I'm not sure if I'll include them in my meatballs or not.
> ...


 :lol: :lol: :lol: yes, you need a steamer to steam.  but i'm sure you can get around that--i just forget how.

we've just tried adding a little bit of alfalfa sprouts to the mix, since they are very beneficial. Harvey loved the stuff.


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## greenbeansrabbitry (Sep 10, 2008)

I made some and the hedgies loved them!  Mishka destroyed hers within a few minutes :shock: Amethyst annointed it on herself then decided to eat the rest lol. Charlie ate half of his then waddled off and went back to bed. Clivo also destroyed his. Isabella annointed with it then ate the rest. Scarlett huffed at it for a while, nibbled at it, annointed a few times, then ate it :lol: The gals I'm babysitting also loved it, they annointed with it and ate most of it. Here's what I used in mine:

Rabbit Meat
Brown Rice(cooked)
Green Bell Pepper
Carrots(cooked)

I baked mine. I'm going to the grocery store later today to get some more fruits and veggies for everyone(not just the hogs) and am gonna make some more with other veggies they love. Well first I'll go to the garden and see what we got, then I'll go to the store and get everything else lol.

I didn't use any egg because we're out, hopefully we'll get alot from the hens today.


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

You don't have to steam them so don't stress about that. I find baking let's them cook in their own juices and they brown a bit so can be more appetizing. There's a bit if 'crunch'. The difference would amount to there being less fat with steaming but if you're using low-fat meat like chicken this isn't an issue anyway. 

Steaming works well, too. I just prefer getting them all done at once.


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## hanhan27 (May 12, 2011)

MissC said:


> You don't have to steam them so don't stress about that. I find baking let's them cook in their own juices and they brown a bit so can be more appetizing. There's a bit if 'crunch'. The difference would amount to there being less fat with steaming but if you're using low-fat meat like chicken this isn't an issue anyway.
> 
> Steaming works well, too. I just prefer getting them all done at once.


Haha, alright, thank you! I'll let my mom decide since she'll be doing most of the work anyway 

Greenbean - do you have a grocery store that sells rabbit meat?? :shock:

I live in Hick Central, WI, I swear. Our grocery stores are pathetic in my area, and I may or may not have to make a trip to Madison to find different meat (and quail eggs!).


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

It's easy to steam without a steamer. You can use any pot/large wok that's deep enough. All you need is something to keep the plate of meatballs above the water. For us, we have a erm...a round metal steam rack(lol). Sorry, I don't know the exact names. But it'll be something you can find in Asian specialty stores. Just look for some sort of wiry metal rack where the legs are about 1-2inches tall.(if you goggle metal steam rack, you'll find pics) 

Once you have that, just fill the pot with enough water to almost cover the rack. Then put the dish of meatballs on the rack, cover the pot with the lid, and let the water boil to steam. 

As for quail eggs, again specialty food stores seem to have them more than normal supermarkets. Mind you, I've never actually tried to find them in a normal supermarket, I've just always seen them in Asian markets.


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## hanhan27 (May 12, 2011)

Immortalia said:


> It's easy to steam without a steamer. You can use any pot/large wok that's deep enough. All you need is something to keep the plate of meatballs above the water. For us, we have a erm...a round metal steam rack(lol). Sorry, I don't know the exact names. But it'll be something you can find in Asian specialty stores. Just look for some sort of wiry metal rack where the legs are about 1-2inches tall.(if you goggle metal steam rack, you'll find pics)
> 
> Once you have that, just fill the pot with enough water to almost cover the rack. Then put the dish of meatballs on the rack, cover the pot with the lid, and let the water boil to steam.
> 
> As for quail eggs, again specialty food stores seem to have them more than normal supermarkets. Mind you, I've never actually tried to find them in a normal supermarket, I've just always seen them in Asian markets.


I read this and went "Ohhh, a metal steam stand thingy!" :lol: I know what you're talking about, and I am pretty sure my mom has something set up like this for steaming vegetables. She also has this strange metal contraption with legs (it looks kind of like a weird flower - it has a flat base, but then there's "petals" that you can fold down, and you put the food in between the flat base and the petal thingys) that she puts in the pot to steam for certain foods.

Maybe I'll do 1/2 steamed and 1/2 baked and see what Milly likes more.

I won't be able to make this stuff until Friday or Saturday, but I'll report back then


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## fracturedcircle (May 31, 2010)

Immortalia said:


> It's easy to steam without a steamer. You can use any pot/large wok that's deep enough. All you need is something to keep the plate of meatballs above the water. For us, we have a erm...a round metal steam rack(lol).


that's it, thank you! we didn't have a steamer in Russia, so i vaguely remember this other procedure.


