# Dry Cat Food List



## Reaper

This is the newest list. Updated 06/20/09  When choosing a food to add to your hedgies diet the first thing is to READ THE LABEL. It doesn't matter what the product is being marketed for (cat, dog, hedgehog, whatever) as long as it meets a hedgehogs nutritional requirements. To learn about food labels, ingredients, and a ton of hedgehog info Laura Ledet's Website http://www.angelfire.com/wa2/comemeetmyfamily/tableofcontents.html is one of the best on the internet. Once you have learned about hedgie diet needs, found a store that sells a product you think is great, bought the food and brought it home, and given it to your little bundle of quills.........your hedgie may refuse to eat it. All hedgies have different personalities and tastes. So in the end your hedgie will have a say in what food selections you make.
I created this list to help the "newbie" African hedgehog owner narrow down what dry cat foods meet hedgies nutritional requirements. With so many brands and formulas on the market finding ones for hedgies can be a tedious endeavor. I will continue to update the list from time to time as new foods become available and when old formulas change names or are reformulated.
I am a strong believer that a healthy diet prevents sickness and can extend our quilled friends lives.[attachment=2:23cej4oo]Dry Cat Food List.2.0.pdf[/attachment:23cej4oo][attachment=1:23cej4oo]Dry Cat Food List.2.0.doc[/attachment:23cej4oo][attachment=0:23cej4oo]Dry Cat Food List2.0.htm[/attachment:23cej4oo]


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## LizardGirl

Here is a chart I made over the last week or so of many cat foods available to us hedgie parents. I'm aware that not all cat foods are on here, but I tried to get as many as I could. I'll be updating it as often as needed. REMEMBER THAT MANY OF THE FOODS ARE NOT RECOMMENDED! They are just included so you can compare.

The chart has the brand, food name, protein, fat, fiber, moisture, and the first five ingredients. Sometimes a company will provide both the minimum and maximum amount of things, such as fat, so it may vary a few %. Foods such as Spa Select is under the brand Blue Buffalo, and Science Diet is under Hill's Science Diet. If you are having trouble finding something, you can ask. If the food isn't on the list, I will add it.

*The foods on Reaper's Dry Cat Food List are highlighted in green.*

If you know of a food that is not on the list, or found any errors (I typed it all by hand...) please don't hesitate to email me or PM me. I will fix it. 

http://hedgehogcentral.com/CatFoodChart6.html


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## Reaper

I wanted to let you all know that slowly slowly the pet food industry seems to be getting better. This must be as a result of the massive recalls of toxic food additives from China not long ago. This is good for us hedgie owners as more companies are changing to "all natural" ingredients. The latest addition to the list Authority cat foods is an example. They have changed the bag from white to purple and now say there are no artificial anything or do they use by products. So the food is "all natural" They still however have food fragments as fillers in the food. Saw dust is "all natural" but I don't wanna eat it. So you still need to read the label carefully. Having one "junk" food in your hedgies mix is a common practice of many breeders and enthusiasts. Gail Dick of Millermeade Farms explains it as the "french fries" of your children's diet. You don't want your kids eating nothing but french fries but some is ok and can make them happy. So having one "junk" food in your mix is fine. Finding out which "junk" food your hedgie likes is another matter. The other benefit seems to be if you feed your hedgie nothing but the absolute best food it may be actually too rich for them and can cause kidney and liver problems. They are opportunistic scavengers in the wild. So the current thinking is nothing but all rich foods are really too good in a sense. So it is a good idea to limit protein percentages to around 30 percent, fat percentages to below 15, and fiber to 15 percent or higher. The fiber is the difficult part due to cats not needing as much fiber in their diet as hedgies. Many people add Grape-nuts cereal, infant rice cereal etc. to their hedgies mix to add more fiber to the hedgies diet. In the wild chitin serves as the major source of fiber which they don't get in captivity. Possibly someday we may get one product that is perfect for hedgies but right now a mix seems the best along with good wholesome treats.


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## Reaper

There are many higher fat foods that can be fed to hedgies if they don't become overweight. The list is a starting point only. Once you find out what your hedgie needs you may feed them something not on the list. For example LizardGirls hedgie is a runner and very skinny and small. So he NEEDS more fat in his diet. Baby hedgies NEED more fat. Pregnant and lactating (producing milk) mothers NEED more fat. So if you just fed them from the list you would be ignoring their nutritional NEEDS.


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## Reaper

The foods must be dry cat foods, be all natural, contain less than 15% minimum advertised fat content, and the first ingredient must be meat or meat meal.


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## Immortalia

Ahhhh ya, that makes sense. Thanks! 

Now I'll just have to go find a petshop/pet depo that carries those. Though I have an idea of where I'd find them, at least the Natural Balance, cause I've seen that before.

Thanks again! ^_^


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## SunRayz

When doing a mix, do you want food that have diffrent levels of protein, fat and fiber content. I am looking at trying a mix of the innova senior and Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul, but I see that they are almost exact in protein and fibre content, the only diffrence is the fat %. Would it be ok to do this mix?


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## Reaper

Sure it would be ok. I am of the opinion the more flavors and the more ingredients the better so I mix more foods than most.


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## Reaper

There is a food not on the list due to the first ingredient not being meat. I have decided to add this food to the list in a special category. The reason I have decided to make this one exception is due to everyone whom I have heard try this food say their hedgies absolutely LOVE it. I have been feeding it since it was first available and mine love it too. It is a great food nutritionally. Natural Balance Green Pea and Duck is a wonderful addition to any hedgies diet. It was first formulated as venison and green pea but was changed during the pet food recall. It was developed for cats who were allergic to normal cat foods. So the ingredients are not something found in other cat foods. The ingredient list is very short keeping it simple seems to be the key. While I wouldn't suggest this food be fed by itself it is a food that is a high quality addition to any mix.


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## LizardGirl

I agree that Natural Balance Green Pea and Duck is a great food. I added it to Inky's mix a few months ago, and he LOVES it. It's gone before anything else in his dish.


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## dorasdaddy

I found a food for Dora that i know isnt on the list because of the fat content, but since she is a hardcore wheeler that doesnt seem to put on weight we decided to get it to add to her mix. It is Halo Spots Stew SENSITIVE CAT-Wholesome Turkey 

Ingredients: Turkey, Pea Protein, Whole Dried Eggs, Oats, Pearled Barley, Vegetable Broth, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Pea Flour, Turkey Liver, Salmon, Flaxseed, Salmon Oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), Pea Fiber, Sweet Potatoes, Apples, Blueberries, Green Beans, Carrots, Cranberries, Zucchini, Alfalfa, Inulin, Calcium Sulfate, Potassium Chloride, Taurine, Salt, Folic Acid, Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Cobalt Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Choline Bitartrate, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Ascorbic Acid, Riboflavin Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Biotin, Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Bifidobacterium Longum, Enterococcous Faecium, Lactobacillus Plantarum, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite.
Guaranteed Analysis:
Crude Protein - 32.0% Min
Crude Fat - 16.0% Min
Crude Fiber - 6.5% Max
Moisture - 10.0% Max
Ash – 6.5% Max
Omega 6 Fatty Acids - 3.1% Min*
Omega 3 Fatty Acids - .45% Min*
Taurine - 0.1% Min
Lactobacillus Acidophilus - 120,000,000 CFU/lb Min*
Bifidobacterium Longum - 120,000,000 CFU/lb Min*
Lactobacillus Plantarum - 120,000,000 CFU/lb Min*
Enterococcous Faecium - 120,000,000 CFU/lb Min*

I love the fact that even though it is a little high in fat, it is still all natural AND it has Flaxseed to help with dry skin and Acidophilus to help with digestion. 

We got it at Petco and when we inquired about sample bags the associate told us the company policy is that if you return the unused portion with the receipt within 30 days they will refund the purchase price. I was unaware of this previously, but it is a great way of trying out something new in the mix without being a total loss if the picky prickly one decides that it is not worthy of her palate.


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## ana

I was poking around the web after reading that post about dog food (and checking out the ingredients in our dog's food) and ended up looking at cat foods as well... I happened to run across Innova Low Fat Dry Cat Food and I was wondering if there's a reason it's not on the list... the first 2 ingredients are turkey and chicken, fat content is low, etc...

http://www.innovapet.com/product_line.a ... t-analysis

*Edit: Oh, nevermind, lol... I see "reduced" fat is listed near the top of the list, so I'm going to go ahead and guess that it's pretty much the same thing, lol...*


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## Reaper

Innova seems to change the name of the "light" formula. I don't know if it is different for different countries but they do seem to change it more frequently than others. Also it was brought to my attention that Natural Balance reduced calorie met the list requirements. The old formula's 1st ingredient wasn't meat but is now. If anyone runs across a food they think should be on the list please let me know. I do try to keep up with name and formula changes but I don't catch them all. The list keeps getting longer due to more pet food companies making foods that are all natural and meet a hedgies nutritional needs. This is a good thing. Hedgies will have a wider selection of appropriate foods.


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## Immortalia

Was looking around at a pet store near me and found one not on the list...At least I don't think so  Might be good for those who like fish. 

Performatrin Ultra
Slim Care Salmon & Olive Oil 

Ingredients: 
Salmon 
Salmon Meal 
Whole Brown Rice 
Oatmeal 
Chicken Meal 
Dried Egg Product 
Pearled Barley 
Herring Meal 
Dried Potato Product 
Brewers Dried Yeast 
Dehydrated Vegetables (Carrot, Celery, Beet, Parsley, Lettuce, Watercress, Spinach) 
Dried Whey Protein Concentrate 
Green Peas 
Alfalfa Meal 
Olive Oil (stabilized with mixed tocopherols) 
Chicken Cartilage (source of Chondroitin) 
Whole Cranberries 
Lentils 
Sunflower Oil (stabilized with mixed tocopherols) 
Canola Oil (stabilized with mixed tocopherols) 
Fresh Whole Sweet Potato 
Fresh Whole Carrots 
Whole Blueberries 
Kelp 
Fresh Whole Apples 
Whole Flaxseed 
Sea Salt 
DL-Methionine 
Chicory Root Extract 
L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C) 
Green Tea Extract 
L-Carnitine 
Glucosamine Hydrochloride 
Taurine 
Lecithin 
L-Leucine 
Lactobacillus Acidophilus 
Bacillus Subtilis 
Bifidobacterium Thermophilum 
Bifidobacterium Longum 
Enterococcus Faecium 
Spirulina 
Vitamin E Supplement 
Yucca Schidigera Extract 
Choline Chloride 
Zinc Amino-Acid Complex (source of Chelated Zinc) 
Iron Amino-Acid Complex (source of Chelated Iron) 
Rosemary 
Manganese Amino-Acid Complex (source of Chelated Manganese) 
Basil 
Sage 
Dandelion 
Potassium Chloride 
Copper Amino-Acid Complex (source of Chelated Copper) 
Niacin 
Vitamin B12 Supplement 
Vitamin A Supplement 
Calcium Pantothenate 
Thiamine Hydrochloride 
Riboflavin 
Cobalt Amino-Acid Complex (source of Chelated Cobalt) 
Vitamin D3 Supplement 
Folic Acid 
Biotin 
Pyridoxine Hydrochloride 
Potassium Iodine 
Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (source of Vitamin K activity) 
Sodium Selenite 


Guaranteed Analysis 
NUTRIENT 
Crude Protein 33.0% min 
Crude Fat 10.0% min 
Crude Fiber 5.0% max 
Moisture 10.0% max 
Ash 6.0% max 
Leucine 2.2% min 
Taurine 0.2% min 
Calcium 0.8% min 
Phosphorus 0.6% min 
Magnesium 0.09% max 
Vitamin E 200 IU/kg min 
Omega 6 Fatty Acids* 6.5% min 
Omega 3 Fatty Acids* 2.4% min 
Glucosamine* 400 mg/kg min 
Chondroitin Sulfate* 100 mg/kg min 
Carnitine* 675 mg/kg min


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## dorasdaddy

Immortalia said:


> Was looking around at a pet store near me and found one not on the list...At least I don't think so  Might be good for those who like fish.
> 
> Performatrin Ultra
> Slim Care Salmon & Olive Oil
> 
> Ingredients:
> Salmon
> Salmon Meal
> Whole Brown Rice
> Oatmeal
> Chicken Meal
> Dried Egg Product
> Pearled Barley
> Herring Meal
> Dried Potato Product
> Brewers Dried Yeast
> Dehydrated Vegetables (Carrot, Celery, Beet, Parsley, Lettuce, Watercress, Spinach)
> Dried Whey Protein Concentrate
> Green Peas
> Alfalfa Meal
> Olive Oil (stabilized with mixed tocopherols)
> Chicken Cartilage (source of Chondroitin)
> Whole Cranberries
> Lentils
> Sunflower Oil (stabilized with mixed tocopherols)
> Canola Oil (stabilized with mixed tocopherols)
> Fresh Whole Sweet Potato
> Fresh Whole Carrots
> Whole Blueberries
> Kelp
> Fresh Whole Apples
> Whole Flaxseed
> Sea Salt
> DL-Methionine
> Chicory Root Extract
> L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C)
> Green Tea Extract
> L-Carnitine
> Glucosamine Hydrochloride
> Taurine
> Lecithin
> L-Leucine
> Lactobacillus Acidophilus
> Bacillus Subtilis
> Bifidobacterium Thermophilum
> Bifidobacterium Longum
> Enterococcus Faecium
> Spirulina
> Vitamin E Supplement
> Yucca Schidigera Extract
> Choline Chloride
> Zinc Amino-Acid Complex (source of Chelated Zinc)
> Iron Amino-Acid Complex (source of Chelated Iron)
> Rosemary
> Manganese Amino-Acid Complex (source of Chelated Manganese)
> Basil
> Sage
> Dandelion
> Potassium Chloride
> Copper Amino-Acid Complex (source of Chelated Copper)
> Niacin
> Vitamin B12 Supplement
> Vitamin A Supplement
> Calcium Pantothenate
> Thiamine Hydrochloride
> Riboflavin
> Cobalt Amino-Acid Complex (source of Chelated Cobalt)
> Vitamin D3 Supplement
> Folic Acid
> Biotin
> Pyridoxine Hydrochloride
> Potassium Iodine
> Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (source of Vitamin K activity)
> Sodium Selenite
> 
> Guaranteed Analysis
> NUTRIENT
> Crude Protein 33.0% min
> Crude Fat 10.0% min
> Crude Fiber 5.0% max
> Moisture 10.0% max
> Ash 6.0% max
> Leucine 2.2% min
> Taurine 0.2% min
> Calcium 0.8% min
> Phosphorus 0.6% min
> Magnesium 0.09% max
> Vitamin E 200 IU/kg min
> Omega 6 Fatty Acids* 6.5% min
> Omega 3 Fatty Acids* 2.4% min
> Glucosamine* 400 mg/kg min
> Chondroitin Sulfate* 100 mg/kg min
> Carnitine* 675 mg/kg min


The only thing i could see that wouldnt be too good for them would be the brewers yeast, this is the yeast left over after brewing beer.


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## Immortalia

Ah yes, I see.

XD I must be looking very odd to pet stores....Standing around for an hour, looking at all their cat foods....Taking pictures of cat food on my phone(so I'd remember the brand and name) :roll:


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## Reaper

Yep it will be added to the list.


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## Lilysmommy

Lol, I was thinking the same thing to myself when I was trying to figure out what foods to get Lily at Pet Supplies Plus...Stood there for at least half an hour. :lol:


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## silvercat

What do people think og "Go!" or "Now!" foods? 
Go: http://www.petcurean.com/index.php?page_id=122
Now: http://www.petcurean.com/index.php?page_id=163

I know the GO! is high is fat, but as Sylvie is a very slim active gal I'm not overly concerned about that. I'm interested in the Now! as it's grain free.

