# not eating kibble--what to do?



## fracturedcircle (May 31, 2010)

so Harvey is small and his lack of activity scares me.  he gets some Heal X Booster with the chicken or the egg, but he barely eats his kibble. it's a mix, so it's not that he dislikes it--he just doesn't come out to eat, even though he's delighted when he gets an egg. i want to grind the kibble and mix it with something he really likes... but what can i leave overnight that won't spoil?


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

Have you tried putting kibble in his bed with him? Sometimes they're to shy to come out and eat but will eat if their food is in their bed with them.


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## Hedgieonboard (Nov 15, 2009)

You might have tried this but you could always put his kibble in his house with him to see if this will work. If you don't want it to leave crumbs in there you can always put it on top of a lid. A lid actually works really good if the hedgie doesn't walk or try to use the bathroom in his food. After watching Loken eat I noticed that he will grab a kibble out of the small dish and crouch down while he's eating it like he's being super sneaky. So I thought he might be comfortable to have it level with him so he's not having to get up and reach back in for another one each time. I've noticed since doing this he has been eating a lot more every night and there is less crumbs around. I just wanted to let you know about the lid idea because even though the situation isn't exactly the same the lid might work well if you wanted to try putting some in his house and if you put something mixed with it so that it didn't dirty up the inside on you. You can also leave it right at the opening of the house kinda off to the side so he can still get in and out without stepping in it. The only thing is you have to be careful with the lid and make sure its not one that has any sharpness on the edges or flashing that could cut just in case they were to step on it.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

Have you tried dampening the kibble? Sometimes their jaws weaken and they have difficulty eating the hard kibble.


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## fracturedcircle (May 31, 2010)

great suggestions everyone!

Nancy--how do i dampen it?


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

Just add a little bit of water to it. All you need is enough to cover the kibble and then swish it around. Warm water will soften it quicker.


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## HedgeMom (Nov 7, 2008)

Is this the same kibble he's been getting or a different one? A change in kibbles should take approximately one month, with a quarter changed each week. 

If this is a different kibble, find some of his old kibbles. Crush them up into powder and shake them up with the new kibbles. The smell should help him adapt to the new food. 

If it's the old kibbles, perhaps the kibble has gone stale and needs to be replaced.


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## fracturedcircle (May 31, 2010)

HedgeMom said:


> Is this the same kibble he's been getting or a different one? A change in kibbles should take approximately one month, with a quarter changed each week.
> 
> If this is a different kibble, find some of his old kibbles. Crush them up into powder and shake them up with the new kibbles. The smell should help him adapt to the new food.
> 
> If it's the old kibbles, perhaps the kibble has gone stale and needs to be replaced.


we have a little bit of his old kibble--he's just not interested in any kibble. but he has an infection, which i'll write about more later tonight.


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