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## greenbeansrabbitry (Sep 10, 2008)

hanhan27 said:


> Greenbean - do you have a grocery store that sells rabbit meat?? :shock:
> 
> I live in Hick Central, WI, I swear. Our grocery stores are pathetic in my area, and I may or may not have to make a trip to Madison to find different meat (and quail eggs!).


Lol no, I don't know of any grocery store that sells rabbit meat. I raise my own. We basically raise and grow everything we eat here except for beef & chicken(we raise chickens but don't eat them) because I have no idea how to dress a chicken and I don't have cows. I rarely ever eat chicken or beef though so that's fine with me! My uncle and grandmaw have a garden that has corn, cucumbers, lettuce, cabbage, different kinds of peppers, green beans, tomatos, and I can't remember what else in it. I have some different fruit trees around and a watermelon patch, so I do have to go to the store sometimes if I want/need something we don't have. As for quail eggs, I have a friend that raises them and is selling out, I'm getting some of them from him, I think they're so cute. Other than that, I raise my own insects for the critters and I raise my own snake food. It saves alot of money.


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

MEATBALL SUCCESS!! :mrgreen: 

Sumo ate two of my newly created meatballs, almost in their entirety! YAY!

Details:
1lb ground chicken
1 c cooked brown rice
1 c mixed veggies: cooked red pepper, broccoli, yam

Mixed and formed into 1 tbsp meatballs...

Baked for 20 min, then flipped and 10 minutes. (They were over-cooked but I wanted a bit of crispy goodness).

Froze on a cookie sheet covered in plastic wrap, then put in a container in freezer.

So...
- not enough fat...i greased the non-stick foil and they still stuck...I may add 1 tbsp of bacon fat next time......mmmm....bacon....or oil or...
- i didn't use an egg as Sumo hasn't had one yet and with my luck, he'd be allergic and it would take me forever to figure the egg thing out
- i cut them in half and then into wedges...it seems like a LOT but i measured carefully
- it took all flipping morning: steaming veggies...chopping...baking...but made about 24 meatballs and now meal time is no fuss


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Mmm, sounds good! Thanks for sharing your new info, too! I've been starting to plan out what I want to put in mine...So far I've got brown rice, venison, broccoli, butternut squash, and maybe cauliflower and carrot. Veggies will all be as small as I can get them (and the squash mashed), so hopefully Lily won't notice. 

I think as excited as I am for my trip, I'm just as excited to come home after so I can actually get started with making and trying these. :lol:


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## fracturedcircle (May 31, 2010)

on the alfalfa thing: we are now putting a little bit of it in baby food.

and yay MissC!


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

fracturedcircle said:


> on the alfalfa thing: we are now putting a little bit of it in baby food.
> 
> and yay MissC!


It's a tomatO...tomatA thing: You say alfalfa...I say bacon fat. :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## Hedgieonboard (Nov 15, 2009)

All of these meat ball stories are very inspiring and cant wait to create. I have some chickens to roast


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

I tasted one to make sure it was cooked: pretty fricking good!! I told Jamie if Sumo doesn't like them, I am making chicken soup with them! :lol:


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## hanhan27 (May 12, 2011)

MissC said:


> fracturedcircle said:
> 
> 
> > on the alfalfa thing: we are now putting a little bit of it in baby food.
> ...


MissC, you crack me up. And I am excited that Sumo actually took to them! Woohoooo! Maybe that means there's hope for Milly?

Question - if Milly hasn't eaten something that I want to put in my meatballs, let's say green pepper, do you think it would work to toughen her tummy up if I gave her a little bit each night until the first meatball attempt? I plan on having the meatballs ready to go by Sunday night at the earliest, so that would give her 5 nights of trying the new veggie out. Enough time?

Also, MissC, do you think the ratio of rice & veggies to meat was good in your meatballs with the 1lb of meat and 2 cups of healthy stuff? Like, it would be... meaty... enough :lol: to trick Milly into eating it? Lately she has been pretty darn picky about what goes in her tummy - if it's cat food or mealworms, she's happy, but she isn't even eating banana lately, and she showed a lot of interest in bananas at first :|


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

I was wavering on introducing new stuff with Sumo: he had never had rice before...so...in short: I dunno. :? I think, yes, that's enough time but Sumo refused watermelon the first dozen times, then suddenly loved it! :roll: At least if she does eat a bit, and even smelling it, she will be aware of what it is when she smells it in the meatball. If rice wasn't new to Sumo, I would've added a new veggie and not been too concerned about it.

I think she won't eat it in the meatballs if she really doesn't like it. Even tho' the pieces of yam were teeny and mixed in, Sumo ate around some.

The ratio was okay...if I wasn't sure Sumo would love the chicken, I would've added a fattier meat, like ground beef. Maybe a quarter pound or so? You could either swap out some of the chicken or just add it. The mixture was *very *sticky, so just use your judgement when your mixing and add more rice if you need to. Keep in mind the rice is your 'binding' food, so don't decrease it too much or they will be impossible to roll.

