# 'Proper' diet for my hedgie?



## Alex (Dec 7, 2012)

Hi guys; sorry to kind of spam you with different questions, I guess I'm just that typical worrywart new owner :]

I've noticed on the boards that aside from insects, everyone says they feed their hedgies high quality cat food. What is it about the cat food that makes it ideal for the hedgies? Also, when I was at Petco they had a food specialized for hedgehogs. Unfortunately I can't think of the name of it right now but it came in a yellow bag, and they're tiny little bits that are easy for Hannibell to chew and she really seems to enjoy it. When I had tried giving her cat food she seemed to have a hard time chewing it, I think because she's only 12 weeks old. When I get home I'll take a picture of the bag of hedgie food so you all know what it looks like.

I suppose my question is this: Is the high quality cat food still preferable over the hedgie food I got her? What exactly should I be looking for so I know she has a healthy diet?


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## Alex (Dec 7, 2012)

Sorry, forgot to mention...

Also, I've noticed now and then that after eating or drinking she has a sort of twitch in her midsection, it almost looks like a rapid succession of hiccups...is this normal too?


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Hedgehog food tends to have very low-quality ingredients, and some of the foods targeted for hedgehogs are downright dangerous for them. I'm guessing the food you have (from what I know of hedgehog foods) is probably Sunseed? I know the containers for it are yellow, but at my store we had it in cans, not bags.

With cat food, sometimes you do have to crush the food to make it easier for them to eat. The higher quality cat foods have much, much better ingredients and are healthier for your hedgehog. That's why we mainly use/recommend good quality cat foods on here over hedgehog foods. For ingredients, you want to look for no corn anywhere, a meat or meat meal as the first ingredient (and often times it's first and second in really good foods), you want all of the meats named (chicken, turkey, lamb, instead of poultry), no by-products, and no BHA, BHT, or ethoxyquin. If you're interested in why, or in what all the fuss over ingredients is, I really recommend this site - http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php ... ngredients

You also want protein to be between 28-35% and fat should be anywhere from 8-15%. 12% is kind of the "average" for most hedgehogs, but it all depends on the hedgehog. If they're a runner, they may need more than 15% fat, otherwise they usually do good at 12% or below.

The twitching thing is pretty normal, a lot of people notice it in their babies. I don't think anyone knows why, but it's nothing to be too concerned about.


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## Alex (Dec 7, 2012)

Ooh, okay, I see. That makes a lot of sense, thank you so much! Your post was very, very helpful. :]
Are there any brands of catfood in particular you would recommend, or is it just kind of whatever fits the bill sort of thing?


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## tigereyes319 (Nov 10, 2012)

There is actually a thread with the foods listed that are good for the hedgies.viewtopic.php?f=6&t=15 Hopefully I linked it right.


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## moxieberry (Nov 30, 2011)

This is the list I give our buyers - anything from the "top tier" is best if you're only using one, and the "second tier" foods are best as only part of a mix.

http://www.volcanoviewhedgehogs.com/kib ... oduce.html


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## Alex (Dec 7, 2012)

Thanks so much for the info, guys...sorry, I should have gone and looked through the forums before asking my question.

I did look through the lists and everything though, and I didn't see anything written about Iams anywhere..that is what I originally bought for Hannibell; would you recommend buying one of the other foods instead?


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## moxieberry (Nov 30, 2011)

Iams is crap, I wouldn't recommend it.


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## Alex (Dec 7, 2012)

Haha, duly noted. I'll continue to feed her the hedgehog food I got her until I get paid...once I've got some money I'll get her better food.


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## shmurciakova (Sep 7, 2008)

I have a bag of Sunseed which is what my hedgie was fed when I got her. It is still the staple of her diet. It is Sunseed Vita Exotics in a yellow bag. The ingredients are poultry meal, blood meal, fish meal, shrimp meal, crab meal, tuna meal. Chitin powder, Wheat Bran, Dried Beet Pulp, freeze dried meal worms, and the list goes on. The protein is 37% and the fat is 7%.
I am not sure if this is enough fat, etc. for my runner hog but the ingredients don't look bad. There is no corn, BHT, etc. or bi-products.
I supplement that with Wellness CORE grain free cat food - it is 45% protein and 18% fat. I am going to slowly try to convert her over to 1/2 and 1/2 of these two foods. I also supplement her diet with "snacks" such as meal worms, pecan pieces (I make sure she isn't getting anything stuck in the roof of her mouth) and fruit, etc.
Anyway, if this is the food you have, it is not bad so far as I can tell, unless it contains too many fish products and not enough chicken, or beef type products?


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

I feel like Sunseed is okay in a mix, but not alone or as the main food. My main problem is with the first three ingredients (which also make up the largest portion of the food, since they're first ones) - poultry meal, blood meal, and fish meal. 

Poultry Meal
AAFCO: The clean combination of poultry flesh and skin with or without bone. Does not contain feathers, heads, feet or entrails. If from a particular source it may state so (i.e. chicken, turkey etc).

Note how in this product the source is not defined as "slaughtered poultry".The manufacturer does not disclose the species (or the mix of species) of the poultry used. The fowl can be obtained from any source, so there is no control over quality or contamination. Any kind of animal can be included: "4-D animals" (dead, diseased, disabled, or dying prior to slaughter), turkey, chicken, geese, buzzard, seagulls, misc. roadkill, birds euthanized at shelters and so on.

Blood Meal
AAFCO: Blood Meal is produced from clean, fresh animal blood, exclusive of all extraneous material such as hair, stomach belchings and urine except as might occur unavoidably in good manufacturing process. A large portion of the moisture is usually removed by a mechanical dewatering process or by condensing by cooking to a semi-solid state. The semi-solid blood mass is then transferred to a rapid drying facility where the more tightly bound water is rapidly removed. The minimum biological activity of lysine shall be 80%.

An inexpensive protein booster. You have no way of knowing what type of animal the blood came from or what residues of hormones, medications or other substances are in this product. It has a better use as fertilizer than as a dog food ingredient.

Fish Meal
AAFCO: The clean, rendered, dried ground tissue of undecomposed whole fish or fish cuttings, either or both, with or without the extraction of part of the oil.

Like with all other animal sources, if a type isn't specified, you never know what type or quality of fish is used.
According to US Coast Guard regulations, all fish meal not destined for human consumption must be conserved with Ethoxyquin (unless the manufacturer has a special permit). This preservative is banned from use in foods for human consumption except for the use of very small quantities as a color preservative for spices. So unless the manufacturer either presents a permit or states "human grade" fish or fish meal is used, you can be pretty sure Ethoxyquin is present in the food even if it is not listed.

My biggest issue is with the blood meal - animals do consume the blood and all, I know, but to have it added as the second ingredient seems like it's just being used to make the food higher in protein, without adding in actual meat. Like I said, it's definitely one of the better hedgehog foods, and I don't think it's bad in a mix (but still wouldn't use it, personally), but those are my issues with the ingredients.


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## Alex (Dec 7, 2012)

Wow, thanks so much for all the info, Lilysmommy. That made things really clear :] Now I don't have to be as worried as I have been over it, haha. I'm supplementing her diet with other foods as well (fruits, veggies, baby foods), so it hasn't been just the sunseed mix. However, I'll still be buying her a higher grade of cat food when I'm able to. Thank you so much for going into detail, that really helped me see things clearer. Very helpful :]


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