Also, on the note of protein & analysis I know it's good to aim for:
Protein 30%
Fat 15%
But why is that? I mean on the protein levels. I've noticed Sylvie REALLY likes her proteins (meats over veggies anyday). Is there a reason protein is capped at 30 & not higher? I was looking at Orijen (http://www.orijen.ca/orijen/products/CatAnalysis.aspx) which is a 45% protein. Very high I know. Is this something I should avoid? (again, the high fat doesn't deter me much as Sylvie is very slim).


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## azyrios

high protein hurts the liver iirc.

edit: kidneys, that's the organ i was thinking of.


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## Nancy

Too high protein can lead to renal failure. It is hard on the kidneys.


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## silvercat

great thanks! i will stay away from too high proteins


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## Lilysmommy

Would Royal Canin Light 40 be okay as a junk food?

Ingredients:
Chicken meal, corn, wheat gluten, corn gluten meal, brown rice, pea fiber, rice hulls, chicken, natural chicken flavor, beet pulp (sugar removed), chicken fat (naturally preserved with mixed tocopherols, rosemary extract and citric acid), dried brewers yeast, salmon oil, fructo-oligosaccharides, sodium silico aluminate, salt, calcium sulfate, dried egg powder, potassium chloride, soya oil, choline chloride, sodium tripolyphosphate, DL-methionine, taurine, Vitamins [dl-alpha tocopherol (source of vitamin E), L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), niacin, biotin, riboflavin (vitamin B2), d-calcium pantothenate, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), vitamin B12 supplement, vitamin A acetate, vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid], Trace Minerals [zinc proteinate, zinc oxide, ferrous sulfate, copper proteinate, copper sulfate, manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, sodium selenite, calcium iodate], L-carnitine, green tea extract.

Guaranteed Analysis:
Crude protein (min) 37.0%, crude fat (min) 9.0%, crude fiber (max) 9.3%, moisture (max) 9.3%, magnesium (max) 0.1%, taurine (min) 0.2%, vitamin E (min) 500 mg/kg, vitamin C (min) 200 mg/kg, omega 6 fatty acids (min) 2.57%, omega 3 fatty acids (min) 0.43%, green tea extract (min) 100mg/kg.


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## Toe

I'd say that's still too high in protein, myself.


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## drpepperheather

Plus, since Corn is the second ingredient in Royal Canin Light 40, it will probably make Lily poop a little more since it will just go right through her...


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## AAdict

awww I was really excited to see this post until I started to search for the products and most of them are not available in the UK :x I dont know what to do now - I know we can get Purina so wil have to look for those specific ones listed and Royal Canin but never fully looked into these properly oh and just to check - foods labelled 'hairball control' etc are safe to use?


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## Leonora

I've got the same problem, as i'm in the UK.
I found a brand that looks to be OK?

it's Hill's Feline Adult Light Chicken

Ingredients:
Chicken (minimum Chicken 40 %; minimum Chicken and Turkey combined 55 %): Chicken and turkey meal, ground rice, ground maize, maize gluten meal, cellulose, soybean mill run, animal fat, digest, potassium chloride, L-carnitine supplement, calcium sulphate, salt, taurine, vitamins and trace elements. Naturally preserved with mixed tocopherols, citric acid and rosemary extract.

(For 300gram pack)

Protein: 30.9%
Fat: 8.2%
Fiber: 7.3 %
Calcium: 0.87%
Phosphorus: 0.73%
Magnesium: 0.05%
Vitamin A: 20000.0 IU/Kg
Vitamin D: 1300.0 IU/Kg
Vitamin E (tocopherol): 120.0 mg/kg

The link is here: http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/cats/dry_ ... dult/13480

What does everyone think about using this as the main 'healthy food', and adding other mixes to it? This seems to be the best available to me over here. Thanks


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## JahJahWarrior

All I could find that was on the list at Walmart today was Natural Life Adult. Breeder tells me the hedgehogs are on Wellness, but I couldn't find that at walmart or Petsmart. Eventually, I'll pick up another bag or two of stuff and make a mix, but will the hedgehog I'm getting in two weeks do alright on this stuff alone for a few days? I guess what I'm asking is, are hedgehogs so sensitive to foods that an abrupt switch like that would kill them or maim them? Just don't want to hurt the little guy...


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## LarryT

JahJahWarrior said:


> All I could find that was on the list at Walmart today was Natural Life Adult. Breeder tells me the hedgehogs are on Wellness, but I couldn't find that at walmart or Petsmart. Eventually, I'll pick up another bag or two of stuff and make a mix, but will the hedgehog I'm getting in two weeks do alright on this stuff alone for a few days? I guess what I'm asking is, are hedgehogs so sensitive to foods that an abrupt switch like that would kill them or maim them? Just don't want to hurt the little guy...


Hey here is link to the wellness site
http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/
Look at the top right and there is a spot that says where to buy.
Good luck with your new hedgie.


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## Lilysmommy

JahJahWarrior said:


> All I could find that was on the list at Walmart today was Natural Life Adult. Breeder tells me the hedgehogs are on Wellness, but I couldn't find that at walmart or Petsmart. Eventually, I'll pick up another bag or two of stuff and make a mix, but will the hedgehog I'm getting in two weeks do alright on this stuff alone for a few days? I guess what I'm asking is, are hedgehogs so sensitive to foods that an abrupt switch like that would kill them or maim them? Just don't want to hurt the little guy...


If the breeder is already feeding Wellness, they usually will offer to send home a small bag of their mix or the food they feed with the new baby. You could ask and see if you could get a bag that will last for 2-3 weeks. Then after (at least) a week or so of just the old food, you could start mixing in the new one. You don't want to do a sudden change if you can help it. They already go through quite a bit of stress moving to a new home, and changing their food abruptly will only add more stress to the little guy. It wouldn't kill him, but it would upset his stomach and turn his poop green.


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## silvercat

I've read some people saying Wellness may be too rich for some hedgie's bellies. Recently I started adding Wellness to Sylvie's food. She seems to love it & anoints with it every once in a while. Her running & pooping habits haven't changes - so can I guess that it's ok for her & not "too rich?"


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## Lilysmommy

silvercat said:


> I've read some people saying Wellness may be too rich for some hedgie's bellies. Recently I started adding Wellness to Sylvie's food. She seems to love it & anoints with it every once in a while. Her running & pooping habits haven't changes - so can I guess that it's ok for her & not "too rich?"


Sounds like it's fine.  Sometimes it's just a matter of how much of it they get. I believe Azyrios said that his hedgehog does fine if he only gets a certain amount of Wellness, like 20 kibble, but if he gets more than that amount, his poop gets very stinky. My hedgehog has been getting Wellness for several months and has eaten up to 30 kibble, I think, without having a problem with it.


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## ana

I have yet to find a cat food other than Chicken Soup For The Cat Lover's Soul that our girl will eat... I wish I knew what I could mix in that she'd actually like. 

Right now I'm mixing Natural Balance Green Pea and Duck with it, but she won't eat it. She picks out all the CSFTCLS bits and that's it... I tried Wellness - and thank goodness she didn't eat it! I didn't even begin to think of checking the expiration date when I bought it from the haughty, upscale, "holistic" pet food store... (They should be selling fresh products, no?!) Then I checked all my dates a few days ago, only to find it expired LAST YEAR!! (I should go complain to the store, but I hate confrontation and I have no receipt either. *sigh*) Lesson learned either way... I won't be shopping there anymore. (I much prefer the store where we buy our dog food anyway, they just aren't open on Sundays, which is why I went to this other place. Our usual store has samples though, which is definitely nice.)

I've also tried Innova Reduced Fat and Evo's (wet) venison stuff...

I guess I could just keep going down the list... Hrm. I'd ask for recommendations, but I have a feeling it won't make much difference - I mean, that green pea and duck stuff is supposedly loved by like almost everyone else's hedgie that's tried it, no? lol

*Long story short: check your expiration dates when you buy it!*


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## silvercat

ana said:


> I have yet to find a cat food other than Chicken Soup For The Cat Lover's Soul that our girl will eat... I wish I knew what I could mix in that she'd actually like.
> ...
> (I much prefer the store where we buy our dog food anyway, they just aren't open on Sundays, which is why I went to this other place. Our usual store has samples though, which is definitely nice.)
> ...
> I guess I could just keep going down the list... Hrm. I'd ask for recommendations, but I have a feeling it won't make much difference - I mean, that green pea and duck stuff is supposedly loved by like almost everyone else's hedgie that's tried it, no? lol


wish I could help you. Sylvie had no interest in the Chicken Soup so I think our hogs may have different taste buds going on. Thank goodness for sample bags. She does love Go! & Wellness


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## ana

silvercat said:


> wish I could help you. Sylvie had no interest in the Chicken Soup so I think our hogs may have different taste buds going on. Thank goodness for sample bags. She does love Go! & Wellness


That's funny! That's what I've been hearing from other owners too - they love wellness, love green pea - but totally don't care for csftcls! :lol:

Our girl is sooooo finicky too. She won't eat anything but CS, mealies, and peach baby food... She won't actually go after mealies or peaches though - she'll only eat mealies when I actually hand feed them to her (maybe she doesn't see/smell them for some reason?) - but she gets reeeeally excited when she sees me opening that little blue and white carton. (She can go from little-miss-huffypuffypants with her "how dare you wake me up?!" attitude to *snap* oh, hey, whatcha got there?! " in a flash. :lol: ) Peaches are the same way - if I put them in a dish for her, she won't touch them - but if I personally give her a spoon, shell lick it all off and anoint about it too!

I have yet to actually figure her out when it comes to food and treats...


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## Nancy

ana said:


> *Long story short: check your expiration dates when you buy it!*


Definitely check expiration dates. I never buy if there is less than 6 months remaining on food. One time I had a baby that wasn't gaining and went to Petsmart to buy Esbilac Puppy formula. I thought the can looked rather dusty and for good reason. It had expired 3 YEARS ago. All of the cans of puppy and kitten milks were very old. Imagine if someone had bought it and used it without reading the label. Interestingly, some of the same cans were still on the shelf the last time I was in there so pointing it out to them accomplished nothing other than they removed the can I showed them.


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## FiaSpice

Nancy said:


> Definitely check expiration dates. I never buy if there is less than 6 months remaining on food. One time I had a baby that wasn't gaining and went to Petsmart to buy Esbilac Puppy formula. I thought the can looked rather dusty and for good reason. It had expired 3 YEARS ago. All of the cans of puppy and kitten milks were very old. Imagine if someone had bought it and used it without reading the label. Interestingly, some of the same cans were still on the shelf the last time I was in there so pointing it out to them accomplished nothing other than they removed the can I showed them.


I did that once (buying without reading the label) but it was for human food. It was for my picnic on my way to Toronto. Needless to say I HAD to stop at every rest area because I got sick.


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## Hedgehog madness x

sorry im in a rush so couldnt read all of the replies but is Science diet ok for them? or even royal cain? what ones better


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## AprilF

Okay. I am not new to hedgehog land, but I'm having a food mini-crisis. Which isn't really a crisis at all, but merely me trying to figure out what's going on.

The last time I bought food - I had gotten the Royal Canin Light 37. Not my first choice, but it was available, reasonable, and my kid ate it.

However - I can no longer find any trace of RC Indoor Light 37. It appears that there is a new version, Light 40.

Anyone know offhand if ingredients are the same? I kept the top part of the bag as a visual cue of what to buy - but it never occurred to me to keep the ingredients listing. 

Or - better yet - anyone know if the Indoor 27 is a similar shape/makeup? If I read right, it has better meat sources, so if it's similar, I might be able to trick 'em....


----------



## SnufflePuff

AprilF said:


> Okay. I am not new to hedgehog land, but I'm having a food mini-crisis. Which isn't really a crisis at all, but merely me trying to figure out what's going on.
> 
> The last time I bought food - I had gotten the Royal Canin Light 37. Not my first choice, but it was available, reasonable, and my kid ate it.
> 
> However - I can no longer find any trace of RC Indoor Light 37. It appears that there is a new version, Light 40.
> 
> Anyone know offhand if ingredients are the same? I kept the top part of the bag as a visual cue of what to buy - but it never occurred to me to keep the ingredients listing.
> 
> Or - better yet - anyone know if the Indoor 27 is a similar shape/makeup? If I read right, it has better meat sources, so if it's similar, I might be able to trick 'em....


The 37 has been discontinued I'm pretty sure, or at least it's not where to be found around here. The 40 is basically the same according to a Royal Canin Rep I spoke too, just 40% protein instead of 37%. This is definitely pushing the protein limit however, especially since most of it is artificially boosted. My little girl was on it but I took her off of it for this reason. If you take a look at the food list there are a lot of better alternatives on there, some of which I'm sure are availible in your area. If you do still stay on the RC though I would probably go for the 27. They are are basically the same, the numbers just indicate protein content. Just make sure you got a few more better foods in your mix, cause too much protein causes liver and kidney failure.


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## AprilF

Uh, yeah - that takes that off the list of options. I never realized the number indicated protein count - so that's super helpful. 

Yeah, there are quite a few options available. Being in a big city helps with that. Our issue has always been kibble shape - and my reluctance to buy a "big" bag of food without knowing he'll actually eat it. *sigh*

Many thanks. I'll hope the pet store folk know something about kibble shape/size tomorrow so I can get some new stuff to try out!


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## Shelbys Mom

If you buy his/her food from Pet Smart or Petco they will let you return an open bag of food (with receipt) if your little one don't like it.
I think you have like 30 day's to return it.
Other pet stores may do this as well, you could ask when you go to buy the food.

I hope this helps.
I know how it is I have some finicky eaters myself.


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## AprilF

Yeah, this was all helpful. For me, anything that the hedgies won't eat is more than likely something my cat would, so I'm not overly concerned .... would just prefer to avoid.

PetCo's selection is far from impressive, by any means. I ended up with Halo's Spot Stew as a "new" food to try. On surface level, it doesn't fit the guidelines of the list - the fat percentage is 18%, which in theory is too high.

But the ingredients list was actually quite good - and when I looked at the other bag of food I was buying, I realized this was more than reasonable to add to my mix. 

I currently use Blue Buffalo's Indoor Cat (32% protein, 15% fat), Newman's Own Organics Advanced Active/Senior Formula (34/14), and Wellness Healthy Weight (30/8). 

14, 15, and 8 as the fat percentages. So, adding in an 18% fat is actually an OK blend, because it's balanced out by the 8. 

So, we'll see. It'll be a slow introduction, and I won't make it quite an equal proportion to the other three foods. I'll be keeping an eye to make sure they're not eating the Spot's Stew to the exclusion of the other foods, and we'll see how it goes!


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## dorasdaddy

We use the Regular spots Stew AND the Indoor (indoor has 16% fat) but our little one is a champion marathon runner and the higher fat foods is the only way to keep weight on.


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## Shelbys Mom

AprilF said:


> PetCo's selection is far from impressive, by any means. I ended up with Halo's Spot Stew as a "new" food to try. On surface level, it doesn't fit the guidelines of the list - the fat percentage is 18%, which in theory is too high.


If you have a slender hedgie that likes to run alot the 18% fat would be alright for him/her.
If it's a chubby little hedgie I'd just limit the amount of the higher fat food in the mix.


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## Immortalia

AprilF said:


> 14, 15, and 8 as the fat percentages. So, adding in an 18% fat is actually an OK blend, because it's balanced out by the 8.


Actually I asked this awhile ago, when I found another food that meets all the requirements, but 18% fat(I wanted different flavours in the mix, rather than getting all chicken, as at least 80% of food out there is chicken).

This is the response I got:


Reaper said:


> I wouldn't due to the hedgie probably picking out the highest fat and eating that first. Solid Gold is made from lamb, Innova is turkey and chicken but my hedgies favorite which isn't on the list due to the first ingredient not being meat is Natural Balance green Pea and Duck. I like to provide a variety of flavors as well.


But, like Shelbly's Mom said, if yours is a runner type, then the 18% would be fine. I opted not to add a higher fat because mine is teardrop shaped.


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## AprilF

They're both wheelers, but I wouldn't say either is a marathon wheeler... and they're both pretty average hedgies.