If Sumo hadn't eaten the first meatballs, I was planning to fry the next meal in either beef or bacon fat :shock: Not healthy but tasty and would hopefully entice him to eat it.


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## PJM (May 7, 2010)

Guess what I did tonight?! I'm hopping aboard the meatball train - or in my case meat patties. I used ground chicken, carrot, yellow squash, green pepper & broccoli.

I wanted to share pictures of how it went.









Raw mixture








Cooking on the stove. Was going to add flaxseed oil, but just cooked them in a little olive oil instead.








Finished patties.

I'm totally having this for dinner tonight! A little salt & some sauce - mmmmmmm!! :lol:
We'll see what the hedgies think of it tonight.


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## fracturedcircle (May 31, 2010)

PJM! stop making me hungry! :lol:


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## Hedgieonboard (Nov 15, 2009)

fracturedcircle said:


> PJM! stop making me hungry! :lol:


I agree, those are making me super hungry I could definitely go for some.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Those look fantastic, PJ! Dangit...If I keep paying attention to this thread, I'm going to go crazy before I get back from my trip and make some for Lily! I wanna try NOW! :lol: Maybe I'll just go ahead and try... >.> They can be a special treat rather than a nightly portion of her meal until after the trip? Then she won't get upset when she doesn't get them at my aunt's. :lol:


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## PJM (May 7, 2010)

Well, it looks like just the girls in the family liked them. :roll: Actually, not even all the girls-just Zoey & I. 
Zoey (as usual) cleaned her plate. Cholla ate around them & Pepper didn't even touch them. Ppffft! I'll try again tonight in smaller pieces for Cholla & will put Pepper's in her kibble bowl instead of a separate bowl. We'll see what they think of it then. Otherwise, Zoey & I will be set for a while! :lol:


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## fracturedcircle (May 31, 2010)

PJM said:


> Otherwise, Zoey & I will be set for a while! :lol:


 :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## Boo (Jul 27, 2011)

Here is my tutorial on how to make hedgehog meatballls! 

Ingrediants: Brocolli, Yam, Sweet Pepper, Brown Rice, Carrots, and Ground Chicken

Step 1) Dice the brocolli and pepper into small hedgie bite sized pieces:

[attachment=2:1emn70le]IMGA0053.JPG[/attachment:1emn70le]

Step 2) In a grater slice up the carrots again, into hedgie sized pieces:

[attachment=1:1emn70le]IMGA0054.JPG[/attachment:1emn70le]

Step 3) Cook the brown rice

[attachment=0:1emn70le]IMGA0057.JPG[/attachment:1emn70le]


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## Boo (Jul 27, 2011)

Step 4) Peel the yam and chop it into medium sized pieces

Step 5) Boil the yam pieces in water until soft enough to mash

Step 6) Mash the Yam:

[attachment=2:27ltqga6]IMGA0055.JPG[/attachment:27ltqga6]

Step 7) Take all of your ingrediants and combine them into a big bowl:

[attachment=1:27ltqga6]IMGA0060.JPG[/attachment:27ltqga6]

Step 8) Combine them (I used my hands with rubber gloves as I'm a vegitarian...what I do for my hedgie... :roll: :lol: )

[attachment=0:27ltqga6]IMGA0061.JPG[/attachment:27ltqga6]


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## Boo (Jul 27, 2011)

Step 9) Form into "balls"

[attachment=1:1goyw2me]IMGA0066.JPG[/attachment:1goyw2me]

Step 10) Cook at 350 degrees for 25ish minutes (check if done throught cooking to prevent burning)

Step 11) Freeze (I wrapped mine individually in a plastic bag then in a a big container to prevent them from sticking togather...not shown in the pic below)

[attachment=0:1goyw2me]IMGA0068.JPG[/attachment:1goyw2me]

And there you have it! Now to serve just microwave one for 25 seconds, let it cool and give it to a smiling hegie!

Happy Cooking!


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## Hissy-Fit-Hazel (Jul 15, 2011)

I take it the veggies are pre cooked? How many meat balls per meal?

I'm going to have to try these Hazel is not liking veggies...I even put her chicken in a *TINY bit *of sweet potato to get her to eat it...the turd would not touch any of it! :roll:


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## fracturedcircle (May 31, 2010)

of course y'all know that *i* am the true, real inventor of Meatballs For Hedgehogs, ya? :twisted: just making sure.


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## Boo (Jul 27, 2011)

Yes the veggies are pre cooked and I feed one meetball per meal. As for picky hedgies go (which mine is not) because the yam and other veggies are basically mashed in with the chicken which most hedgies like they will munch around and beeating yam unknowingly  Basically, they can't eat the chicken without eating the yam and other ingrediants  I say its worth a try!


