# Little one still won't eat dry food



## Ascastlat (Sep 17, 2014)

I've been reading a lot of topics on the forum but I still have a few questions. I have a 3mo old hedgehog that I've had since he was 7wks old and he was on a homecooked diet and Hedgehog kibble when he was a baby (I don't think he ever touched any of the kibble though) and kept him on that since I've had him at home. His diet (since homecooked mainly) is a pretty soft diet. He does well on it, his poop is normal and his teeth are fine. He is a runner so I've been trying to get some weight on him because he's on the small side, but not skinny or anything but he will not eat any dry food I give him. Right now, I'm feeding him blue buffalo wet with fruit and veggies and mealies and have been trying to introduce him to dry food but he has no interest in it whatsoever. I have tried moistening it and mixing some in with his regular food, but if I do that he won't eat anything, he won't even eat around it. I've tried Purina One Chicken, Royal Canin Indoor, Authority, Blue Buffalo and he won't try it. He may not be happy with the food, but the local animal shelter cats are loving it I'm sure! I'm really at a loss as to what to try next... I thought maybe like some had said, the pieces were too big so I crushed them and still didn't work. I'm going to try putting some cottage cheese and yogurt into his mix to add some calories and fat until I can figure out the dry food dilemma. If there are any suggestions I'm open to them!


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## Prickerz (Sep 17, 2014)

I would steer clear of dairy, hedgehogs are lactose intolerant for the most part... other than that, im sorry i'm really not sure!


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## DesireeM81 (Jun 14, 2014)

Both cottage cheese and yogurt are safe for hedgehogs in small amounts. They have cultures in them that help digest food properly. I am high lactose intolerant and I can nom on cup of yogurt or cottage without ill effects. The bacteria in both helps the digestive process.


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## lilythehedgie (Sep 20, 2012)

If he refuses to eat kibble, you may just have to feed him a wet food diet. It's just as good of an option as kibble. If he's doing well on the diet you have him on now, I wouldn't see any reason to change it off of his homecooked and wet foods. Since he's already eating mealies, maybe adding another wet food into his diet with a little more fat could be a solution? Or perhaps different treats that contain fat?

Another option is a raw food diet. There are several current threads about this, and many of our members who tried this are having great success with this kind of diet. I'm sure many of them would be willing to talk about it if you were wondering about raw feeding.  I have no personal experience with this, but just another suggestion.


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