Spot's certainly won't be an equal player in the mix, and I'll be monitoring how the kibble goes. So far, Bramble hasn't so much as touched the Spot's. Linny, on the other hand, will eat just about anything I put in front of her, to be honest!


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## NoOther1

well...I just learned that the food that I was given with my hedgie (science diet for kitten) is pure crap...

should I concider buying another type of food? I also read that I shouldn't switch to another type of food after taking him out of the breeder's home.


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## Flutter

it wont let me download the catfood thing, is there another page i can see the good cat foods on?


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## Immortalia

Flutter said:


> it wont let me download the catfood thing, is there another page i can see the good cat foods on?


Just PM'ed you with the list ^_^


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## SnufflePuff

AprilF said:


> They're both wheelers, but I wouldn't say either is a marathon wheeler... and they're both pretty average hedgies.
> 
> Spot's certainly won't be an equal player in the mix, and I'll be monitoring how the kibble goes. So far, Bramble hasn't so much as touched the Spot's. Linny, on the other hand, will eat just about anything I put in front of her, to be honest!


I added Spot's stew to my mix when my hedgie started dropping weight. It turns out it was because she loved her new bucket wheel so much she was burning calories like crazy. If you're worried about them gaining too much weight just add a little bit of the spot's stew. My puff gets 15 kibbles which is a small percentage of her daily food and she doesn't even eat them all.

Your two hedgies sound like mine. Puff is like Bramble, takes her a long time to accept new foods, whereas Chloe sounds like Linny, eating anything that looks like food! One time she ate a piece of fluff off the carpet. Chewed it around in her mouth, I was like oh no what does she have and how do I get it out, then thankfully spit it out. Of course it got her so excited she absolutely drenched herself annointing. I had to pick her up with her hedgie hat because she was so covered in white foam I didn't want to get it all over myself :lol:


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## nicholasi

I just got a hedgehog... I know this on the list but i want to be sure.

This is really the only thing i could find at petsmart/petco.... How is "Wellness Healthy Weight For Adult Cats" ?


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## LizardGirl

Nearly all of the foods on the list can be found at Petco/Petsmart. Wellness Indoor Health is a great food but is usually too rich by itself. You'll want another food or two to mix with it.


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## nicholasi

LizardGirl said:


> Nearly all of the foods on the list can be found at Petco/Petsmart. Wellness Indoor Health is a great food but is usually too rich by itself. You'll want another food or two to mix with it.


I just put in a bowl of the wellness healthly weight and i have a bowl of spikes hedgehog food. ive given her crickets but i still found one crawling around and one died in the water bowl, so i imagined it ate the other two.......


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## IowaMisty

I'm trying to come up with a food mix and am wondering if anyone sees problems with mixing the following for my hedgies:

Authority Indoor Formula
Blue Buffalo Spa Select Lite
Now! Grain Free Turkey
Purina Cat Chow Naturals
Spike's Delight Premium
Wellness Healthy Weight

I'm making a spreadsheet & am coming up with a final mix that has:

32.4% protein
12.7% fat
6.8% fiber

I'm looking for opinions on whether or not the hedgies will hate any of these foods, if the overall balance seems ok, etc. I'm still playing with some of the numbers, but that's what I'm settling on at this point.

The breeder I got my latest hedgies from spoke VERY highly of the grain-free foods & said she has had larger litters & longer life-spans feeding a mixture of Wellness CORE and Inova Evo. After doing more research, I'm a bit concerned that those are way too high in protein and way too low in fiber. The Now! Grain Free Turkey cat food looks like a good alternative, with a much lower protein % and higher fiber %, but I do think I would like to try more of a mix and I think it's good to give them at least a little "junk food" kibble too. Have any of you tried the Now! Grain Free food? Do the hedgies eat it? What about the others?

I would love to hear your opinions. I'm working on a "Lite" version as well as a version with a little higher protein & fat, for hedgies who need to gain a little weight. Any help you can give me is much appreciated. The information I've found on this thread & in this form has been extremely helpful so far.

Thanks,
Misty


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## Immortalia

The list doesn't look too bad. The only thing I'd worry about is the NOW! Grain Free is 18% fat. However, you can switch that over to the senior which is 14% fat. Even though the 18% is part of a mix, hedgies tend to find the food that is higher in fat, and eat that first. However, if you notice that your hedgie literally runs the fat off of them, then the 18% would be fine. 

Another thing I want to point out, is that(just counting the cat foods) you have 4 chicken and 1 turkey. While it's still a fine mix, you may want to think about taking out one of the chickens and think about adding a different meat.

For example, Solid Gold is lamb, Performatrin Ultra has a salmon and olive oil, and Natural Balance Green Pea and Duck is...well..duck :lol: 
It just gives a wider variety of flavours for hedgies to chose from. 

As for adding fiber, many here(including myself) add either GrapeNuts cereal, or infant rice cereal to the mix. The infant rice is easier to add, as it is a powder. Many, including my boy tend to push away the GrapeNuts chunks and ignore it. So with the infant rice, it sticks to the cat kibble and guarantees consumption. 

Also, even after all this careful planning, some hedgies eat based on SHAPE :lol: There are some here who don't like the shape of the Wellness, while some prefer it. Some like flatter discs, etc etc. So I would suggest always getting the small bag/sample sizes first. And to keep your receipt, as some stores DO allow you to return opened bags.


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## IowaMisty

Thanks for your suggestions. I actually did have the Natural Balance Green Pea & Duck in my hypothetical mix, but I took it out when I added the Purina Cat Chow Naturals. I could add it back in if you think I have too many chicken-based foods. Have you tried any of these on your hedgies? Did they eat them ok?

I had my food names a little too generic on my spreadsheet, when I copied & pasted them for my post. I am using the Now! Grain Free Senior for my mix (the one with 14% fat). No one single food in my mix has over 15% fat, so I don't think I need to worry too much about them eating one fatty food over the rest of the mix.

I also had baby oatmeal on my list for a while, but I was finding that adding it in (unless I'm way off in my calculations on my spreadsheet somehow) didn't really change anything. I have baby oatmeal listed at 14% protein, 18% fat, & 7% fiber. So no matter how much is used, I'm not seeing how it could increase the average fiber to 15%. I keep reading everywhere that people are using Grape Nuts or baby oatmeal to add fiber, but how does that really bump it up? The way I'm doing my calculations (to obtain overall totals) is to add up each food's % multiplied by the % of mix that contains that food. Did that make sense? I'm basically averaging out the protein, fat, & fiber based on how much of each food I'm planning to use in the mix & that gives me the total %. So if oatmeal is 7% fiber, even if I used a lot of it, how could the average ever be the desired 15%? Am I thinking of this the wrong way? How much oatmeal or grape nuts are people adding to their mixes? I like that the oatmeal kind of sticks to the food....but if it's not bumping up the fiber and is actually just bumping up the fat, is it really worth it? I'm not bashing the idea...just trying to make sure I'm understanding this right.

Thanks for any help you can offer. It's good to know I might be on the right track.

Misty


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## Shelbys Mom

None of mine liked the baby oatmeal or the grape nuts.
So I add Multi Grain hot cereal by Hodgson Mill.
I sprinkle just a tiny amount on their food a few times a week and it work's for mine and they actually eat it.
I don't know what the % of everthing would be for it though. 
It has:
Fat 3g or 5% %daily value
Dietary Fiber 6g or 24% %daily value
Serving Size is 1/3 cup. (of course you wouldn't give anywhere near that much to a little hedgie.) So I'm not sure how to figure up exactly how much they would be getting (math is NOT my strong point).


I haven't heard of anyone else using this so I don't know their thought's on it.


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## LizardGirl

I have tried grape nuts for additional fiber when they were recommended, but my boy will not eat them. I haven't tried the baby rice/oatmeal flakes... so can't comment there.

Inky is pretty skinny and needs a high fat diet to keep weight on. His diet is a lot of high fat foods, and he gets a lot of insects- that is what I use for additional fiber. Along with his regular three course meal (spoiled butt) he gets ten mealies, plus additional treats (mealie pupae/beetles, crickets, waxworms, wet cat food, meat, etc). So I use mealies mainly in hopes of more fiber.

Since you have gliders, I think you would have mealies on hand, so maybe that would work? (though I am NOT a suggie expert and maybe I am totally off about feeding them mealies... :lol: )

Just a thought, since I haven't had luck with other recommended supplements either. Personally even without the mealies Inky has great healthy poop, I'm not sure how much the fiber is really needed.


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## IowaMisty

Thanks. Yeah, we do often keep live crickets & mealworms and we have dried mealworms, silkworm pupae, & wax worms because we sell them in our glider store & use them for our gliders. So yeah, we are planning to feed insects to our hedgehogs as well and hopefully that will help bump up the fiber high enough.

I know it seems like I have a lot of foods in my mix. Does anyone see any problems with this? The highest-fat food is only at 15% & has good protein & fiber percentages, so even if they went for that first, I don't think that would be a problem. Is too much variety good or bad for hedgies? I want to give them variety but don't want to encourage them to be picky. With the hedgehog we've had for a little while, he does tend to eat one food out of his mix more than the others, so if he doesn't eat something one night, we only add enough mix to his bowl to make sure he has enough to eat, which means if he's hungry, he'll eat it all. And he does eat all of them, he just has an obvious favorite. With the new mix, all of the foods are pretty high-quality, so I wouldn't be too concerned about health issues if they liked one food more than the others. However, I don't want to be stuck with a giant bag of expensive food for nothing...lol. Maybe when we buy all of these, before we actually mix a big batch, I'll try putting a kibble of each into their bowls & see if there's one in particular that they don't eat. Then I guess I could try returning any that don't work out. It'll be a little hard to tell for sure though because 5 of our 6 hedgehogs are new to our house and they're still a little stressed out from the traveling & change of environment.....so some of them aren't eating too great in general right now.

I only have about 2 weeks of their other food though, so I need to either buy more of that or start making the change now, so I can do it gradually.

Any other opinions you have are greatly appreciated. In the sugar glider world, people are REALLY opinionated about diets, so I kind of come from that mentality where I don't want to mess anything up by selecting a diet (or recommending & selling a diet to people who buy my babies) that's not proven to work well or isn't accepted amongst other breeders. I'm getting the vibe with hedgehogs that in general, just about any mix of natural cat foods is pretty acceptable, as long as you keep the basic rules in mind (shoot for the right amounts of protein, fat, & fiber, and look for quality ingredients) & as long as your hedgehog will eat it.

Misty


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## LizardGirl

Feeding a variety is actually a good thing, since we don't know a lot about hedgehog dietary requirements. By offering several kinds of food, we can hope to cover all the bases. My mix, though it changes once in a while, has always consisted of at least 6 foods. I also think to myself maybe it's a bit much but I really enjoy buy/mixing the food, seeing his opinions, etc. 

It's pretty common to have hedgies pick out their favorite foods and eat those first, even if you are only feeding 2 foods. I wouldn't worry too much, I don't think variety will encourage a food strike. :lol: 

As for trying the food out... that is a good idea. Some kibble shapes are unpopular with hedgies, some formulas are, etc. Offer it and see if they will eat it for a few nights (sometimes they will eat it the first night, but never again after that). They you know you want to keep it. Petco has a 30-day return policy, if the hedgies decide they don't approve.

Looks like you've got everything down. Hope your hedgies are cooperative!


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## IowaMisty

Ok cool. Yeah I hope they like all of the foods I picked out. I guess the good thing is if they don't like one of them, it'll be easy to swap it or just take it out & redo my ratios for the mix.

Misty


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## Linsoid

Does anyone know anything about harmony Farms indoor cat food?


Chicken, Chicken Meal, Whole Ground Brown Rice, Whole Ground Barley, Oatmeal, Menhaden Fish Meal, Chicken Fat (naturally preserved with Natural Mixed Tocopherols), Natural Chicken Flavor, Dried Cellulose, Whole Sweet Potatoes, Whole Carrots, Peas, Alfalfa Meal, Ground Flaxseed, Cranberries, Blueberries, Apples, Canola Oil, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Dried Kelp, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Taurine, Chicory Root Extract, Mannanoligosaccharides, Rosemary Extract, Citric Acid, Vitamin A Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Niacin (Vitamin B3), Calcium Pantothenate (Vitamin B5), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Biotin (Vitamin B7), Folic Acid (Vitamin B9), Vitamin B12 Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (natural source of Vitamin C), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Choline Chloride, Zinc Proteinate (source of Chelated Zinc), Iron Proteinate (source of Chelated Iron), Copper Proteinate (source of Chelated Copper), Manganese Proteinate (source of Chelated Manganese), Potassium Proteinate (source of Chelated Potassium), Cobalt Proteinate (source of Chelated Cobalt), Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide (source of Iodine), Sodium Selenite, Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Bacillus Subtilis, Bifodobacterium Thermophilum, Bifodobacterium Longum, Enterococcus Faecium.

Crude Protein	32.0%	min
Crude Fat	15.0%	min
Crude Fiber	4.5%	max
Moisture	10.0%	max
Ash	7.0%	max
Magnesium	0.10%	max
Taurine	0.15%	max
Omega 3 Fatty Acids*	0.2%	min
Omega 6 Fatty Acids*	2.75%	min

I would probably be mixing it with something that contained more fiber. I was just curious because it is sold at wegmans


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## Reaper

As long as it is mixed with a food with a little less fat it should be ok.


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## rebeccaeric18

My hedgie absolutely loves Royal Canin Preventative cat food!


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## SnufflePuff

rebeccaeric18 said:


> My hedgie absolutely loves Royal Canin Preventative cat food!


That's probably cause it's the most fattening pet food in the world!!! :lol:

But in all seriousness, I wouldn't feed it to your hedgehog. I've seen cats and dogs get VERY chubby on that food.

That and the fact that it doesn't really meet any of the hedgehog food criteria...


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## rebeccaeric18

Well then what do i feed her:s I just opened the bag.
The only line of cat food i have in a 4 hour vicinity is royal canin.....


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## nikki

Have you tried the Vet Clinic in Kimberley? it says online that they carry pet foods. Are there other types of Royal Canin available? Royal Canin 27 is a good choice, lower in fat. Can you order online??

I used to have to drive 3 hours to get the food for my hedgies...but now a Global Pet Foods opened an hour away.


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## silvercat

Rebeccaeric - you also don't need to throw the old food away. You can keep adding small amounts to your hedgies other food once you get another brand so there's a mix (a small amount due to the fat content) & watch your hedgies size. Also the SPCA & other animal welfare places will often gladly take food.


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## rebeccaeric18

The vet clinic in kimberley carries the exact same as cranbrooks clinic. The vet told me this is the best choice for my hedgehog so i bought it.
What kind of royal canin is the best then.. thats as good as its going to get for her anyway..


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## SnufflePuff

rebeccaeric18 said:


> The vet clinic in kimberley carries the exact same as cranbrooks clinic. The vet told me this is the best choice for my hedgehog so i bought it.
> What kind of royal canin is the best then.. thats as good as its going to get for her anyway..


Royal Canin/Medical 100% guarentees their food, you should be able to return it and get a full discount. But it will be OK to feed in a mix as a "junk food". What I meant earlier was that I wouldn't exclusively feed that food only. There are a lot of "pet store" brand foods that are better for hedgehogs. If you have to go with Royal Canin veterinary brand food, ask about their diet foods. There is a food called "weight control" and one called "calorie control" which have more suitable nutrient levels. However all of these foods should still only be fed in a mix.


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## nikki

thats weird...according to the website for the vet in Kimberly they don't carry Royal Canin....

the following store in Cranbrook carries quality cat food

Cranbrook Pet Supply http://www.cranbrookpetsupply.com/
they carry Eagle Pac and Natrual Balance as well as a few other brands, and you can order online.


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## rebeccaeric18

Okay i bought her the calorie watch one .. I forget what its called but it has high protien and like.. 8% fat...
that was the lowest fat i could find.
So ill mix the 2


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## SnufflePuff

rebeccaeric18 said:


> Okay i bought her the calorie watch one .. I forget what its called but it has high protien and like.. 8% fat...
> that was the lowest fat i could find.
> So ill mix the 2


That's good but youre still gonna want to mix some other high quality foods. Royal canin has a lot of corn, which hedgies can't digest so if you can find at the VERY LEAST 1 or 2 natural food brands that have no corn and meet the protein/fat standards, that would be ideal for your mix. Also Royal canin's protein levels are artificially inflated which can be hard of hedgie's kidneys and intestines so I would be concerned if the only brand your hedgie is eating is royal canin.