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## hanhan27 (May 12, 2011)

Good question, HFHazel! Do all of the veggies have to be cooked before you mix them up with the meat?


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## Boo (Jul 27, 2011)

With the peppers I just chopped them up uncooked, the carrots I put in a bowl with hot water and let them soak, for the yams I just boiled and mashed, and for the brocolli I just chopped and placed in the mix.


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## PJM (May 7, 2010)

fracturedcircle said:


> of course y'all know that *i* am the true, real inventor of Meatballs For Hedgehogs, ya? :twisted: just making sure.


 :lol: I remember!!! :lol: What do I get for remembering ?? Quail eggs!!!!!??


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## fracturedcircle (May 31, 2010)

PJM said:


> fracturedcircle said:
> 
> 
> > of course y'all know that *i* am the true, real inventor of Meatballs For Hedgehogs, ya? :twisted: just making sure.
> ...


oh well, i guess i could spare an egg or two..


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## hanhan27 (May 12, 2011)

Just wanted to share this, as I was pretty darned proud of my trickery  

I want to include sweet potatoes in Milly's meatballs (sounds like the name of an Italian restaurant. Hmm...), but up until today she didn't even know what a sweet potato was :shock: 

So I got some Beech's (I think) sweet potato baby food, and put some in a bowl for her when she came out of her hidey hole tonight. She sniffed the baby food and walked away. I dipped my finger in the stuff and touched it to her mouth. She licked her lips, stared at me, and walked away again.

Sigh.

So then I whipped out the big guns - mealies.

Let's just say that sweet-potato dipped mealworms were a hit. :lol:


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

:lol: Hooray for trickery and having it work!

And....I give in. My only day off this week...I'll be making hedgie meatballs. :roll: I'll just have the resist the urge to start giving them to her nightly and make them a treat for now. But I just can't wait to try making my own and see if she likes them! :lol: I feel like such a nerd to be this excited...But then, at least it's not as silly as my other current big excitement - My manager at the petstore has to freeze a box of crickets to count them (weird rule that corporate gave us) and she said that she can't sell them after and she'd just throw them away, so I think I'm going to be getting them for free. 500 free frozen crickets! :shock:  I'm a bit TOO excited about this. :lol:


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## hanhan27 (May 12, 2011)

I feel your embarrassment. 

I had to go feed my uncle's cats while he's away on vacation, and he left me a $10 gift card for a decent sized grocery store in my area... I wasn't expecting any payment, but I saw the gift card and went, "*GAAASP!* I can use that for MEATBALL INGREDIENTS! Woohoooo!"

I think it's great to have something in my life that I'm so excited and passionate about, but... other people think I'm a "crazy" and "stupid to spend so much money on an animal" and "obsessed". Um duh, Milly's not an animal, she's my baby. :roll: 

A girl came up to me at my fiance's nephew's baseball game a few weeks ago and was like, "Are you Hannah? The one with the hedgehog?" I was like :shock: I don't know you....... then she told me that we have a mutual friend on facebook and she stalks Mildred's photo album. :lol:


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

:lol: :lol: That's great! I've been greeted by my dad's friends before with "Hi! Do you still have that animal...? Could I see it?" because he's been telling stories about her. My friends make fun of me too, for being so obsessed with what Lily eats, etc. but like you said, she's my baby! And besides, I think it's fun and interesting, finding out what's good for her, how it affects her, and whether or not she likes it. And I've come up with my meatball recipe!

- ground venison
- mashed butternut squash
- brown rice
- grated carrots
- chopped broccoli
- chopped green pepper
- chopped cauliflower

The only things she hasn't had are (kind of) venison, and cauliflower. I've offered her a dog treat with venison in it before, but I don't think she ate it, I can't remember. And I've offered cauliflower before too, but she wouldn't try that either. The rest of the veggies she's gotten, and (though I'm not sure if it counts) she's had chicken & rice and turkey & rice baby foods, so I'm hoping the brown rice won't be an issue. I know that she loathes carrots, but I'm planning to grate/chop them up really tiny. >.> I'm hoping it'll be sneaky enough that she won't notice...Fingers crossed! One of my friend's predictions? "Lily is going to make so many angry faces at you." :lol: :lol:


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## PJM (May 7, 2010)

hanhan27 said:


> So then I whipped out the big guns - mealies.
> Let's just say that sweet-potato dipped mealworms were a hit. :lol:


Yay!! That's wonderful!

Boo - those meatballs look great!! Mmmmmmm......



Lilysmommy said:


> I think I'm going to be getting them for free. 500 free frozen crickets! :shock:  I'm a bit TOO excited about this. :lol:


 :shock:   Yay!! Free frozen crickets! I would be excited too.

