# Transitioning between foods



## wildflowering (Oct 19, 2014)

Hi everyone!

A couple of questions - I got my girl from another family a little over a week ago and she came with the food they'd been feeding her, which was Sunseed Vita Exotics hedgehog food - I decided that once she was settled (which happened nice and quickly) I'd switch her to a good quality cat food as is so often recommended on here! I finally chose the Blue Buffalo Freedom grain-free chicken recipe and introduced it yesterday. She absolutely LOVES it. She didn't seem to like her old food much, it looked like most of the time she was only eating what she had to.. But last night when I mixed the old food with a little bit of the blue buffalo, she ate every single piece of that and didn't even touch the old stuff!

So my main question is basically whether or not I should even bother continuing to give her the old food mixed with the new when she clearly only wants to eat the new one anyway. I know it's suggested to make the transition gradually, but it seems like she really wants to just jump right into it. Will this cause any issues or should it be fine? (Her poops today all looked totally normal!)

I've also heard that it's better to mix two types of food together to increase the range of nutrition in their food.. Any suggestions on what might go well with the blue buffalo she is switching to?

And one final question! With her old food, I'd just fill her little bowl between a quarter and halfway and she'd eat what she wanted (typically not a lot) and leave the rest. Now that she's enjoying her food more I feel like she might sometimes be eating more than her fill, so about how much should I be leaving in her dish at night?

Thanks!


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## MintyBanana (Apr 29, 2014)

Lilysmommy said:


> VI. Switching Foods
> 
> - Hedgehogs have sensitive stomachs and most will have some stomach upset and green poop with a sudden change in food. Some hedgehogs may be picky and refuse to try the new food, leading to a hunger strike (which can quickly cause liver shutdown and death, so syringe-feeding is necessary after a day or two of no eating).
> 
> ...


This is what Lilysmommy recommends for changing your hedgie's food. I would try mixing another food because we don't really know what hedgehogs require nutritionally, so a variety of food is more likely to cover the bases. Rosie Mae gets one Tbs of Blue Buffalo Weight Control Chicken & Brown Rice and one Tbs of Natural Balance Green Pea & Duck every night.


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## DesireeM81 (Jun 14, 2014)

If she doesn't eat her old food you can remove it and give her more of what she will eat. This is common in hedgehogs on hedgie food. If she isn't touching the old stuff there isn't any harm.


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