I know food is a pain, it took me months to sort mine out. But it is essential to giving your hedgie the best and longest life possible so I hope you can find some better foods to mix


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## rebeccaeric18

Thankfully my cat likes the preventative one! And shes super skinny so its okay..

I will look at the cranbrook pet supply store for the "Natural Blends?"


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## SnufflePuff

rebeccaeric18 said:


> Thankfully my cat likes the preventative one! And shes super skinny so its okay..
> 
> I will look at the cranbrook pet supply store for the "Natural Blends?"


That's good to hear, prevenative is a pretty decent cat food so I'm glad she likes it!

By Natural Blends I just mean food that claims to be "organic" and contain "no corn, preservatives, etc.". Most of the foods on the recommended list are "natural" and they tend to be best. I'm sure you will be able to find at least one of the foods on the list 

EDIT:
And it doesnt have to be on the list to be good. as long as it meets the protein, fat and ingredient requirements


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## rebeccaeric18

how high should the protien be?
and how low should the fat be


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## Lilysmommy

You want to shoot for protein around 30-35% and fat below 15% unless your hedgehog is a runner and needs the extra fat.


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## rebeccaeric18

She runs like crazy! so i think i have the perfect balance right now


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## rebeccaeric18

So i found the chicken soup for the cat lovers soul.. i bought the adult formula.. is was high in protien low in fat..
Should i mix this with the Royal Canin Preventative or the Calorie Control food?
or keep it on its own.


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## SnufflePuff

rebeccaeric18 said:


> So i found the chicken soup for the cat lovers soul.. i bought the adult formula.. is was high in protien low in fat..
> Should i mix this with the Royal Canin Preventative or the Calorie Control food?
> or keep it on its own.


The adult light formula right? 32% protein and 9% fat?

The food on its own is a great food but it is recommended that you do feed a mix of at least 3 or more high quality foods with a "junk food" thrown in (if you're not sure what I mean by junk food, search it up in the food forums - and the royal canin preventative and calorie control aren't really considered "high quality"...I would say those would be more your "junk foods") so I would feed mostly chicken soup as your high quality food and some calorie control as your "junk food", then get at least 1 or 2 other healthy foods (ie. wellness, blue spa, natural balance, solid gold, fromm, foods like that). You can probably leave a little bit of preventative in too.

Make sure you transition slowly though adding the chicken soup.


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## rebeccaeric18

Okay great thank you!


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## Sonitus

Hello,

I new here but i will be getting a young hedge 7-8 weeks old or so in about a week or so im just finishing getting everthing ready. I just wanted to know if this was a good food for him?
Also whats a good way to add more fiber into the diet?
I picked up Wellness Kitten Health.

Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Rice, Ground Barley, Ground Rice, Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols, a natural source of Vitamin E), Natural Chicken Flavor, Salmon Meal (Source ofDHA, Docosahexaenoic Acid), Chicken Liver. Cranberries, Tomato Pomace, Olive Oil, Chicory Root Extract, Cranberry Extract Powder, Cranberry Fiber, Flaxseed, Potassium Chloride, Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Thiamine Mononitrate, Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Beta-Carotene, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Folic Acid, Biotin, Vitamin B-12 Supplement), Choline Chloride, Minerals (Zinc Proteinate, Zinc Sulfate, Iron Proteinate, Ferrous Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Manganese Sulfate, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), Yucca Schidigera Extract, Dried Kelp, Chondroitin Sulfate, Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Lactobacillus Plantarum, Enterococcus Faecium, Lactobacillus Case, Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Taurine, Rosemary Extract.

Protein: 36%
Fat:18%
fiber:3%

I've been reading these forums for the last few months, its been a great help in getting things setup.


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## Immortalia

The brand Wellness is already an approved brand on the list.

However, the kitten formula is at 18% fat, and we try to keep their diets low in fat (less than 15%). The Indoor and the Weight Control are at 12% and 8 or 9 % (off the top of my head), so those would be better choices.


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## Amy1024

I've had Hershi for around 5 weeks now. I've been feeding her PurinaOne: Chicken and Rice and last week I introduced Blue Buffalo WIlderness: Chicken to her. She seems to be eating both foods fairly equally without an upset stomach. Today, I bought her Wellness Complete Health: Salmon, Salmon Meal and Deboned Turkey Recipe. Should I add another mix into her diet? And are these choices good for her so far? 
She is currently 12 weeks old and weighs around 245g. She is also the active/running type. So should I add a more fattening food to her mix? Thanks!


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## SnufflePuff

Amy1024 said:


> I've had Hershi for around 5 weeks now. I've been feeding her PurinaOne: Chicken and Rice and last week I introduced Blue Buffalo WIlderness: Chicken to her. She seems to be eating both foods fairly equally without an upset stomach. Today, I bought her Wellness Complete Health: Salmon, Salmon Meal and Deboned Turkey Recipe. Should I add another mix into her diet? And are these choices good for her so far?
> She is currently 12 weeks old and weighs around 245g. She is also the active/running type. So should I add a more fattening food to her mix? Thanks!


*PurinaOne:*
Chicken, brewers rice, corn gluten meal, poultry by-product meal, wheat flour, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), whole grain corn, fish meal, soy protein isolate, animal liver flavor, phosphoric acid, potassium chloride, calcium carbonate, caramel color, salt, choline chloride, taurine, L-Lysine monohydrochloride, Vitamin E supplement, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, manganese sulfate, niacin, Vitamin A supplement, calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, copper sulfate, riboflavin supplement, Vitamin B-12 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, Vitamin D-3 supplement, calcium iodate, biotin, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), sodium selenite

Purina one isn't considered a high quality food. You want to look for foods that have high quality meats and no corn products in the first 5 ingredients. The food you're feeding currently has brewers rice, corn gluten meal and wheat flour in the top 5 ingredients - which are all fillers that hedgehogs have a hard time digesting. The "poultry by-product meal" basically means chicken feet and beaks and feathers, all nasty stuff you don't want to be feeding either.

*Blue Buffalo Wilderness:*Crude Protein 40.0% min 
Crude Fat 18.0% min 
Crude Fiber 3.5% max 
Moisture 10.0% max 
Magnesium 0.08% min 
Taurine 0.15% min 
Omega 3 Fatty Acids* 0.9% min 
Omega 6 Fatty Acids* 3.5% min

Way too high of protein. Hedgies should be getting 30-35% protein at the most. 40% will cause liver and kidney failure. Try *Blue Spa *or *Blue Longevity *instead, same company, more or less same ingredients, just healthier protein levels.

Wellness is a very healthy food.

Since your hedgie is a runner, the 18% fat levels are okay, but I wouldn't feed her a mix that is all 18% fat, unless you think she's really skinny. Mixing in a few lower fat foods might be a good idea, so she doesn't gain too much weight. But, of course that is all up to your judgement if you think she needs the extra fat. 

Hope that helps


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## Amy1024

SnufflePuff said:


> Amy1024 said:
> 
> 
> 
> I've had Hershi for around 5 weeks now. I've been feeding her PurinaOne: Chicken and Rice and last week I introduced Blue Buffalo WIlderness: Chicken to her. She seems to be eating both foods fairly equally without an upset stomach. Today, I bought her Wellness Complete Health: Salmon, Salmon Meal and Deboned Turkey Recipe. Should I add another mix into her diet? And are these choices good for her so far?
> She is currently 12 weeks old and weighs around 245g. She is also the active/running type. So should I add a more fattening food to her mix? Thanks!
> 
> 
> 
> *PurinaOne:*
> Chicken, brewers rice, corn gluten meal, poultry by-product meal, wheat flour, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), whole grain corn, fish meal, soy protein isolate, animal liver flavor, phosphoric acid, potassium chloride, calcium carbonate, caramel color, salt, choline chloride, taurine, L-Lysine monohydrochloride, Vitamin E supplement, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, manganese sulfate, niacin, Vitamin A supplement, calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, copper sulfate, riboflavin supplement, Vitamin B-12 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, Vitamin D-3 supplement, calcium iodate, biotin, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), sodium selenite
> 
> Purina one isn't considered a high quality food. You want to look for foods that have high quality meats and no corn products in the first 5 ingredients. The food you're feeding currently has brewers rice, corn gluten meal and wheat flour in the top 5 ingredients - which are all fillers that hedgehogs have a hard time digesting. The "poultry by-product meal" basically means chicken feet and beaks and feathers, all nasty stuff you don't want to be feeding either.
> 
> *Blue Buffalo Wilderness:*Crude Protein 40.0% min
> Crude Fat 18.0% min
> Crude Fiber 3.5% max
> Moisture 10.0% max
> Magnesium 0.08% min
> Taurine 0.15% min
> Omega 3 Fatty Acids* 0.9% min
> Omega 6 Fatty Acids* 3.5% min
> 
> Way too high of protein. Hedgies should be getting 30-35% protein at the most. 40% will cause liver and kidney failure. Try *Blue Spa *or *Blue Longevity *instead, same company, more or less same ingredients, just healthier protein levels.
> 
> Wellness is a very health food.
> 
> Since your hedgie is a runner, the 18% fat levels are okay, but I wouldn't feed her food that is all 18% fat, unless you think she's really skinny. mixing in a few lower fat foods might be a good idea, so she doesn't gain too much weight. But, of course that is all up to your judgement if you think she needs the extra fat.
> 
> Hope that helps
Click to expand...

I will replace the both of them. I was actually recommended by the breeder to feed her PurinaOne (sounds so icky! :? ) so I didn't want to upset her stomach too early but I was planning to replace it. Good thing I asked and thank you for the help  But yea, Hershi is definitely quite small; currently I am weighing her everyday and she seems to be ~244 - 246 grams. I won't add another food that's equal or more than 18% fat though. Thanks again!


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## SnufflePuff

Glad to help!  

If that's what the breeder had her on, you can definitely still do a slow transition. It's not a great food, but it's not going to cause any harm in the short-term so it's definitely better to switch slow!


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## mkrj58

I would just .ike to give a shout out to all the folks that put togather the food list, they are very handy to have. I am counting down the days now for my Babies from Hedgie pets, can hardly wait.


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## laixand

what is the best cat food for hedgehog? can you tell me what brand for 2-5 month hedgehog(young)? And the best brand for hedgehog >5 month, which is good for her pregnancy? my hedgie is not a runner, she spends a lot of time to sleep.


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## lenalena111

So I've been feeding my hedgie Sunseed hedgehog food. She is a runner and so is still pretty thin at a year and a few months of age. I want to give her more variety in her diet, and I also would like her to gain some weight. I've read most of this thread, and I think I might try Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul (Senior Hairball Formula, since she is very light and this is higher in fat), Wellness Indoor Health, and/or Natural Balance Green Pea and Duck. What mixture of these should I try for my hedgie. Should I mix some Sunseed hedgehog food with Wellness/Chicken soup and Natural Balance? It would be nice not to have to buy more new foods than I need to. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Also, are these three formulas I mentioned natural? If not can you recommend some wholesome foods that are. 

Thanks!


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## Immortalia

lenalena111 said:


> So I've been feeding my hedgie Sunseed hedgehog food. She is a runner and so is still pretty thin at a year and a few months of age. I want to give her more variety in her diet, and I also would like her to gain some weight. I've read most of this thread, and I think I might try Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul (Senior Hairball Formula, since she is very light and this is higher in fat), Wellness Indoor Health, and/or Natural Balance Green Pea and Duck. What mixture of these should I try for my hedgie. Should I mix some Sunseed hedgehog food with Wellness/Chicken soup and Natural Balance? It would be nice not to have to buy more new foods than I need to. Any advice is greatly appreciated.
> 
> Also, are these three formulas I mentioned natural? If not can you recommend some wholesome foods that are.
> 
> Thanks!


All three that you mentioned are great foods. Though one thing I will suggest...Is to still keep the fat below 15%. This is because while Sunseed is.... "ok" to feed, it's still considered "junk food to feed along with a good cat food". So she might not have been getting as much nutrients as she would on the good cat food, thus looking thinner. You may find that she might end up gorging herself on the good food, and easily able to maintain her weight.

Most prefer a mix of 3 brands of cat foods, to give them a wider variety of foods. So you can actually mix all 3 that you mentioned above. Just buy one at a time to slowly introduce, as you don't want her to get an upset tummy.

You can keep the sunseed in the mix if you want, as long as she has a good staple of good quality cat food off this list.


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## laixand

http://www.purina.com.au/friskies/thefriskiesrange/kitten/
I read that purina product is not good because it contains artificial. CMIIW
So, is frieskies good for hedgehog? I give my hedgehog friskies( like above url).
Thank you.


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## LarryT

laixand said:


> http://www.purina.com.au/friskies/thefriskiesrange/kitten/
> I read that purina product is not good because it contains artificial. CMIIW
> So, is frieskies good for hedgehog? I give my hedgehog friskies( like above url).
> Thank you.


Friskies is not any better.


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## laixand

Now, i know that friskies is not any better
Can I give my little hedgehog(around 3 month and a little fat) Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul Adult Cat Light Formula because the protein 32% and the fat 9%.
And when she pregnant and become mother, can I give her Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul Kitten Formula, because it's have 34% protein and 22% fat or maybe Adult Cat Formula (30% protein and 20% fat). Because I've read some previous page that pregnancy mother and nursing mother must have more fat.
can I give my hedgehog royal canin 32 based on above fact. Because it's hard for me to find cat food in my area.
One more question, did you ever hear hamsgehog food? is it ok?
Thank you.


----------



## Immortalia

laixand said:


> Now, i know that friskies is not any better
> Can I give my little hedgehog(around 3 month and a little fat) Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul Adult Cat Light Formula because the protein 32% and the fat 9%.
> And when she pregnant and become mother, can I give her Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul Kitten Formula, because it's have 34% protein and 22% fat or maybe Adult Cat Formula (30% protein and 20% fat). Because I've read some previous page that pregnancy mother and nursing mother must have more fat.
> can I give my hedgehog royal canin 32 based on above fact. Because it's hard for me to find cat food in my area.
> One more question, did you ever hear hamsgehog food? is it ok?
> Thank you.


As for the Hamsgehog food, could you find the nutritional chart and ingredients list? I found the product(sort of... ran into a lot of forums lol), but it's hard to navigate the pages as I don't understand them


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## laixand

I don't really know the analysis, but the seller said this :
- crude fat.............8%
- moisture...............10%
- Vit E...................721IU/kg
- Vit B2..................4.5mg/kg
- Crude Protein....................30%
- Crude Fibre.......................4.5%
- Vit A................................9000IU/kg
- Vit B1...............................4.5mg/kg
- Calcium.............................0.9% 

And I don't know this hamsgehog is good or not. Because it's hard to find this product via google. so I don't want risk my hedgehog


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## EryBee

I got Phinneus at two months old a week and a half ago and since then he has been eating Solid Gold katz-n-flocken, as this is what the breeder had him on. Today I bought some Authority adult weight control and I am slowly mixing it in with his other food. How much of the new stuff should I give him? He has gobbled up what I have given him so far (which have been a few kernels fed by hand, just as a test). Should I be giving him kitten formula, or is this weight control one okay? Like I mentioned, he is only a baby so I don't know if he needs a higher fat content or not.


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## SnufflePuff

EryBee said:


> I got Phinneus at two months old a week and a half ago and since then he has been eating Solid Gold katz-n-flocken, as this is what the breeder had him on. Today I bought some Authority adult weight control and I am slowly mixing it in with his other food. How much of the new stuff should I give him? He has gobbled up what I have given him so far (which have been a few kernels fed by hand, just as a test). Should I be giving him kitten formula, or is this weight control one okay? Like I mentioned, he is only a baby so I don't know if he needs a higher fat content or not.