I can't wait to see what Lily thinks of the meatballs...

Update on my group. Zoey licked her plate clean (good girl!), Cholla ate almost all of the meatball & for Pepper, I crumbled it up pretty small & mixed it in with her kibble. She did eat a little bit of it - perhaps by accident. :roll:


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

:lol: Pepper just fits her name so well...So stubborn! Hopefully she gives in soon and admits that hey, those DO taste good!


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## MomLady (Aug 14, 2010)

This all reminds me of the book that (think it was Jessica Seinfield???) wrote about feeding her kids pureed vegetables hidden in all kinds of stuff.

I think if we pureed the veggies then put them in the meatballs then maybe they wouldn't notice--yeah right! :lol: 

I used to have a recipe for "baby food meatballs" some 30 years ago when my son was a baby (gack, can't believe it was so long ago!) and it had rice baby cereal, baby veggies and some meat. I am now inspired to see if I can re-create this, it was very easy. Hmmm.

Donna


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## hanhan27 (May 12, 2011)

MomLady said:


> I think if we pureed the veggies then put them in the meatballs then maybe they wouldn't notice--yeah right! :lol:


Wouldn't life be so much easier if that worked!? :lol:

What temperature do I need to make sure the meatballs are done if I bake them? And for how long?


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

I finally made meatballs tonight!

Ingredients:
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound ground venison
- 3 cups cooked brown rice
- 1 cup steamed/mashed butternut squash
- 1 cup steamed/chopped broccoli
- 1 cup steamed/mashed cauliflower
- 1 cup chopped red/orange/yellow peppers
- 1/4 cup grated/chopped baby carrot

All of the veggie amounts are completely guessed at...The only things that were actually measured were the two meats and the rice. The steamed veggies I bought already in plastic packages that you could steam in the microwave. Gotta love it when they give us shortcuts! :lol: I basically got everything prepared, dumped it all in a bowl and mixed it up with my hands. Once it was pretty well mixed (they definitely MEATballs, I wasn't really thinking much about ratios when I dumped all of both meats in :roll: ), a friend helped make them into balls and put them on parchment-paper-covered cookie trays. I put them in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, then flipped and put them back in for 15 more minutes. They were pretty well done when I took them out.

My friend sampled one and said that since they're for a hedgie, they're pretty good. For humans, they'd need salt. :lol: The dog and my brother also both sampled one before I took one up for Lily. She was less than impressed. :roll: She ate a couple bites that were mostly broccoli and I saw out of the corner of my eye she spit a bite out at one point...Not sure if she got a pepper or a carrot. If she got a carrot, I'm in trouble... :shock: :? I left the rest of her meatball in her bowl for overnight, we'll see if she eats any more of it. Overall, the dog was definitely most enthusiastic about them. :lol: I'm really glad I made them without ground chicken (she's allergic to chicken) so that she can have the rest of the batch as special treats if Lily decides she won't have anything to do with them. At least they won't go to waste!

And here's some pics -

Veggies!









Meatballs before cooking









Finished meatballs! 









Didn't want to clog this thread up with too many pics, so other ones (including Lily with her first meatball) are on this thread - viewtopic.php?f=17&t=12011


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## greenbeansrabbitry (Sep 10, 2008)

They look good Kelsey  I wouldn't mind having some myself :lol:


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

LM...If she got a carrot, I'm in trouble... :lol: 

Sumo is still scarfing his down like they're the last food on earth. I gave him two to start (so two tbsp) and he ate 1-1/2, when I started giving him 1-1/2 and he eats it all so I'm never sure if I am alternately starving or stuffing him. :lol: 

I thought I'd be smart and sprinkle peppers and yams on top. Yeah, no. I do sometimes have a little pile of rice in the mornings but he's eating at least half of it, I'd say. :roll: Who eats a meatball and avoids the rice? Really? :? Little rotter. I haven't dared put carrots in but I/m going to start mixing them in with his watermelon.

hanhan...350 for about 25-30 min should do it and flip halfway. I cooked them at 400 and they got brown which, in our house, is a very good thing. :lol:


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## PJM (May 7, 2010)

Lilysmommy - they look BEAUTIFUL! And seriously, add a touch of salt & some sauce & you could have a great meatball sub!! Mmmmmmm


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Thanks guys! I'm pretty proud of them considering most of the time my "just winging it" cooking experiments don't turn out this well. :lol: I'm petsitting at a neighbor's house right now, but when I gotta stop at home before work, so I'll check and see if she ate anymore last night then.

Also, I forgot to mention in my previous post, I made the balls pretty small, somewhere between half a tablespoon and one tablespoon, and I got 75 balls out of this batch and I still have quite a bit of the mixture in the bowl in the fridge! I'm planning to make the rest up today or tonight.


