# Raw diet and mealworm success!!



## lilsurfergrlsp (Dec 13, 2013)

Hi everyone! 

So I just wanted to share with you guys my success with getting Tansy to try (and eat) her mealworms and new raw food for the first time! I'm excited that she finally likes something other than her kibble! 

I didn't want to introduce both the mealworms and the raw food at the same time since it's the first time she's eaten both, and didn't want to give her tummy issues. So, with the help of some of you guys on my previous thread, I was able to get Tansy to nibble on a mealworm using chopsticks and mealworm juice (my boyfriend cut a mealworms in half and I used a chopstick to rub the juice around her mouth and even inside her it). Now she loves them! 

And just tonight, I used the same method to get Tansy to try her new Nature's Variety Raw Bites. So I gave her one little raw kibble piece and she ate it up! I'm still going to wait a little to completely switch her over, but I'm just so excited that she liked it in the first place. Hopefully she'll like the fruits and veggies I offer to her next. 

Thanks for everyone who helped with the mealworms suggestions, plus CoffeeKat who recommended the raw bites and gave me some helpful information. This is the best forum ever


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## DesireeM81 (Jun 14, 2014)

That is awesome and really great news! I'm hoping my switch to a more raw diet goes that well.

Which raw bites did you use flavor wise? Did you match the flavor to your kibble?


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## lilsurfergrlsp (Dec 13, 2013)

Yeah, I figured that would be the easiest way. She loves her BB chicken formula kibble so I figured she would like the raw bites chicken formula the best, and she did


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## DesireeM81 (Jun 14, 2014)

Awesome! Thanks. Penny loves her Chicken BB too! Hard to get her to eat her other kibble. Adding a rabbit based food soon too... We will see how that goes... :roll:


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## lilsurfergrlsp (Dec 13, 2013)

No problem! Yeah, I'm thinking of maybe trying beef or another protein once I get my dogs' raw food shipped to me, so she can try some of the mixes I got for them. Rabbit sounds interesting! 

Good luck with your switch though


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## DesireeM81 (Jun 14, 2014)

I figured it might be something they might get in the wild. Since they scavenge, a dead rabbit or young one, might be on their food lists.


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## AlexLovesOlive (Jul 7, 2014)

Olive is on the BB duck... She LOVES IT


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Yay, I'm glad Tansy approves!


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## gracefulchaos01 (Mar 19, 2014)

I started adding raw bites for my kids about 2 weeks ago and they have not looked back from the first night. Absolutely love every flavor I have fed them. I have gone from one experimental bit per evening bowl up to 4 as of last night. I was asked last night if we even need to keep adding the wet canned food to their diet the way they are eating on those little meat bits. For now I'm going to go with a yes, there may be something there they need, but I may do some more research and decide to go with a no at a later time. All 5 just love those little bites. They practically beg at mealtime. It's precious. And crazy. I love it.


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## lilsurfergrlsp (Dec 13, 2013)

That's great! It's always an amazing feeling when you give your pets something they love. i always get warm and fuzzy inside when they act so happy and excited, I feel like that's what makes a stronger bond between you and your pets. That's why I seriously have to exercise restraint when buying my dogs bones and toys (don't want to spoil them too much haha)! Now I guess it's the same with little Tansy :lol:


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## CoffeeKat (Jan 15, 2014)

We started with chicken, but now I wish we hadn't, because that's all LuLu will eat now. That may not be a problem, but the more I researched raw feeding, the more I ran across the incidence of pets having or developing allergies or sensitivity to chicken. I had no reason to think that Lu was sensitive to chicken, but I decided to be proactive and get her off it. The problem is, I didn't clear that with the boss first, and she was not amused. So, we reached an agreement...she agrees to eat chicken and I agree to provide it. Lately, though, she's been backing off the Instinct bites and zooming in on the organic ground raw I buy from Whole Foods. I'm thinking I may have to order the whole ground mix from My Pet Carnivore (muscle meat, bone, organs and offal). I want her to start loving the bites again because they are a complete nutrient package (she still gets meal worms, wax worms, crickets, yogurt, vegetables and pumpkin), so I might try a new bag....I noticed the last bag I opened looked a little freezer burned so maybe the taste is slightly off.

I'm so happy to see that others are venturing into raw feeding, and that it's going well for everyone. I continue to research raw feeding and hedgehogs in general because I learn something new every single day and find that everything associated with these adorable creatures is fascinating.


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## lilsurfergrlsp (Dec 13, 2013)

Yup, research is definitely necessary when starting raw diets. I wanted to try introducing another protein besides chicken, but Tansy wouldn't touch any other kibble that wasn't chicken. She would just eat around it, so I figured it would be easier just to get her chicken raw too. That's the problem with hedgehogs - they're so picky that it's hard to switch foods and introduce new foods sometimes! 

But my pet carnivore is an AWESOME site. They have such great options for mixes, and it's reasonably priced (the shipping is expensive, but that's to be expected). I'm so excited to start the raw with my dogs, especially since my older shepherd is getting picky about his kibble, but will snarf down his weekly raw chicken legs and backs.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

You guys have no clue how excited I am that you're all trying this out with your hedgies and that it's all going well so far. My friends get squealed at about this on a regular basis. :lol: And I'm extremely glad that you're all taking the research part seriously as well, that's what always makes me nervous about mentioning or recommending raw diets. It does take a bit more work at first, but in the long run, it gets easier! My dog's gotten three chicken drumsticks now and has progressed to actually eating the bone as well.  I still have to hold them for her though...need to figure out how to get her to eat it without my help. :lol: Once I'm back in Michigan, we're going with full PMR diet, no more commercial, so I'm sure we'll get it figured out then! I can't wait to get started introducing her to more proteins as well.


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## lilsurfergrlsp (Dec 13, 2013)

I'm glad your dog is doing better! And if it helps, I have to hold the chicken drumsticks and backs for my big dogs too (my little one is okay eating it by himself). I'm just so worried that they'll eat it in one bite!


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## CoffeeKat (Jan 15, 2014)

Kelsey, I doubt that I would have had the courage to make this change if you and a few others hadn't shared your insights and knowledge to begin with. Finding out that it's okay to switch to raw if it's done right, and with care and research, is so liberating. Thanks for the time you take to collect and then share your knowledge with the rest of us, and good luck on your own raw feeding journey


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