Generally it's good to add a new food slowly, over a couple of weeks. You can start with feeding him a few kibbles for the next few days and then gradually increase. ie. 5 kibbles then 10 kibbles, then 15, until you get the mix you want.

How much fat content is the weight control? Babies do generally need higher fat, so you coud feed the kitten food for a few months then switch to the weight control. (although your hedgie might not be too keen on the weight control after eating the yummy kitten food)


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## lulu4au

So I have my dog on Wellness and would like to which Fabio on the indoor wellness but I was wondering does it make their poopy smell? What Fabio is on now is awful I hardly can breath!


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## myhedgiePotter

I use Meow Mix for my hedgehog, and although it is a little low in fiber, I make up for it with some good vegetables and other meals. =3
He seems to have no problem with it as well.


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## nessariel

myhedgiePotter said:


> I use Meow Mix for my hedgehog, and although it is a little low in fiber, I make up for it with some good vegetables and other meals.


Unfortunately, Meow Mix isn't just low in fiber, it's low in nutrition. Even their more "wholesome" line still has mostly fillers for the first 4 ingredients, and their "original" line is even worse: Ground yellow corn, corn gluten meal, chicken by-product meal, soybean meal, beef tallow preserved with mixed tocopherols. They also contain added colour and salt, neither of which is good for ANY animal, including hedgehogs. And cats. (It's really not a good food for anyone!  )Hedgehogs don't get any nutrition from corn in dry cat food. Your hedgie needs cat food with meat or meat meal as the first ingredient. I would have a look at the list at the beginning of this thread and pick out a couple good quality foods from there, then slowly introduce them, one by one, to your hedgehog.


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## myhedgiePotter

Oh really? O=
Well then, I'll slowly start mixing a new cat food in with his Meow Mix.
Hm...I usually try to have around 30% Protein, 12% fat and 10% fiber...around there.
Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul : Adult Cat Light Formula looks pretty popular and around my area. =3


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## Faifai

I just want to let anyone who reads this thread know that after spending some time in a friendly, locally-owned pet store carrying many varieties of high-quality cat food, I decided on Natural Balance Green Pea & Duck because from the ingredients and guaranteed analysis, it seemed nutritionally better than even Royal Canin, AND was less expensive. I am currently mixing it with Hedgehog Diet Ultra-Blend, which is what the pet store is feeding their hedgies. Eventually I will stop feeding Hedgeworth this food, because even though it's got a good Guaranteed Analysis list, it is made from mediocre ingredients.


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## laixand

laixand said:


> Now, i know that friskies is not any better
> Can I give my little hedgehog(around 3 month and a little fat) Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul Adult Cat Light Formula because the protein 32% and the fat 9%.
> And when she pregnant and become mother, can I give her Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul Kitten Formula, because it's have 34% protein and 22% fat or maybe Adult Cat Formula (30% protein and 20% fat). Because I've read some previous page that pregnancy mother and nursing mother must have more fat.
> can I give my hedgehog royal canin 32 based on above fact. Because it's hard for me to find cat food in my area.
> One more question, did you ever hear hamsgehog food? is it ok?
> Thank you.


Quote for help?


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## nikki

I can't find an english ingredient list..can you post the ingredients? without them we can't help


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## laixand

Ingredient for chicken soup for kitten :
Formulated specifically for growing kittens, this diet contains DHA for proper eye and brain development, and protein to help your kitten thrive into adulthood.

Protein: 34% Fat: 22%
Calories: 3,990 kcal/kg (373 kcal/cup) Calculated ME
Available in 6 lb and 15 lb bags.

Ingredients
Chicken, chicken meal, cracked pearled barley, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), ocean fish meal, white rice, potatoes, oatmeal, millet, powdered cellulose, natural chicken flavor, salmon, turkey, duck, flaxseed, salmon oil (source of DHA), egg product, methionine, potassium chloride, salt, choline chloride, taurine, dried chicory root, kelp, carrots, peas, apples, tomatoes, blueberries, spinach, dried skim milk, cranberry powder, rosemary extract, parsley flake, yucca schidigera extract, dried fermentation products of Enterococcus faecium, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus plantarum, dried Trichoderma longibrachiatum fermentation extract, zinc proteinate, vitamin E supplement, niacin, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, zinc sulfate, manganese sulfate, copper sulfate, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin A supplement, biotin, potassium iodide, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, manganous oxide, sodium selenite, vitamin D supplement, folic acid.


Chicken soup for adult :
With a taste guaranteed to satisfy, this nutritious, wholesome diet is designed to increase the health and well-being of your adult cat.

Protein: 30% Fat: 20% 
Calories: 3,922 kcal/kg (367 kcal/cup) Calculated ME
Available in 6 lb and 18 lb bags.

Ingredients
Chicken, chicken meal, cracked pearled barley, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), ocean fish meal, white rice, potatoes, oatmeal, millet, natural chicken flavor, salmon, turkey, duck, flaxseed, sodium bisulfate, egg product, methionine, potassium chloride, choline chloride, dried chicory root, taurine, kelp, carrots, peas, apples, tomatoes, blueberries, spinach, dried skim milk, cranberry powder, rosemary extract, parsley flake, yucca schidigera extract, L-carnitine, dried fermentation products of Enterococcus faecium, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus plantarum, dried Trichoderma longibrachiatum fermentation extract, zinc proteinate, vitamin E supplement, niacin, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, zinc sulfate, manganese sulfate, copper sulfate, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin A supplement, biotin, potassium iodide, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, manganous oxide, sodium selenite, vitamin D supplement, folic acid.

Chicken soup for light cat :
Using natural vegetable fiber to reduce calories while maintaining proper nutritional content, this diet brings overweight or less active adult cats back to their ideal weight.

Protein: 32% Fat: 9%
Calories: 3,225 kcal/kg (302 kcal/cup) Calculated ME
Available in 6 lb and 18 lb bags.

Ingredients
Chicken, chicken meal, cracked pearled barley, ocean fish meal, powdered cellulose, white rice, potatoes, oatmeal, millet, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), natural chicken flavor, salmon, turkey, duck, flaxseed, sodium bisulfate, egg product, potassium chloride, methionine, choline chloride, dried chicory root, taurine, kelp, carrots, peas, apples, tomatoes, blueberries, spinach, dried skim milk, cranberry powder, rosemary extract, parsley flake, yucca schidigera extract, L-carnitine, dried fermentation products of Enterococcus faecium, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus plantarum, dried Trichoderma longibrachiatum fermentation extract, zinc proteinate, vitamin E supplement, niacin, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, zinc sulfate, manganese sulfate, copper sulfate, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin A supplement, biotin, potassium iodide, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, manganous oxide, sodium selenite, vitamin D supplement, folic acid.

I know that the ingredients is good. And what become my concern is fat %.
The light one is good for daily because it' only contain 32% protein and 9% fat.
What I want to know is, when my hedgie nursing(maybe one or two months later, and right now what can I do is search all of the information  ) can I give the higher fat 22%/20% fat for nursing mother?
Thank you


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## Immortalia

Laixand...

it's *hamsgehog food* that we can't find English ingredient list. 
CSFCLS is good to feed.


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## lillie

What kind of cat food can my hedgehog eat thats the best for him?


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## LizardGirl

lillie said:


> What kind of cat food can my hedgehog eat thats the best for him?


Did you read any of the past pages of this thread? That will answer your question.


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## Vihar

Hi all, I'm thinking about getting a hedgepig and have a question about food. I've not seen a lot about this addressed but still I apologize if it has already been addressed: Can hedgies be fed one food. (Cat) Or is a blend recommended? Would a single kibble work better with supplements? Mealies, crickets, veggies, fruits, grains, M&M's?? (Just kidding about the M&M's)
Also, are supper worms too hard on their tummies? What if you cut them up before feeding? 

Heck while I'm at it, let me run past some other nutrition questions I had. I read that since their teeth don't grow, they're not big chewers. What about other forms of oral care? I can't imagine they like having their teeth brushed. :mrgreen: Maybe they do. :?: Are tartar control cat treats ok every once in a while? 

Thanks!


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## Beanie

A blend is recommended, but I only use one and it's been fine. Supplements are definitely great - but avoid giving them too much fruit or insects, because they're high in sugar and fat respectively. Superworms are fine, as long as you cut off their head first (the heads will still bite, even after they're dead and can bite a hedgie's tummy). As far as oral care goes, to my knowledge, kibble keeps their teeth pretty clean. The vet will take a look at their teeth during check ups and let you know if anything needs to be done!


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## Vihar

Beanie said:


> (the heads will still bite, even after they're dead and can bite a hedgie's tummy).


Ewwwwww! LoL :lol: Nah actually I knew that. In fact I snip the heads off of all mealies I feed (frogs and such) just in case.

Crickets: do they have to be alive? It's not so much that I have a problem with them, but if they get loose I don't really want them taking over the house. (Or growing big enough to develop wings and keeping me up all night. -_-)

Thanks again!


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## Kait

Thank you for this list... I've been feeding Pretty Pets out of lack of knowing any better since it's what the pet store suggested.  I feel guilty now. I'm gonna go out and get him some of the Blue Buffalo Mature today since the store carries that and he'll probably like it a lot better. :lol:


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## MoonbeamHH

I'm a bit confused here. This sticky is a lot for me to read. I'm currently feeding Snowball only one brand, Purina One, Indoor cat formula, which is the blue bag. Is it possible to mix 1-2 different brands of food in one bowl? I want to see if Snowball would eat some food that has high in protein and some veggies.


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## Hedgieonboard

You can mix them in the same bowl but if you are adding new ones they have to be done one at a time with space in between so you can monitor if theres going to be a stomach upset from one of them. If you were to add a bunch of new things at once there is no way to tell what is causing a problem if his stomach acts up from one of them. There is some good threads on here about how to incorporate new foods. I always started a new food out as a snack and just slowly increased until it was incorporated well but I'm not an expert on this so you'll want to check out the other suggestions and see which one works best for you.
Grats on the new hedgie


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## MoonbeamHH

Wow this is too much information!  Okay, I went to Chucks and Don's over in Minnesota to see if they got any cat food examples. They handed me over two different kinds. One is Evo, the ancestral diet, which is a turkey and chicken formula, I don't see this on the list highlighted green so this isn't good for hedgehog, correct? I also got Innvoa, a cat and kitten food which has turkey, chicken, potato, egg, barley, rice, herring, apple, carrots and alfalfa sprouts. Could anybody point me to the correct example that I could try to feed Snowball? Thanks!


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## Immortalia

MoonbeamHH said:


> Wow this is too much information!  Okay, I went to Chucks and Don's over in Minnesota to see if they got any cat food examples. They handed me over two different kinds. One is Evo, the ancestral diet, which is a turkey and chicken formula, I don't see this on the list highlighted green so this isn't good for hedgehog, correct? I also got Innvoa, a cat and kitten food which has turkey, chicken, potato, egg, barley, rice, herring, apple, carrots and alfalfa sprouts. Could anybody point me to the correct example that I could try to feed Snowball? Thanks!


Evo:
Analysis:
*Protein: 50.2 % Fat: 22.53 %* Fiber: 1.39 % Arginine: 3.62 % Histidine: 1.1 % Isoleucine: 2.04 % Leucine: 3.68 % Lysine: 3.4 % Met-Cysteine: 1.82 % Methionine: 1.27 % Phe-Tyrosine: 3.73 % Phenylalanine: 2.13 % Threonine: 2.06 % Tryptophan: 0.52 % Valine: 2.47 % Linoleic Acid: 4.23 % Arachidonic Acid: 0.23 % Ash: 9.87 % Calcium: 2.59 % Phosphorous: 1.67 % Potassium: 0.67 % Sodium: 0.38 % Chloride: 0.61 % Magnesium: 0.1 % Iron: 230.53 mg/kg Copper: 21.85 mg/kg Manganese: 21.18 mg/kg Zinc: 185.65 mg/kg Iodine: 3.98 mg/kg Selenium: 1.4 mg/kg Vitamin A: 24931.02 IU/kg Vitamin D: 2391.6 IU/kg Vitamin E: 318.39 IU/kg Vitamin K: 0.78 mg/kg Vitamin B1 (Thiamine): 15.01 mg/kg Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin): 6.91 mg/kg Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid): 17.08 mg/kg Niacin: 67.52 mg/kg Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine): 4.15 mg/kg Folic Acid: 0.98 mg/kg Biotin: 0.15 mg/kg Vitamin B12 (Cyanocobalamin): 8.97 mg/kg Choline: 2482.23 mg/kg Taurine: 0.27 % Omega 3: 0.48 % Omega 6: 4.4 % Linolenic Acid: 0.22 % EPA + DHA: 0.25 % Carbohydrates: 6.64 % Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C): 514.56 mg/kg

The ingredients for Evo looks good, however, the protein and fat levels are WAY too high. Just the protein alone is enough to deter from ever feeding this to hedgies, because it may cause health problems.

As for the Innova Cat and Kitten...
Protein	36.22 %

Fat 20.25 %
The protein level should be "ok" to feed, but it IS still on the high end of the spectrum. You want to stay near 30%. But it's not nearly as bad as the 50% in Evo. And again, if your hedgie ends up to be a teardrop shape, rather than a runner type, the 20% fat may be too much.

The Innova Low Fat looks to be much more into the range of what we want, with
Protein 32.25 %
Fat 9.06 %

The ingredients for all look to be fine.


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## MoonbeamHH

Oh thanks for the great tip, about protein should be less than 30%, and the fat should be around 15% ish? Thanks!!


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## Immortalia

MoonbeamHH said:


> Oh thanks for the great tip, about protein should be less than 30%, and the fat should be around 15% ish? Thanks!!


hehe, it's around 30%ish protein, and below 15% fat ^_^ But you get the idea.
And meat(actually listed as chicken, turkey, etc etc) in the first 5 ingredients, and no by-products in any shape or form(sometimes see by-products meal)


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## karidaluv

hey do you guys use pro plan purina cat food? Herby loves the chicken & rice one with 40% protein and it seems decent, but his poop is stinky now and comes out slimey at times. sometimes it's dark green and real gooey and other times it's normal. I'm trying to figure out if it's his diet. I give him mealworms, dried crickets, the standard hedge food from the exotic pet stores (it looks like a flower) and now this purina cat food bits. he's eaten it for three or four days now. Anyone else have that poopy problem? I wonder if it's just the mites and the Revolution treatment causing stress poop.


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## xbwoman

The breeder told me that they feed Special Kitty dry food for their hedgies, he gave me a a small zip-log bag together when I adopt Sparkle. But I prefer Purina One, this is my favorite brand, so I bought a small bag (3.5LB) of Purina One Healthy Kitten Formula for him.


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## LizardGirl

Special Kitty is a horrendous cat food, and Purina ONE is not much better. I would highly advise against feeding it, unless it is in a mix with several other good cat foods.


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## xbwoman

LizardGirl said:


> Special Kitty is a horrendous cat food, and Purina ONE is not much better. I would highly advise against feeding it, unless it is in a mix with several other good cat foods.


Seems like the breeder gave me lots of wrong instruction, he told me to use pine shavings and gave him special kitty cat food.

So which brand do you highly recommended? Thanks!


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## shaelikestaquitos

There's a list on this post of the acceptable cat foods.


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## HeDgielOver101

im feeding my hedgie Meow Mix Original Choice. Bad? Good?


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## Nancy

Meow Mix is a grocery store, crap brand of food.


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## MeAmandaTee

my hedgie sadly is eating meow mix right now untill i can get him wellness and then we'll start making the change  im going to eventually have him eating wellness indoor cat and sunseed hedgie food. and as for the rest of the meow mix im thinking of maybe giving 3 or 4 pieces in like easter eggs tht open or hiding them around his cage as a snack? just untill its all gone i dont want to waste it. 
I dont know if this has been talked about i havent found anything but has anyone fed there hedgie wet cat food? maybe to mix in there regular food?