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## hanhan27 (May 12, 2011)

Guess what I'm doing? :lol: The sweet potatoes are cooked and mashed and measured, the carrot is grated and mixed with the sweet potatoes. Now I'm just waiting on the rice.

I used 1 small/medium-ish sweet potato and 1 carrot. After they were cooked and smushed and put together, it's about 3/4 of a cup. I put 1/2 cup of rice on the stove and that'll hopefully be about a cup as well. Then I'll use the lb of chicken (no turkey at the store today  ) and mix it all up, make the meatballs, and bake away. I'll post a picture of my end result, and let ya'll know what Milly thinks :lol: My meatballs are going to be kind of plain until I introduce more veggies to the Mill-ster. 

Fingers crossed


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## Guest (Aug 8, 2011)

I have had a smashing home run success with ground turkey meatballs packed with broccoli, cauliflower, and steam carrots packed into them and them rolled in sweat potato baby food before boiled to perfection.

The girls don't even notice or care about them having veggies and really dig into them


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Hanhan, I completely missed your post on here before! How did Milly like the meatballs? 

TWCOGAR - Sounds delicious, glad they liked them!


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## hanhan27 (May 12, 2011)

Are you wondering about the first, second, or third time I offered them?

I suppose it doesn't matter because she ignored them every. single. time. :roll: 

I've been giving her a break from new foods because of the heat. She was at my mom's house for a couple weeks because my fiance's house has really crappy A/C ... she's back at my fiance's as of yesterday, so now I'm letting her get settled back into her new cage. :lol: We will try again soon, but I have a sneaking suspicion that she won't like them.

I'm thinking about making another batch with turkey this time, and giving the chicken ones I already made to the dog. He reeeeally likes them  At least they won't be wasted if she really does decide she's not interested.


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## Guest (Aug 8, 2011)

hanhan27 said:


> Are you wondering about the first, second, or third time I offered them?
> 
> I suppose it doesn't matter because she ignored them every. single. time. :roll:
> 
> ...


If your girl has a favorite baby food mixing that into the meat might peak your hedgies interest I think thats what did it for my girls they love sweet potatos


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## hanhan27 (May 12, 2011)

Mildred doesn't have a favorite anything, other than kibble. :roll: 

She does like bananas, but won't touch banana baby food. The only other thing I've had luck with is watermelon. My mom and I were trying to think of a way to make the meatballs smell like watermelon, but I still don't think it would trick her into eating them. SIIIGH.


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## xspiked (Feb 27, 2011)

Does she like cilantro perchance?
I find a little bit of it gives a strong smell. I added that to my first batch for Bulu thinking she'll eat them regardless of all the healthiness just because they smelled like her favourite herb. 
On some days, I even microwave the new cilantro-free meatballs in a bit of water with a bit of cilantro.


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## Guest (Aug 8, 2011)

xspiked said:


> Does she like cilantro perchance?
> I find a little bit of it gives a strong smell. I added that to my first batch for Bulu thinking she'll eat them regardless of all the healthiness just because they smelled like her favourite herb.
> On some days, I even microwave the new cilantro-free meatballs in a bit of water with a bit of cilantro.


Someone posted awhile back pointing out cilantro can be dangerous to a hedgehog i didn't know it and introduced it to my hedgehog and have since withdrawn it for safety of my girls


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

hanhan27 said:


> Are you wondering about the first, second, or third time I offered them?
> 
> I suppose it doesn't matter because she ignored them every. single. time. :roll:
> 
> ...


 :lol: I feel your pain, I'm having a bit of the same problem with Lily. She'll try a tiny bit, but she doesn't seem to like venison/beef. She ignores the meatballs for the most part. I may end up doing the same thing, give the rest of these to the dog as treats, and try some new ones with chicken or turkey. I know she likes cooked chicken, so maybe she'll be more willing to try chicken meatballs versus venison/beef.



hanhan27 said:


> Mildred doesn't have a favorite anything, other than kibble. :roll:
> 
> She does like bananas, but won't touch banana baby food. The only other thing I've had luck with is watermelon. My mom and I were trying to think of a way to make the meatballs smell like watermelon, but I still don't think it would trick her into eating them. SIIIGH.


Maybe try getting watermelon juice and putting it on the meatball, kind of like gravy? Or get a LOT and mix the meatball up with it to make it soupier or something...Might get her to taste it, anyway?


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## samanthafrock (Jun 21, 2012)

Thanks to all of u meatball nuts I am making my own...let the experments begin!...Ima try making a few different kinds with butternut squash, sweet poato, green peppers, and carrots. Ima try a 50/50 mix of turkey and beef. All meat I'm use n is 93% lean and 7% fat...plus the turkey is all natural the beef was on sale and its a local food stores meat so I doubt its natural but i wnt be using that much of it so I'm not worried... I'm also using brown rice and an egg or two depending on what I need to make it stick....ill let u know what all he likes I'm excited!


