# Underweight :-(



## oioi boo (Sep 25, 2016)

Hi everyone,

One of my hedgehogs, Pickle, is about 6 months old. I got her as a baby and she hadn't grown all that much. Recently she attempted to hibernate after temperetures dropped one night. I warmed her up and took her to the vet to be safe. They weighed her and she was only 148g. They said because she had no fat to keep her warm she attempted hibernation. That was 3 or 4 weeks ago.

She does eat, never seemed to have any issues with appetite, but to help get her weight up i've been syringe feeding her a critical care carnivore food and giving her as many live mealworms as she wants (tried waxworms, she ate a couple but overall didn't seem to into them), as well as her normal food. 
Last night she weighed 170g, it has fluctuated slightly and she has lost a few grams here and there and then gained it back etc. My friend came over who also has a hedgie and she said Pickle is the same size her little guy was when he was 8 weeks.

The vets sent off a poop sample but somehow it got lost so I have to take another sample in tomorrow, they also checked for parasites and found none.

Any advice on fattening her up would be greatly appreciated.
Here's some pics (ignore the green stuff on her, she anointed when I gave her some coriander lol):


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## SquirtleSquirt (May 9, 2016)

You could perhaps switch the food to something with little bit more fat content


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

What food is she on?


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## oioi boo (Sep 25, 2016)

Originally she was on iams because that's what the breeder was giving her, mixed with some go cat indoor food (apparently its meant to stop poop smelling as much but I don't think it works). Anyway i've been gradually switching her over since all this happened and i'm mixing in Harringtons chicken with rice, Purina chicken and whole grains and Sainsburys complete chicken.

Below are links to each food and whats in them:

http://www.harringtonspetfood.com/cats/chicken-rice#ingredients

https://www.purina.co.uk/cat/purina-one/products/dry/adult-rich-in-chicken-whole-grains

http://www.sainsburys.co.uk/webapp/...mplete-chicken--the-delicious-collection-500g


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## oioi boo (Sep 25, 2016)

Oh, and she runs a lot on her wheel. Do you think I should take it out for a few days? I'd feel bad because she loves it but I want her to be at a healthy weight.


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

Don't take the wheel out she will just get bored and may hurt herself. How much fat is in the first food? The other two have 14% and 19%. You may need to find a food with fat levels in the higher ranges. It might mean adding a kitten food to your mix.


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## oioi boo (Sep 25, 2016)

nikki said:


> Don't take the wheel out she will just get bored and may hurt herself. How much fat is in the first food? The other two have 14% and 19%. You may need to find a food with fat levels in the higher ranges. It might mean adding a kitten food to your mix.


It is 12%. Could you perhaps recommend me a good kitten food available in the uk please?

Also I know hedgehogs weights range, but what would you expect a 6 month old to weigh roughly?


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

I don't know what's available in the UK sorry. You can't go by weight with a hedgehog you have to go by body shape. They should be tear drop shaped with a heavier back end and no sunken sides.


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## oioi boo (Sep 25, 2016)

Thank you for your help 

Do you think this would be a good kitten food to add to her mix? http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/cats/dry_cat_food/wellbeloved_catfood/wellbeloved_kitten/108633

It's a James Welbeloved turkey kibble but I see it has tomatoes in it which I should apparently avoid? I'm not sure if that's just straight up fresh tomatoes or if this food is a no go because of them.


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

It looks like a good food to me. Tomatoes are usually not recommended due to the acid content in them but I think mixed in like they are in a kibble that it shouldn't cause any problems.


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## oioi boo (Sep 25, 2016)

nikki said:


> It looks like a good food to me. Tomatoes are usually not recommended due to the acid content in them but I think mixed in like they are in a kibble that it shouldn't cause any problems.


Thank you so much!


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