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## tie-dye hedgie

Once you get him to eat the Wellness, slowly take away the Sunseed. Commercial hedgehog foods are just bad and not good for them, unfortunately. I wouldn't worry about the wet food, just add another one or two high quality cat foods, from the list, to the Wellness.


----------



## MeAmandaTee

well i know that wellness is a great food but ppl say its too rich so im kind of confused on what i should be looking for to mix it?


----------



## Lilysmommy

Some other good ones are Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul Lite, Solid Gold Katz'n'Flocken, and Natural Balance Green Pea and Duck. The first and third of those are two popular foods among hedgies, and I haven't heard of there being any problems with them being too rich like Wellness. Solid Gold is a nice one to have in a mix as well, because it uses lamb for the main ingredient, which is a nice change from the chicken usually used in cat foods.


----------



## MeAmandaTee

well i know that i can find chicken soup for the cat lovers soul because the place tht im going to get wellness also sells it so i plan to mix wellness indoor cat and chicken soup for the cat lovers soul lite and if i can find it solid gold. does that sound good?


----------



## tie-dye hedgie

So you would have Chicken Soup, Solid Gold, and Wellness, right? That sounds like a good mix to me. 

Edit: To add, just make sure that your protein doesn't go over 30% and fat doesn't exceed 15%.


----------



## Lilysmommy

MeAmandaTee said:


> well i know that i can find chicken soup for the cat lovers soul because the place tht im going to get wellness also sells it so i plan to mix wellness indoor cat and chicken soup for the cat lovers soul lite and if i can find it solid gold. does that sound good?


Sounds like a good mix. Just make sure you remember to only introduce one new food at a time, and do so slowly. It'll take a month or two to get all three foods added.


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## MeAmandaTee

ok sounds good i really hope tht he likes all these foods he actually doesnt seem to like sunseed tht much he likes the shape of bigger harder cat foods for some reason


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## shaelikestaquitos

Or maybe they're just tastier :lol:
Hedgies tend to know good food from bad food  hehe


----------



## MeAmandaTee

lol maybe but I've noticed with different cat foods that he goes for more of a triangle shape then anything else when im hand feeding him and then after the food is gone he will nibble at my fingers for more lol


----------



## QuinntonsMom

I'm going to give him a week or so to settle in of course, but I want to get Quinn off of this Purina as soon as possible since someone compared it to eating week old McDonalds (GROSS!)

One of our pet stores sells Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul lite. Is that ok by itself or do you have to mix it with something? This same pet store is willing to order any holistic food we want, but if he can just eat the CSftCLS, I'll go with that. What's the point of mixing the foods? What do you suggest mixing with the Chicken Soup if it has to be mixed?


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## tie-dye hedgie

The point of mixing foods is because no one food has been found to give hedgehogs the correct amount of everything they need. In addition, I would recommend getting one or two other foods to add to the Chicken Soup, such as Solid Gold and/or Blue Buffalo. Make sure that the protein isn't oer 30% and the fat level isn't over 15%. 
Edit: I don't recommend Wellness Indoor anymore.


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## Littlefootsmama

tie-dye hedgie said:


> Make sure that the protein isn't oer 30% and the fat level isn't over 15%.


How do you figure that out? I mean when mixing foods, one food alone may have like 28% protein; when you add a second food you will already be over 30%? Or do you mean individual foods?


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## tie-dye hedgie

For example, if you have two foods, one with 30% and one with 28%, you add 30+28=58, then 58 divided by 2=29%. You find the average! 
So, if you have three foods, you would add all three together and divide the total by 3.


----------



## QuinntonsMom

So, you mix it all together in a tupperware or something? If I'm going to be buying 3 fairly expensive foods I want to make sure they stay fresh so he can eat it all before it expires.


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## Littlefootsmama

Ahhhh thank you! Makes so much more sense!


----------



## tie-dye hedgie

QuinntonsMom said:


> So, you mix it all together in a tupperware or something? If I'm going to be buying 3 fairly expensive foods I want to make sure they stay fresh so he can eat it all before it expires.


Yes, but before you mix it all together, you need to slowly incorporate each food individually over a 3-4 week period per food. Once you get him to eat all three foods, then you can mix it all together. 
Ask the petstores if they offer samples of the foods, some places will do that, at 1lb or so.



Littlefootsmama said:


> Ahhhh thank you! Makes so much more sense!


You're welcome! I'm a big math person, so my friends always get annoyed with me when I try to get all technical around them! :lol:


----------



## Littlefootsmama

tie-dye hedgie said:


> Edit: I don't recommend Wellness Indoor anymore.


Why don't you recommend Wellness anymore? I am trying to put my own mix together and I have been doing heavy research, so I love everyone's opinions! Also, how do you store your food to keep it fresh?


----------



## tie-dye hedgie

Littlefootsmama said:


> tie-dye hedgie said:
> 
> 
> 
> Edit: I don't recommend Wellness Indoor anymore.
> 
> 
> 
> Why don't you recommend Wellness anymore? I am trying to put my own mix together and I have been doing heavy research, so I love everyone's opinions! Also, how do you store your food to keep it fresh?
Click to expand...

I took a look at this thread that was started months ago.  viewtopic.php?f=5&t=5680

To keep food fresh, you can put the food mix into a plastic bin that is made for cereal. The same way it keeps cereal fresh, it does to the cat food.


----------



## MeAmandaTee

yeah what is wrong with wellness? i know that it is a great quality food and i was actually going to ask where i could get a sample because pet value (or at least the one near me) doesnt have samples


----------



## Lilysmommy

The only problem I've read of with Wellness is that it can be too rich for some hedgies. Lily never had a problem with it, though I've taken it out of her mix in exchange for something lower fat.


----------



## shaelikestaquitos

The only complaint I have heard about Wellness is that the Wellness Green Pea & Chicken food is a bit too hard for some hedgehogs to chew.

I don't really worry about the fat content because Kashi's still a growing boy and he is SUPER active (runs on his wheel ALL night).


----------



## MeAmandaTee

well i still plan to use it if orbie ends up liking it (i sent wellness an email requesting a sample last night) because its the best food that i can find for him, it might be to rich but eventually i plan on having at least one other food to mix with it so im sure it will be fine.


----------



## LarryT

shaelikestaquitos said:


> The only complaint I have heard about Wellness is that the Wellness Green Pea & Chicken food is a bit too hard for some hedgehogs to chew.


It's Natural Balance green pea and chicken.


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## LizardGirl

I agree, Wellness and Natural Balance both have kibble that IMO is too hard for hedgies, so it needs to be cut/crushed into smaller pieces.

And someone will come on here and whine but some hedgies don't like crumbs! Yes, some won't eat them, but some will. Give it a try.


----------



## MeAmandaTee

couldnt u mix a bit of water in it to soften it too?


----------



## shaelikestaquitos

LarryT said:


> It's Natural Balance green pea and chicken.


Oops :lol: I always get those confused all the time :lol:



LizardGirl said:


> I agree, Wellness and Natural Balance both have kibble that IMO is too hard for hedgies, so it needs to be cut/crushed into smaller pieces.
> 
> And someone will come on here and whine but some hedgies don't like crumbs! Yes, some won't eat them, but some will. Give it a try.


I have slowly been adding Natural Balance (all ages) to Kashi's mix (because recently he has been losing weight), and it doesn't seem to be causing him any problems (in terms of hardness). But yeah ^-^


----------



## TheWhite

I was just trolling around the net today and came across this list of Cat food for Hedgehog's just wondering what other people think about it?

http://www.toejob.org/jhttp://www.t...for_hedgies.htmlunk/cat_food_for_hedgies.html

TheWhite


----------



## Nell

Hmm. I wonder if reaper is still around. I am studying cat foods because my hedgehog's on Royal Canin and I want something better for him. 
These I didn't see on the list. What do you think?

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.j ... Id=3532688 <- It's got all sorts of goodies, but what got my attention was the flaxseed.

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.j ... Id=3082031 <- Vegetables

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.j ... Id=3082023

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.j ... Id=2750247<- Are fish oil and soybean oil good for hedgies at all

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.j ... Id=2750232 <- Low fat, 10% fiber got my attention

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.j ... n=SHOP+FOR<- Turkey/turkey meal main, lots of fruits/veggies added incl alfalfa and kelp

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.j ... n=SHOP+FOR Same, the 15% fat kind of bugs me though


----------



## nessariel

Here's my breakdown of the foods you linked, Nell:

The By Nature Organics one seems fine. Good ingredients, good analysis

The Goodlife one is junk. Check out the first few ingredients: Chicken-by-product meal, ground whole corn, corn gluten meal. By-product-meal is feathers and beaks and junk, and corn is undigestable filler.

Same basic problem with the Nutro Max and all of the Science Diet. Full of junk. The first 5 ingredients give you a good idea of what the food is mostly comprised of, so if there isn't a meat, or at least a meat meal, in the first 5 ingredients, the food is basically junk and filler.

The first Blue Buffalo one looks good, other Blue Buffalo foods are recommended too.

The only problem with the second Blue Buffalo one is it's a little high in fat, so perhaps only suitable for runner type hedgies who have trouble keeping weight on.

Hope that helps!


----------



## Nell

Yeah I thought there'd be a problem with not having meat primaries, thanks for your analysis. 
I was hopeful about Science Diet because of the high fiber content and low fat, but I guess I'll have to use supplements. 

Here's the mix I have in mind. Numbers given are Protein, Fat, Fibre in that order. 

By Nature Organics Chicken Formula Adult Cat Food
32, 12, 4

Wellness Indoor Health Adult cat food.
30, 12, 5. 

Blue Buffalo Basics Turkey & Potato Recipe Cat Food  
30, 12, 3.5

Average: 

31 , 12 , 4.2

As far as quality goes, these are the best I could find. My only issue is whether a 12% fat average is too high. Also, , does anyone here know of high fiber foods? I was hoping I could raise the total closer to 10. 

Another possible issue is the kibble, size and consistency, but this is a preliminary list.


----------



## nessariel

The numbers seem good! 12% isn't too bad, unless your hedgie ends up being a little on the portly or "fluffy" side. As for fiber, a lot of people sprinkle some gerber baby rice cereal over the food, to add extra, or some people have even given grapenuts cereal! Also, if you're feeding mealworms, their exoskeleton has a lot of fiber in them.

I wish you luck in your food endeavor! It took me 4 months to find a mix of three different foods Winston will actually eat, but he's a pretty picky pig. The good thing about Petsmart is they'll let you return open food bags if your "cat" won't eat them. I suggest buying and introducing foods one at a time, otherwise by the time you're introducing the last food, the 30 day return time will have expired, and you'll be out of luck if your hedgie ends up not eating that kind of food.


----------



## Nell

Out of curiosity, what's the board opinion on Royal Canin Indoor Light 40? This is the food he's been eating from the beginning, and I'm wondering whether to incorporate it to the mix or to simply discard it and switch it.

Like with science diet it has a high fibre percentage and relatively lower fat percentage, but one of the primary ingredients is corn...a filler.

Also I'm unsure whether to switch the Blue Buffalo Turkey&Potato or the By Nature Organics with Blue Buffalo Spa Select Weight Control Formula

I figured turkey as an additional source of protein would add variety to the mix but I'm unsure about the effects of canola oil and potatoes on hedgehog health.
Also I don't really know just how vital omega 6 and 3 fatty acids are, and whether having two products of the same brand is a good idea. 
Also, the weight control option also has reduced fat and higher fibre content. So I'm inclined to switch it.

Can I get some input?


----------



## Nell

In the end I went for Wellness Indoor Health, Blue buffalo Spa Weight Control and Blue Buffalo Spa Turkey/potato. Supplements include flaxseed oil, mealworms and cilantro sometimes. I thought it'd take a lot to get him to eat but he's eating the new mix as normal. I'll finish the last of the RC Indoor 40 and just feed him the new mix from now on. 

I love my hedgie. He adapts to new things easily even if he's perma cranky. 
Sorry if I blabbed on too much about this. :3


----------



## LizardGirl

Not at all, Nell! Working through your own diet issues helps everyone else reading this thread too. 

For the record, it is good you are finishing up the RC 40, since 40% is very high protein.


----------



## silvercat

I'm wondering people's thoughts on Holistic ProSeries Weight Management, protein 30%, fat 9%, fiber 7.5% Chicken Meal, Wholre Barley, Whole Brown Rice http://www.proseriespet.com/corey/jpage/1/p/seniorcat/content.do

My pet food store suggested it today, and as it's semi local and seems pretty decent I'm thinking about introducing it. I have a sample bag here to see is Annabell is interested.

Currently she is on:
-Nutriscience (came from the Breeder, I'm using up the bag and moving her off it onto the other foods)
- Go (protein 32%, fat 20%, fiber 3%, Chicken meal, de-boned chicken, whole brown rice,) http://www.petcurean.com/index.php?page_id=122
- PC Nutrition First (protein 30%, fat 14%, fibre 6.5%, chicken meal, chicken, brown rice) http://www.presidentschoice.ca/LCLOnline/liveArticles.jsp?articleId=lcloa22021&type=details

I know the Go is quite high in fat. I have half a bag approx left from Sylvie. Annabell really enjoys it though I may try to switch it out later for a lower fat. Eventually I also want to add (if she'll eat it) chicken soup for the cat lovers soul.


----------



## blinddeafdumb

I would not recommend wellness. Heres a thread on why
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=2049
Some hedgies cannot digest it because its too rich, causing slimy stinky grainy poo. This happened to my hedgehog, the smell was unbearable. Wellness should probably be taken off the list of recommended foods, it seems like a lot of people are having trouble with it.


----------



## silvercat

Sylvie was on Wellness and I never had a problem with the smell of it. It was one of the last foods in her mix thought that she would eat.


----------



## Nell

silvercat said:


> I'm wondering people's thoughts on Holistic ProSeries Weight Management, protein 30%, fat 9%, fiber 7.5% Chicken Meal, Wholre Barley, Whole Brown Rice http://www.proseriespet.com/corey/jpage/1/p/seniorcat/content.do


Fine by me, but I see it also contains fish. If you don't mind the smell, go for it.

I can't find chicken soup or the pea & duck foods. I'm in Toronto, petsmarts don't sell either at all. I am trying wellness, so far so good but I am noticing his waste smells stronger, mostly the pee though.

I might just make my mix solely of the Blue Buffalo spa foods and see if the smell goes away once I run outta wellness.

I still need to find cereal for the fiber supplement.


----------



## Immortalia

Nell, whereabouts in TO? Pet value has food like Performatrin(sp? I'm too migrainy to check). 

And depending how how far you want to drive, I KNOW Ren's Pet Depo in Oakville (corner of Trafalgar and Burnhamthrope) has a large selection. I get my Solid Gold from there. 

A lot of the non-chain pet stores are the ones that carry the different brands. I get my NB Green pea and duck from one of those non-chain stores(in Hamilton though).


----------



## Nell

Downtown. 
I'm good on food for a long while, but I want to have a backup just in case


----------



## silvercat

Nell said:


> silvercat said:
> 
> 
> 
> I'm wondering people's thoughts on Holistic ProSeries Weight Management, protein 30%, fat 9%, fiber 7.5% Chicken Meal, Wholre Barley, Whole Brown Rice http://www.proseriespet.com/corey/jpage/1/p/seniorcat/content.do
> 
> 
> 
> Fine by me, but I see it also contains fish. If you don't mind the smell, go for it.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the input. I'm hoping the fish is far enough down & low in content that we don't get too stinky


----------



## MoonbeamHH

I'm back once again. I went to get some more cat food, and I noticed that there is new kind, *Purina One, Indoor Advantage. Hairball & healthy weight formula. I see Protein 38%, and Fat 8.5 %. *
I'm feeding Snowball * Purina Cat chow complete formula- protein 34% and fat 18 %, and chicken for the cat soul. *
I am wondering which Purina Cat chow or Purina One. Indoor Advantage is best? Or does both is okay with Chicken for the Cat soul.