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

samanthafrock said:


> Thanks to all of u meatball nuts I am making my own...let the experments begin!...Ima try making a few different kinds with butternut squash, sweet poato, green peppers, and carrots. Ima try a 50/50 mix of turkey and beef. All meat I'm use n is 93% lean and 7% fat...plus the turkey is all natural the beef was on sale and its a local food stores meat so I doubt its natural but i wnt be using that much of it so I'm not worried... I'm also using brown rice and an egg or two depending on what I need to make it stick....ill let u know what all he likes I'm excited!


They sound great so far! Can't wait to hear how they came out and if your boy approves!


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## Skittles (Aug 2, 2012)

I'm researching this idea and so far I love how it sounds! I just have some questions before I start, how do you know what nutrional content they are getting/ that all of their needs are being met? Can you do straight meat balls or do you still give kibble? How do you introduce it for the first time? When counting if they have had a food before can you count something that was in their kibble such as brown rice? I can't get my hedgie to eat insects, has anyone ever put canned crickets, or other insects in the mix?
Here is the mix I'm thinking (she has at the very least tried everything before except egg)
ground chicken and/or turkey (I will be looking at fat content)
cooked chopped carrots (she loves these so I want to keep them big and appealing)
mashed sweet
grated peppers
mashed green beans
pureed crickets 
whole cooked peas (also loves these)
cooked brown rice
egg 

I have based this list off of other recipes I saw on this thread, she has never had broccoli but I noticed it was a very common ingredient so I will try her with it at some point. Am I on the right track? The recipes I have seen no one puts insects in the mix, is their a reason for this?
So many questions I have, but I'm excited about this hopefully helping her lose weight and become a healthy hedgie!


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

You can look up the nutritional content of foods online, I think this is the site I've been told about before - http://nutritiondata.self.com/ You could use that to look up the percentages & values of fruits/veggies/etc. Meat usually has the values on the package. I'm not 100% sure on how you would then calculate the total values of fat, fiber, vitamins, etc. though, and no one knows the exact values that hedgehogs know (as far as I know). For this reason, I think most of the people on here that started to offer more fresh/cooked food options continued to offer kibble as kind of the "safety net" to make sure they still got whatever vitamins and nutrients the cooked diet might be missing.

For introducing it, just go ahead and leave some in the cage! You can try offering it during playtime too, but a lot of hedgehogs are more willing to try something during the night, without being watched. Just make sure it's in a different bowl than their kibble (so it doesn't discourage them from eating entirely if they don't want to try it) and make sure you change it in the morning so it doesn't spoil or attract bugs. Yes, you could count whatever ingredients that are in their kibble as a food they've been introduced to.

I don't recall anyone trying to add insects into any of the mixtures. I'd be interested to know how it goes, if you do try either canned or frozen (live, then frozen, not freeze-dried) ones in the mix. I'm not sure why no one's tried insects before, other than blending them into the mix would be kind of gross. :lol: Might also just be that anyone who's tried this idea so far have hedgies that eat their insects with no issues.

Your ingredients look great! Let us know how she likes it if/when you try it! This was one of my favorite things with Lily, trying new foods and making foods for her. But I'm weird and I find animal nutrition fascinating and absolutely love making animal foods. So much that I make food for other people's animals, like the pet store I worked at and a wildlife shelter I volunteer at. :lol: "What's that? We have a new baby beaver who won't eat? WELL I'LL MAKE HIM SOME CHOP, JUST GIVE ME A COUPLE DAYS!"


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## Skittles (Aug 2, 2012)

LOL, well the boyfriend is making his own fish food. It's better for them, so why not! We bought the cheapest food processors and blenders we could find to grind stuff up for them, I don't care what one does/ how much it is bleached I will never eat food from something that made fish or hedgie insect food again! And I own disposable plastic gloves so I'm going to give the ground cricket thing a try! (I think my hedgehog is broken because she doesn't like things she should and she likes things most hedgies don't! :lol: )


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

Lilysmommy said:


> So much that I make food for other people's animals, like the pet store I worked at and a wildlife shelter I volunteer at. :lol: "What's that? We have a new baby beaver who won't eat? WELL I'LL MAKE HIM SOME CHOP, JUST GIVE ME A COUPLE DAYS!"


