# what should I mix?



## alia (Jul 17, 2015)

I've been switching bernie's food to Blue Basics limited ingredient grain-free formula indoor mature turkey & potato recipe (protein: 28% min fat: 12% min fiber: 7% max) 
someone said I should have a mix of two or even three types of food for him

can someone give me some brand recommendations? I can pick it up at petco or walmart. im unsure what I should be mixing for him. 

is it ok to just feed him one brand of food or is it not good for his health?


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## PEBBLES83 (Jul 19, 2015)

I hear arcana and Origen are the best foods u can get. But it's high in protein so it's only good for blending with lower protein kibbles. Hedgies seems to like chicken soup for the cat lovers soul. And it's an AFFORABLE kibble compared to pricier brands. Halo spots is also good and AFFORABLE as well here it's like $14.99 for a 5 lb ish bag compared to Origen red which for similar sized bag ran me $42 a bag


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

It's best to do a mix for a couple reasons. First one is to have better variety of ingredients & nutrients since we don't know the exact requirements of hedgehogs. Second one is because hedgehogs are usually pretty picky & can be very stubborn about sudden changes, having more than one food gives you some extra insurance if one becomes unavailable (recall, shortage, etc.). You'll still have one food your hedgie knows & will eat, so you don't risk a stressful eating strike.

Brands that I would recommend at Petco are Canidae Grain Free Pure, Halo, Merrick, Natural Balance (although more people have been saying their hedgehogs don't like NB, so that one's a toss up), Nature's Variety, Solid Gold, Wellness (another toss up, some hedgehogs don't do well on Wellness, though to be because it's too rich), and Petco's website is showing two foods that are unfamiliar to me, but look good - Under the Sun and Whole Earth Farms.

I would stick with Petco over Walmart. There might be one or two things okay at Walmart, but most of their stuff is total crap. Make sure when you look at foods that you keep the guidelines in mind - you want total mix protein to be around 35% or below, and the fat will depend on your hedgehog. If he puts weight on easily & doesn't run a ton, keep the fat under 15%. If he's a heavy runner & needs help keeping weight on, you can go for more 15-18%. And don't forget you can check out dog foods as well.  Small breed kibble is often around the same size as cat food, and you can crush up larger kibble if he has a hard time with it. Dog food tends to have lower protein, even with the high quality brands.


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## alia (Jul 17, 2015)

thank you guys ! 

I did spot the merrick brand when I went to petco yesterday, so I might try and pick that up next time we go into town for bernies next vet appt

I've heard of origen but I didn't spot it at petco, I'll keep an eye out for that when I'm over there and I'll refer to this post when I go to the store ^_^


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## PEBBLES83 (Jul 19, 2015)

What is solid gold I keep hearing it. I didn't see it in any stores during my hunts in the month before I got my hogs


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## PEBBLES83 (Jul 19, 2015)

kipper said:


> thank you guys !
> 
> I did spot the merrick brand when I went to petco yesterday, so I might try and pick that up next time we go into town for bernies next vet appt
> 
> I've heard of origen but I didn't spot it at petco, I'll keep an eye out for that when I'm over there and I'll refer to this post when I go to the store ^_^


Origen red. I can try mom and pop shops. Smaller shops that steer clear of cheap brands. Like holistic dog food places. It's not sold in all stores. Homes alive (online sells it) I think well.ca also sells it


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## alia (Jul 17, 2015)

PEBBLES83 said:


> What is solid gold I keep hearing it. I didn't see it in any stores during my hunts in the month before I got my hogs


I DID see solid gold at petco, in the natural cat food section. it comes in a pretty stylish looking package and runs at maybe ~$20 ? I forgot about that one I might get that if I can find the appropriate percentages


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Yeah, Petco doesn't carry Orijen and while it's a fantastic brand, it definitely needs to be paired with lower-than-usual protein foods to balance it out.

Solid Gold Katz'n'Flocken was one of the foods I used with Lily. I originally grabbed it because I was looking for different proteins & they use lamb in that type. They have more flavors than they used to. Looking at the ingredients again, they have more fillers than I remember. They're not corn, but they're still making up the bulk of the food. Still better than many foods & they wouldn't be bad in a mix though.