----------



## Immortalia

MoonbeamHH said:


> I'm back once again. I went to get some more cat food, and I noticed that there is new kind, *Purina One, Indoor Advantage. Hairball & healthy weight formula. I see Protein 38%, and Fat 8.5 %. *


Looking at the first few ingredients, you get: Brewers rice, corn gluten meal, poultry by-product meal, turkey, soybean meal, whole grain corn, fish meal, dried yeast

Not "as" bad as the Chow, but it's still bad, as it still contains corn and by-product within the first 5 ingredients.



> I'm feeding Snowball * Purina Cat chow complete formula- protein 34% and fat 18 %, and chicken for the cat soul. *
> I am wondering which Purina Cat chow or Purina One. Indoor Advantage is best? Or does both is okay with Chicken for the Cat soul.


Cat Chow's are generally crap. This one is no different.
Poultry by-product meal, corn meal, corn gluten meal, ground whole wheat, brewers rice, soy flour, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E)

First ingredient, we already get by-product, which is leftovers, innards, beaks, feet, etc etc Which is a bad source of "meat" if you can even call it that. Then we get corn, which hedgehogs can't really digest. So really, you are better off taking out the Chow.

If neither had by-product, I would be more willing to feed with the CSFCLS, because chicken soup is a good food. But the ingredients of these two are just too bad to even be considered "healthy junk food"


----------



## silvercat

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong or if it has changed. But I remember from 2 years ago when building Sylvie's original meal mix that you should target 30% protein & 12% fat (more or less depending on the activity level of your hedgie). The concern with protien was much higher could lead to fatty liver disease or other problems.


----------



## nessariel

You are correct, Silvercat. Too high in the protein area can hurt kidneys etc. As for fat, generally, as long as you're below 15% you should be good, but it can depend on the individual hedgie.

I've heard that cat and dog "chows" legally have to be called such because they're not of a high enough quality to be called "food". Is this true?


----------



## darkally

Is Special kitty original any good for them? it has Omega 6 fatty acids. It was what came with my hedgie. I started reading more throughout the forums and site, but it is a lot to take in all at once..

I know it is good to use several different mixes and that Hedgies can be picky..This place can be a bit overwhelming for a newbie at first. So much to go through..


----------



## Immortalia

darkally said:


> Is Special kitty original any good for them? it has Omega 6 fatty acids. It was what came with my hedgie. I started reading more throughout the forums and site, but it is a lot to take in all at once..
> 
> I know it is good to use several different mixes and that Hedgies can be picky..This place can be a bit overwhelming for a newbie at first. So much to go through..


It's a crap food. Filled with by products and corn. It's a "wal-mart" brand. Mind you, I can't find the exact ingredient list of the formula you are looking for, because I the links I keep getting are "Special Kitty Cat food Recalled due to salmonella"

All I can find really are reviews, and such, and all of them talks about animal digest, by-products and corn heavy. 
http://catfoodreviews.com/special-kitty-premium-adult-care-urinary-tract-health-cat-food/

The most popular brands that people here seem to feed are...
Blue Spa Select, Royal Canin, Chicken Soup for the Cat Lovers Soul, Wellness, Performatrin, Natural Balance, just to name a few.

As long as you keep in mind that you want protein to be around 30% and fat is under 15%, that's a good start.
Then you look at the ingredients. You want real meat, like chicken, turkey, some type of fish etc within the first 5 ingredients. Stay away from too much corn(if there's corn near the end of the ingredients list, that's still ok). Stay away from by products and animal digest.


----------



## darkally

I figured as much. I went to the store and saw it as well, but there were a bunch of choices. They should just make it easier and put all the bad cat food in one area and all the good stuff in another..or just get rid of all that bad cat food! I would not even feed most of it to my cats..

The protein and fat are in those ranges, but the corn and byproduct chicken was right there at the top!

We have a co-op near us, I would think that they may have some good food.

After I wean her off of it..I wonder what I should do with all this food, it is nearly a full bag...


----------



## Tarynsgate

I was poking around a nearby petstore and I found this: 1st Choice Adult Short Hair Indoor catfood. Full link below:

http://www.1stchoice.ca/en/nourriturepo ... poulet.php

These are the first five ingredients and the percentages:

Chicken (19%), chicken meal, brown rice, brewers rice, dried whole eggs.

Crude protein: 30% min.
Crude fat: 17% min.
Crude fiber: 3.5% max.
Moisture: 10% max.
Crude ash: 7% max.
Magnesium: 0.10% max.

The protein and fat content is a lil' on the high side, but what do you guys think? its one of the better looking foods I've seen around town afaik.


----------



## LizardGirl

That food doesn't look too bad. Though, the pieces look a little big, just something to consider. While hedgies usually don't have too much difficulty with big pieces I don't like feeding them whole because they wear the teeth down so much. You could cut the pieces in half, or crush them, if you want.


----------



## Tarynsgate

I'd probably just crack em up with a spoon or something. Just needed something decent to swap out the fancy feast with...she just isn't eating it anymore.


----------



## pooka dotted

So this is what my hedgehog was eating before I switched her to royal canin because she had babies. I only had a little bit because I was going o look up better cat foods but looking at the ingredient list on the first food im wondering if it would still be okay to feed her that kind? Here's the ingredient list that I copied from the site.

Ingredients
Chicken meal, chicken, brown rice, dehulled barley, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), oat groats, dried whole eggs, dried tomato pomace, dried beet pulp, natural flavor, dried brewers yeast, salmon meal, yeast culture, flaxseed meal, lecithin, salt, dicalcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, potassium chloride, inulin, dried algae (source of DHA), natural antioxidants (mixed tocopherols and citric acid), DL-methionine, L-lysine, calcium propionate (preservative), choline chloride, citric acid, fumaric acid, malic acid, lactic acid, yeast extract, rosemary extract, yucca schidigera extract, dried oregano, marigold extract, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), dried rosemary, dried thyme, dried fenugreek, dried fennel, dried cayenne, dried ginger, iron proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc methionine complex, zinc oxide, sodium selenite, vitamin E supplement, vitamin B12 supplement, copper proteinate, copper sulfate, inositol, niacin, taurine, manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, vitamin A acetate, riboflavin, calcium pantothenate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamine mononitrate, biotin, calcium iodate, vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid.


Crude protein min.	33.0%
Crude fat min.	20.0%
Crude fiber max.	4.0%
Moisture max.	10.0%
Ash max.	6.5%
Calcium min.	1.3%
Phosphorus min.	1.1%
Magnesium max.	0.1%
Salt min.	0.7%
Vitamin A min.	25,000 IU/kg
Vitamin D3 min.	1,600 IU/kg
Vitamin E min.	130 IU/kg
Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) min.	60 mg/kg
Omega-3 fatty acids min.	0.65%
Omega-6 fatty acids min.	5.5%
Omega-9 fatty acids min.	7.0%


----------



## susanaproenca

pooka dotted said:


> So this is what my hedgehog was eating before I switched her to royal canin because she had babies. I only had a little bit because I was going o look up better cat foods but looking at the ingredient list on the first food im wondering if it would still be okay to feed her that kind? Here's the ingredient list that I copied from the site.
> 
> Ingredients
> Chicken meal, chicken, brown rice, dehulled barley, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), oat groats, dried whole eggs, dried tomato pomace, dried beet pulp, natural flavor, dried brewers yeast, salmon meal, yeast culture, flaxseed meal, lecithin, salt, dicalcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, potassium chloride, inulin, dried algae (source of DHA), natural antioxidants (mixed tocopherols and citric acid), DL-methionine, L-lysine, calcium propionate (preservative), choline chloride, citric acid, fumaric acid, malic acid, lactic acid, yeast extract, rosemary extract, yucca schidigera extract, dried oregano, marigold extract, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), dried rosemary, dried thyme, dried fenugreek, dried fennel, dried cayenne, dried ginger, iron proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc methionine complex, zinc oxide, sodium selenite, vitamin E supplement, vitamin B12 supplement, copper proteinate, copper sulfate, inositol, niacin, taurine, manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, vitamin A acetate, riboflavin, calcium pantothenate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamine mononitrate, biotin, calcium iodate, vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid.
> 
> Crude protein min.	33.0%
> Crude fat min.	20.0%
> Crude fiber max.	4.0%
> Moisture max.	10.0%
> Ash max.	6.5%
> Calcium min.	1.3%
> Phosphorus min.	1.1%
> Magnesium max.	0.1%
> Salt min.	0.7%
> Vitamin A min.	25,000 IU/kg
> Vitamin D3 min.	1,600 IU/kg
> Vitamin E min.	130 IU/kg
> Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) min.	60 mg/kg
> Omega-3 fatty acids min.	0.65%
> Omega-6 fatty acids min.	5.5%
> Omega-9 fatty acids min.	7.0%


What food is this?

I'm not sure if cayenne and ginger are safe or not. You might want to open a new topic asking if this food is ok and see if someone can tell you that.

Still, I wouldn't use this food as the first ingredient is chicken meal. I try to go always with the meat instead of meal. If you do want to use it though, you should put it in a mix with other very high quality cat foods.


----------



## nikki

Meat meal is just as good as meat as the first ingredient. Meat meal is just meat with most of the moisture removed. That food looks good with the ingredients but the fat is a bit high for feeding all the time, unless you have a hedgie that has trouble keeping weight on. Usually a fat level no higher than 15% is recommended. 

What kind of food is that?


----------



## susanaproenca

Nikki, I've always thought meat meal wad the meat plus the unwanted parts like beaks, feet, etc. Guess I was wrong. 

Are Ginger and cayenne safe?


----------



## pooka dotted

The food is called Nutrience kitten growth. She came with the little 1 lb bag and I read it and thought she was fat because of it when really she was just pregnant haha. She's an avid runner and looks like she's a regular sized hog now that she had her babies. Once they're old enough i'll do the size comparison with the dollar bill and tennis ball and weigh her. i'll still keep the royal canin in her diet because he seems to really like it  I'll open a forum asking about the ginger and cayenne.


----------



## nikki

susanaproenca said:


> Nikki, I've always thought meat meal wad the meat plus the unwanted parts like beaks, feet, etc. Guess I was wrong.
> 
> Are Ginger and cayenne safe?


The unwanted, garbage parts are called "by-product" Meat meal is basically dehydrated meat.

I have fed food in the past that had small amounts of Ginger and Cayenne in them with no problems. I haven't heard any problems with them being in food.

I fed the Nutrience kitten food once in the past when I couldn't get any Royal Canin baby cat. I didn't have any problems with it but I was only feeding it to babies. A avid runner might do well on that fat level if they're burning it off every night.


----------



## Hedgehog Grove

Nutrience Kitten is perfectly fine for feeding pregnant/lactating mom and babies. Also is good for Avid runners who need to keep weight on. We use Nutrience Kitten instead of Royal Canin since we don't like all the Corn in it. We are using it for pregnant/lactating moms and it is is in our mix for the babies and avid runners we have.

We have never had any problems with the Nutrience lines.


----------



## pooka dotted

Excellent  thanks everybody!


----------



## hedgehog3333

Would it be ok to do pure wellness indoor health for the food? Does it have to be a mix? If so what else should i mix it with?


----------



## Lilysmommy

The reason many people prefer to do mixes is to try and make sure the hedgehog is getting all the nutrients they need, since we don't know much about their nutritional requirements. In addition, you'll most likely want to mix something else with Wellness because it's a very rich food. There's been quite a few hedgies that have had stomach upset and loose stools from getting too much Wellness. So it'd be a good idea to do a mix. Other foods you could put with it are Solid Gold, Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul, and Natural Balance Green Pea and Duck. There's plenty more ideas on the list as well.


----------



## danilious

is purina healthful life okie to feed to my hedgie ??


----------



## danilious

danilious said:


> is purina healthful life okie to feed to my hedgie ??


it has cheese bits ,whole grain,real samon,real chicken,garden greens,and cranberries


----------



## MissC

Purina Healthful Life...from their website:

Chicken by-product meal, corn gluten meal, soybean meal, ground yellow corn, ground wheat, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), salmon, chicken, powdered cellulose, brewers rice, soybean hulls, animal liver flavor, malt extract, phosphoric acid, calcium carbonate, salt, dried spinach, cranberries, dried carrots, dried cheese powder, choline chloride, taurine, potassium chloride, added color (Yellow 6, Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 2), zinc sulfate, Vitamin E supplement, ferrous sulfate, manganese sulfate, niacin, Vitamin A supplement, calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, copper sulfate, riboflavin supplement, Vitamin B-12 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, Vitamin D-3 supplement, calcium iodate, biotin, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), sodium selenite. B-4522

Crude Protein (Min) 36.0%
Crude Fat (Min) 13.0%
Crude Fiber (Max) 6.0%
Moisture (Max) 12.0%
Calcium (Ca) (Min) 1.1%
Phosphorus (P) (Min) 1.0%
Vitamin A (Min) 12,000 IU/kg
Vitamin E (Min) 75 IU/kg
Taurine (Min) 0.125%

My opinion: Chicken By-Product Meal isn't good for a first ingredient; too much corn in first 5 ingerdients (they can't digest corn); there seem to be a LOT of things I can't pronounce. The protein at 36% is a little high - aim for 32% max. I would look at the list and try to find one or two others in your area that appear on the list and mix this in as 'junk filler'. I wouldn't use it at all but while you're looking for something better...


----------



## danilious

okie  thank you


----------



## lpercz

I think this seems like a good food. I had never heard of it before but then again, I dont buy cat food on a regular basis (or I never used to before now). I have Evo Turkey and Chicken Formula. Its Grain Free and Low Carb for Cats and Kittens. Here are the facts:
Crude Protein (Min) 50%
" Fat (Min) 22%
" Fiber (Max) 2%
Moisture (Max) 10%
Carbs (Max) 7%
and some other things I dont know. The first few ingredients are:
Turkey, Chicken Meal, Chicken, Herring Meal, Chicken Fat (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols, a natural Source of Vit E), Peas, Eggs, Turkey Meal, Apple, Carrots, Cranberries, Herring Oil, Pumpkin and a whole lot of other things that seem really healthy but I'm not the best judge of that yet. Its also says its 88% Turkey, chicken and dairy (i know not the best it has some cottage cheese but i dont know how much) the highest percentage out of grain free dry cat food. Also 11% Veggie and Fruits, the lowest carbs percentage among grain free dry cat foods. I know this doesnt always mean anything and doesnt always apply to hedgehog's but its like I said. I'm not the best judge.
Does this food seem good to feed her?


----------



## Hedgehog Grove

lpercz said:


> I think this seems like a good food. I had never heard of it before but then again, I dont buy cat food on a regular basis (or I never used to before now). I have Evo Turkey and Chicken Formula. Its Grain Free and Low Carb for Cats and Kittens. Here are the facts:
> Crude Protein (Min) 50%
> " Fat (Min) 22%
> " Fiber (Max) 2%
> Moisture (Max) 10%
> Carbs (Max) 7%
> and some other things I dont know. The first few ingredients are:
> Turkey, Chicken Meal, Chicken, Herring Meal, Chicken Fat (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols, a natural Source of Vit E), Peas, Eggs, Turkey Meal, Apple, Carrots, Cranberries, Herring Oil, Pumpkin and a whole lot of other things that seem really healthy but I'm not the best judge of that yet. Its also says its 88% Turkey, chicken and dairy (i know not the best it has some cottage cheese but i dont know how much) the highest percentage out of grain free dry cat food. Also 11% Veggie and Fruits, the lowest carbs percentage among grain free dry cat foods. I know this doesnt always mean anything and doesnt always apply to hedgehog's but its like I said. I'm not the best judge.
> Does this food seem good to feed her?


Protein is extremely high, for hedgehogs it should be close to 30%.
Fat is way to high aslo it should be between 12-15%


----------



## lpercz

Ok thats what I was unsure of. The range of fat and Protein. I thought the Protein was good if it was high. Thanks!