I had NOTHING to do with this!!!! *insert innocent looking whistling shifty eyed emoticon* :lol:

As for Skittles, you can actually try adding fish as well. Salmon was the first to come to mind, though being a bit of a fattier fish, also has lots of healthy oils. Oh, and if you find that your hedgie does like these, you can make bigger batches as well. If you're making meatballs, just keep them in the freezer, or if you're just going to do a blend mixture, just spoon them into small ice cube trays to freeze, then pop them out and into a small container or freezer bag. Then you can just take one or two out every day and let it defrost naturally.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Skittles said:


> LOL, well the boyfriend is making his own fish food. It's better for them, so why not! We bought the cheapest food processors and blenders we could find to grind stuff up for them, I don't care what one does/ how much it is bleached I will never eat food from something that made fish or hedgie insect food again! And I own disposable plastic gloves so I'm going to give the ground cricket thing a try! (I think my hedgehog is broken because she doesn't like things she should and she likes things most hedgies don't! :lol: )


Baha, see, I don't even care that much...I have a food processor I bought for making Chop for birds/whatever else (it's just a lot of chopped up veggies & greens), so it hasn't had anything icky in it, but I have a feeling I'd use it for human food even if it had crickets in it, I'd just make sure it got washed well. :lol: My friends have told me that if we ever live together...I'm not allowed to cook human food. I'll have a separate kitchen and fridge for animal-foods, so they don't end up taking a bite of mealie/cricket-infested bread. :lol:



Immortalia said:


> Lilysmommy said:
> 
> 
> > So much that I make food for other people's animals, like the pet store I worked at and a wildlife shelter I volunteer at. :lol: "What's that? We have a new baby beaver who won't eat? WELL I'LL MAKE HIM SOME CHOP, JUST GIVE ME A COUPLE DAYS!"
> ...


Pft, don't act so innocent! You are a terrible influence and you know it! :lol:


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## Skittles (Aug 2, 2012)

:lol: My friends have told me that if we ever live together...I'm not allowed to cook human food. I'll have a separate kitchen and fridge for animal-foods, so they don't end up taking a bite of mealie/cricket-infested bread. :lol: 

^ That's great!!!!^ :lol: 
Tomorrow I'm going shopping for the ingredients (it's after nine pm here) and I am giving away here current food mix to go and buy another bag of the one food she is on (this is what I get for mixing it) and a bag of the wellness weight adult so I can lower the fat content of her kibble. I will be introducing this all slowly and separately, so my question is for once she is all adjusted. Do I still give her 1 TBSP of kibble on top of the meatball (seems like ALOT of food), if not what is a good amount of kibble, maybe half...? Once it is all mixed up; have people ever added the whole kibble in and than made the balls and freeze them? Is this ok to do/ try if no one has ever had experience with it. Not sure how the kibble would like being steamed....


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Personally I'd offer the kibble separately - see if she eats the meatball first, then finishes filling herself up with kibble. If all goes well and she's not just a food addict that eats all of whatever she gets, she should eat less kibble and hopefully it'll help her weight. I would still give her a tablespoon of kibble in addition to the meatball as well. When I made my meatballs, I made them around 1 tablespoon in size, so if you did that, it'd still only be 2 tablespoons of food a night. 

If she's hesitant to try the meatballs or just ignores them, but likes her kibble mix, you could also try crushing kibble into powder and sprinkling it over a meatball to see if she'll try it that way. Since she likes carrots/peas, you could also puree some of one or both up and put some it over or mix it up with the meatball - kind of like healthy gravy. :lol:


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## Skittles (Aug 2, 2012)

I like that healthy gravy idea! I have baby food that she loves so I may do that, we'll see how she goes first. I very rarely see her eat as 99% of the time she isn't awake before I go to bed. When I first got her I tried for months to get her to be active in the evenings, but all she wanted to do was sleep, than it dawned on me that maybe I should try mornings and it has been the winner for the rest of the year I've had her. She is very active in the mornings (played till after ten this morning) when I wake her up for her playpen time, when I tried play time in the evenings (9 or so) all she wanted to do was sleep (like I said earlier my hedgehog is broken :lol: ). When I give her a meatball in the evenings I will wake her up and see if she'll eat it/ or be active at all, but given prior experiences I'm not very hopeful. So I'll have to figure something out to ensure she gets the meatball first, we'll give it a try first though


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## Skittles (Aug 2, 2012)

I made her meatballs with chicken, turkey, brown rice, carrots, peas, crickets, sweet potato, egg, broccoli, green beans and red pepper and I steamed them. She loves them! Comes nowhere close to eating a full meatball but she is nibbling and annointes (sp?). She has only had two so far, but I deem them a success since she was eating the first one right beside me on the sofa as a treat after her bath.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Awesome!  Man, minus the crickets, I really want to try your meatballs, they sound good. :lol:


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## Skittles (Aug 2, 2012)

LOL! Yup, the smell/ thought of them being steamed did not make me feel too good lol (the cricket part)


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## kayb (Jul 4, 2014)

Can someone give me the correct measurements and such for these hedgehog treats? I'd love to make mine some.


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