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## alia (Jul 17, 2015)

what ingredients are fillers? 

also with the new food I'm putting him on now, what percentage do I need for the 2nd new food? should protein be a lower number?


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Well, with the Katz-n-Flocken for example, the peas, brown rice, and barley are all fillers. They're definitely more nutritious than corn or wheat, and so they're better quality, but that's still a lot and together, they could outweigh the amount of meat in the food. So it's not an amazing food, but it's still a good food.

The protein for your current food is pretty low, so the second food could be up to 42%. As long as they're mixed 50/50 and your hedgie reliably eats both of them, the resulting protein would be 35%. 42 + 28 = 70/2 foods = 35%. If you end up doing three foods, you add all three protein percentages together, then divide by three to get the mix average.


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## writergirlmel (May 16, 2015)

kipper said:


> I DID see solid gold at petco, in the natural cat food section. it comes in a pretty stylish looking package and runs at maybe ~$20 ? I forgot about that one I might get that if I can find the appropriate percentages


I'm actually working Solid Gold Winged Tiger (quail & pumpkin) into my mix right now. Fitzgerald *loves* it, and so does Lucky, the cat.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

writergirlmel said:


> I'm actually working Solid Gold Winged Tiger (quail & pumpkin) into my mix right now. Fitzgerald *loves* it, and so does Lucky, the cat.


That's great to know! I clapped a little when I saw that one, first time I've seen a cat kibble with quail! I love it when someone decides to use a novel protein, regardless of whether it's supposed to be a marketing gimmick or not. That one looks to have a lot more meat in it as well compared to some of the other types.


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## writergirlmel (May 16, 2015)

Lilysmommy said:


> That's great to know! I clapped a little when I saw that one, first time I've seen a cat kibble with quail! I love it when someone decides to use a novel protein, regardless of whether it's supposed to be a marketing gimmick or not. That one looks to have a lot more meat in it as well compared to some of the other types.


The protein source is exactly what drew me to it. In the end, if all goes as planned, there will be the quail, duck, chicken, and a bit of salmon in their mix. Of course, the best laid plans....

But at any rate, it appears the quail is a keeper.


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## twobytwopets (Feb 2, 2014)

Ok, I hadn't checked this brand before... I'm eyeballing the rabbit one. But I must admit when I first read you were using winged tiger I got a chuckle... No coffee, I was questioning if you found a food with tiger meat in it. Nope just quail... More coffee for me!


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## writergirlmel (May 16, 2015)

twobytwopets said:


> Ok, I hadn't checked this brand before... I'm eyeballing the rabbit one. But I must admit when I first read you were using winged tiger I got a chuckle... No coffee, I was questioning if you found a food with tiger meat in it. Nope just quail... More coffee for me!


The rabbit was my second choice in the Solid Gold line! I think I opted to try the quail first because I liked the addition of pumpkin in it. But it was a tough call because I really, really wanted to try the rabbit.


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## twobytwopets (Feb 2, 2014)

My reasoning for the rabbit is possibly a little strange. I prefer to use protein that I have readily accessible in food form. Within the next couple years we are hoping to move out onto our farm. Rabbits have been in the plans for awhile. While I could raise quail, that would be a fairly extensive set up and limited use.


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## writergirlmel (May 16, 2015)

twobytwopets said:


> My reasoning for the rabbit is possibly a little strange. I prefer to use protein that I have readily accessible in food form. Within the next couple years we are hoping to move out onto our farm. Rabbits have been in the plans for awhile. While I could raise quail, that would be a fairly extensive set up and limited use.


I actually don't think that's strange at all!


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## twobytwopets (Feb 2, 2014)

Rabbit isn't a typical protein in America. Plenty of people also have some strange fantasy that their meat comes from a tree in the back of the grocery store. I've checked every seed catalog looking for the elusive ribeye steak tree, doesn't exist. Until I find it we will continue to raise some of our meat. But believe me, when I find my magic steak tree I will let everyone know!


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## alia (Jul 17, 2015)

hmm.. i might try that quail & pumpkin!! ill probably pick it up this thursday 
so far i've upped his mix to 50/50 so i'll be needing to put in 25% of food #2 soon 
he seems to be loving it and i've seen no issues regarding eliminating!


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