----------



## MissC

Too much protein = kidney issues
Too much fat = liver issues
Too much trying to figure out what the heck you're going to feed the little rotter = valium supply issues


----------



## itbrti

Well I'm finally running low on the breeders premix and wanted to start mixing with the new stuff I'm getting tomorrow: Wellness Indoor Health & Blue Buffalo Spa Select Lite Formula. Does it sound like a reasonable mix for a 4 month hedgie? I've checked the stats and they pretty much match up with the 30 percent protein and 15 percent fat (a little less fat, but Mocha enjoys mealworms too!).

Thanks
-Dustin


----------



## HeidiLawson

I was looking into using Organix Feline Formula & saw it wasn't on the list. Has anyone used it & is it expectable?
Crude protein 31%
Crude Fat 16%
Crude Fiber 3.5%
Basically, like the name implies everything is supposed to be organic - that's good right?

Organic Chicken, Chicken meal, Organic Peas, Organic Brown Rice, Organic Barley, Potato Protein, Organic Chicken fat, Salmon meal, organic flax sed
& on & on & on...
SO what's the word - Good, Not good? Need more info?


----------



## Immortalia

HeidiLawson said:


> I was looking into using Organix Feline Formula & saw it wasn't on the list. Has anyone used it & is it expectable?
> Crude protein 31%
> Crude Fat 16%
> Crude Fiber 3.5%
> Basically, like the name implies everything is supposed to be organic - that's good right?
> 
> Organic Chicken, Chicken meal, Organic Peas, Organic Brown Rice, Organic Barley, Potato Protein, Organic Chicken fat, Salmon meal, organic flax sed
> & on & on & on...
> SO what's the word - Good, Not good? Need more info?


The food itself looks good so far. The only reason why it wouldn't make it onto this list, is because the fat % cut off is 15% or under. But as long as you have a slim runner type, I don't see a problem in having this food as part of your mix.


----------



## laixand

usually i give my hedgie chicken soup cat food, but i have problem to find it now. and now i am planning to switch to another brand(nutrisource kitten), what i want to ask is about the ingredients, compositions is same :
Ingredients 1

Chicken, chicken meal, rice, pea flour, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), pea protein, dried egg product, potato protein, tuna meal, natural liver flavor, yeast extract, sunflower oil, oat fiber, brewers yeast, alfalfa meal, tomato pomace, beet pulp, flax seeds, potassium chloride, salt, phosphoric acid, minerals (iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, manganese proteinate, cobalt proteinate), DL methionine, yeast culture (saccharomyces cerevisiae, enterococcus faecium, lactobacillus acidophilus, aspergillus niger, bacillus subtillis), cranberry powder, taurine, chicory extract, vitamins (vitamin A acetate, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, niacin, d-calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement), ascorbic acid (vitamin C), choline chloride, inositol, yucca schidigera extract, rosemary extract.
Guaranteed Analysis

Ingredients 2

Chicken meal, rice, salmon, chicken liver, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), flax seeds, tuna meal, pea protein, pea flour, dried egg product, natural flavor, yeast extract, beet pulp, oat fiber, brewers yeast, alfalfa meal, tomato pomace, brown rice, potassium chloride, salt, phosphoric acid, sunflower oil, minerals (iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, manganese proteinate, cobalt proteinate), yeast culture (saccharomyces cerevisiae, enterococcus faecium, lactobacillus acidophilus, aspergillus niger, bacillus subtillis), cranberry powder, taurine, chicory extract, vitamins (vitamin A acetate, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, niacin, d-calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement), ascorbic acid (vitamin C), choline chloride, inositol, yucca schidigera extract, DL methionine, rosemary extract.
which want is better? is it recommended from the ingredients view?
thanx


----------



## ShutUpAndSmile

I wanna use chicken soup for the cat lovers soul
But my question is, does a baby hedgehog get kitten food?
If so for how long?
I know chicken soup has a kitten formula too so Idk which to get. o.o


----------



## Kourt101606

Is holistic select chicken meal for cats a good type of food?


----------



## Sarahg

Kourt101606 said:


> Is holistic select chicken meal for cats a good type of food?


Ingredients
Chicken Meal, Ground Brown Rice, Chicken Fat (Preserved with Natural Mixed Tocopherols), Oatmeal, Anchovy & Sardine Meal, Flaxseed, Dried Egg Product, Natural Chicken Flavor, Menhaden Fish Oil, Tomato Pomace, Carrots, Sun-Cured Alfalfa, Peas, Dried Beet Pulp, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Organic Quinoa, Inulin, Apples, Blueberries, Taurine, Cranberries, Dried Kelp, DL-Methionine, Vitamins [Beta-Carotene, Vitamin E Supplement, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Niacin Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Folic Acid], Minerals [Polysaccharide Complexes of Zinc, Iron, Manganese, and Copper, Cobalt Carbonate, Potassium Iodate, Sodium Selenite], Lecithin, Rosemary Extract, Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei, Enterococcus faecium, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus licheniformis, Aspergillus oryzae and Aspergillus niger Fermentation Products, Mixed Tocopherols (a natural preservative).

Crude Protein Not less than 32.00% 
Crude Fat Not less than 20.00% 
Crude Fiber Not more than 2.80%

The ingredients look fine to me, but the fat is kinda high. If your hedgie is a runner or has trouble keeping on weight, I'd say go for it, otherwise I would look for something with lower fat.


----------



## Kourt101606

My breeder that I got one of my hedgies from had said that purina was good to feed them, and since finding this website I have found out not. I was wondering if natural balance green pea and duck mixed with either chicken soup for the cat lovers soul light or some kind of wellness would be alright? Or is it too rich?


----------



## Sarahg

Kourt101606 said:


> My breeder that I got one of my hedgies from had said that purina was good to feed them, and since finding this website I have found out not. I was wondering if natural balance green pea and duck mixed with either chicken soup for the cat lovers soul light or some kind of wellness would be alright? Or is it too rich?


Wellness can be a little rich for some, fine for others, but the other two are great foods.


----------



## Kourt101606

Sarahg said:


> Kourt101606 said:
> 
> 
> 
> My breeder that I got one of my hedgies from had said that purina was good to feed them, and since finding this website I have found out not. I was wondering if natural balance green pea and duck mixed with either chicken soup for the cat lovers soul light or some kind of wellness would be alright? Or is it too rich?
> 
> 
> 
> Wellness can be a little rich for some, fine for others, but the other two are great foods.
Click to expand...

Thanks, if you don't mind me asking what kinds do you feed yours?


----------



## Sarahg

I feed a mixture of : Solid Gold Katz'N'Flocken (lamb), By Nature - Chicken, Salmon & Duck, and CSFCLS - senior. She also gets some Royal Canin Kitten food sometimes as a treat. Other treats - Wellness healthy indulgence (wet cat food), fruit/vegetable baby food, crickets, mealworms, waxworms.


----------



## Kourt101606

Thanks, just trying to get a few ideas. Its just so much to choose from lol


----------



## steven

will these foods work for younger hedgehogs (about 6 weeks old) too or should i use something else for them?


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## Lilysmommy

The same brands and everything should be fine, but many breeders suggest using the kitten versions instead. The higher fat is better since they're still growing and need it.


----------



## steven

cool thanks


----------



## Tishy Tasha

I am trying to get everything in order for when I get a hedgie and I was wandering.. If I did both kinds of Wellness & Say a store bought junk cat food.. Would that be a good diet for my hedgie friend? I read that you should mix three different brands of cat food to make their diet mix?


----------



## leaveittoweaver

Tishy Tasha said:


> I am trying to get everything in order for when I get a hedgie and I was wandering.. If I did both kinds of Wellness & Say a store bought junk cat food.. Would that be a good diet for my hedgie friend? I read that you should mix three different brands of cat food to make their diet mix?


Using three kinds is a good idea but I wouldn't do a grocery store brand for one of them. I'd just pick another high quality food from the list, such as Blue Buffalo's healthy weight.


----------



## bj1998

I DONT GET IT IM FEEDING MINE WRONG FOOD I THINK HELP I HAVE special kitty original!!! IF SO CAN I HAVE A LIST I CAN UNDERSTAND BETTER


----------



## Hedgieonboard

bj1998 said:


> I DONT GET IT IM FEEDING MINE WRONG FOOD I THINK HELP I HAVE special kitty original!!! IF SO CAN I HAVE A LIST I CAN UNDERSTAND BETTER


You just print out a copy of the list and you can take it to the pet shop with you and choose one from it.


----------



## Noervor

Well it is an interesting discussion and i really like it.All posts are informative and good job by everyone.keep posting.My question is this tell me is dry food best for cat? i mean can we give liquid food to cats? Which food is best fry or liquid?


----------



## Zelda

How do you feel about Wellness core? It's 50% protein and sounds like it would be good for hegies. I was told by my vet to feed that to my ferrets as they are meat eaters too and require a lot of protein. I thought pretty pets foods were a good food. :shock: So my little boy is going to get his food changed!!!


----------



## Quinn

50% protein is way too high! I would stay in the 29-34% protein range. There's a thread on here that discusses the issues that a high protein diet can cause.


----------



## TikiLola

I did a search and couldn't find anything on this cat food, I'm thinking of adding it to my mix, I found it in one of the pet supply stores here--I already have SG katz-n-flocken (protein-34%/fat9%) and CSFCLS light adult(protein-32%/fat 12%) This light formula is protein-31%/fat 10%) and the ingredients look good to me but I don't know if I'm missing something :? 
http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/products/ ... 46019.aspx

I only started giving Cupcake a couple pieces of the SG the day before yesterday (mixed with the Exotics hedgie complete the pet store convinced us to get :roll: and the cat kibble from the breeder) I was afraid to give him the Chicken Soup because it's a hairball formula and I didn't know if that is harmful to hedgies--but, it looks like some of you feed the senior hairball formula of CSFCLS so this one should be ok too (I hope) :?

I hope I can ask this here :? 
One of my dogs was on an homemade vegetarian diet for the last 5/6 years because she has something wrong with her liver and can not process meat protein very well. Every once in awhile we'll try something new and a couple months ago we stumbled up this dog food and now she gets a small amount mixed with her veggies and pasta. she seems to be doing really well on it ***knocks on wood*** and is finally gaining weight***knocks on wood again***
She particularly likes the first 3 listed and the one with the tiger prawns is her favorite--I was thinking of letting Cupcake having a taste in a few months as a treat--but wanted to see what y'all thought before I seriously consider giving him any. Anyway, here's the link:
http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/product_d ... 5f73ae2200


----------



## TikiLola

This is the dry dog food my other 3 chi's are on
http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/products/ ... 04000.aspx
It's first 3 ingredients are turkey, chicken and chicken meal--that's good right? 
but is 24%protein ok?


----------



## Lilysmommy

TikiLola said:


> I did a search and couldn't find anything on this cat food, I'm thinking of adding it to my mix, I found it in one of the pet supply stores here--I already have SG katz-n-flocken (protein-34%/fat9%) and CSFCLS light adult(protein-32%/fat 12%) This light formula is protein-31%/fat 10%) and the ingredients look good to me but I don't know if I'm missing something :?
> http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/products/ ... 46019.aspx
> 
> I only started giving Cupcake a couple pieces of the SG the day before yesterday (mixed with the Exotics hedgie complete the pet store convinced us to get :roll: and the cat kibble from the breeder) I was afraid to give him the Chicken Soup because it's a hairball formula and I didn't know if that is harmful to hedgies--but, it looks like some of you feed the senior hairball formula of CSFCLS so this one should be ok too (I hope) :?
> 
> I hope I can ask this here :?
> One of my dogs was on an homemade vegetarian diet for the last 5/6 years because she has something wrong with her liver and can not process meat protein very well. Every once in awhile we'll try something new and a couple months ago we stumbled up this dog food and now she gets a small amount mixed with her veggies and pasta. she seems to be doing really well on it ***knocks on wood*** and is finally gaining weight***knocks on wood again***
> She particularly likes the first 3 listed and the one with the tiger prawns is her favorite--I was thinking of letting Cupcake having a taste in a few months as a treat--but wanted to see what y'all thought before I seriously consider giving him any. Anyway, here's the link:
> http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/product_d ... 5f73ae2200


The cat food looks good, I don't see a problem with adding that to your mix. And the Chicken Soup should fine as well, I've seen a few posts of other people feeding it without any problems. The canned dog food has ingredients that are fine, but it should definitely stay as a treat only. The dry matter protein % is actually 50%, which is too high for hedgehogs. As a treat it's fine, but I'd suggest only every few days at the most.



TikiLola said:


> This is the dry dog food my other 3 chi's are on
> http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/products/ ... 04000.aspx
> It's first 3 ingredients are turkey, chicken and chicken meal--that's good right?
> but is 24%protein ok?


The ingredients are all fine, and I don't think 24% protein would be much of a problem (though I could be wrong). How big is the kibble, though? Dog food isn't usually used for hedgehogs just because the kibble is usually too big, and it can also be too hard.


----------



## TikiLola

Thanks for the reply! I won't bother giving the Tiki dog food even as a treat.
As for the Innova,it is small bites and less than half the size of the solid gold


----------



## Ava99

While at Petsmart buying new food for Westley I found a possible new addition to the list, please let me know if it has issues that prevent it from being a "good" food. (Of course, in a mix with Wellness, Innova, and possibly Purina Indoor and Kitten as junk food in the mix)

It's Purina One Beyond Adult Cat Chicken & Whole Oat meal recipe
Crude Protein: (min)...33%
Crude Fat (min)...14%
Crude Fiber (max)...4%
Moisture (max)...12%

Ingredients: Chicken, Chicken meal, Whole Brown Rice, Soybean meal, Whole barley, Whole oat meal....
I'm too lazy to type it all out, but the only thing that I can see that may be a problem was brewers dried yeast which is the...9th ingredient down

Here's a link: http://www.purinaonebeyond.com/healthy- ... ngredients

I haven't yet opened the bag so I'm not sure about the kibble sizes, but I already have to break them up for him (he's currently on Purina One kitten and adult cat or indoor, I'm not sure which, hence the need to change his diet a bit)

Opinions?


----------



## Lilysmommy

The ingredients all look great to me, and it looks like it'd be fine to use.  There's plenty of good foods that aren't on the list, and some that are on the list that have had their formulas changed so that the protein is too high, etc. It's meant more as a loose guideline for some brand ideas to look for, since food is such an overwhelming subject when you're new to the care for an animal.


----------



## hanhan27

Ava99 said:


> While at Petsmart buying new food for Westley I found a possible new addition to the list, please let me know if it has issues that prevent it from being a "good" food. (Of course, in a mix with Wellness, Innova, and possibly Purina Indoor and Kitten as junk food in the mix)
> 
> It's Purina One Beyond Adult Cat Chicken & Whole Oat meal recipe
> Crude Protein: (min)...33%
> Crude Fat (min)...14%
> Crude Fiber (max)...4%
> Moisture (max)...12%
> 
> Ingredients: Chicken, Chicken meal, Whole Brown Rice, Soybean meal, Whole barley, Whole oat meal....
> I'm too lazy to type it all out, but the only thing that I can see that may be a problem was brewers dried yeast which is the...9th ingredient down
> 
> Here's a link: http://www.purinaonebeyond.com/healthy- ... ngredients
> 
> I haven't yet opened the bag so I'm not sure about the kibble sizes, but I already have to break them up for him (he's currently on Purina One kitten and adult cat or indoor, I'm not sure which, hence the need to change his diet a bit)
> 
> Opinions?


I second Kelsey's statements.  I actually use the Purina One Beyond Salmon and Whole Brown Rice with my hedgehog, as her "junk food" in her mix. She loves it, and despite the fact that it's salmon, it doesn't give her stinky poo! It's a win win.


----------



## Ava99

Awesome!! Thanks guys!
I gave Westley his new mix yesterday (I had to do half and half with his current because I was adding in 3 new foods, so with the 3/4 to 1/4 It would have been verrrry few kibbles each with 5 different foods in the mix...) and topped off the mix with a cricket. He completely ignored the cricket :shock: and went straight for the Wellness pieces and this morning EVERY piece of food was gone (I actually gave him more than normal) so I guess it's a hit...


----------



## Zelda

Popper must be a real fuss button. I changed his food to Fromm's chicken (cat food), but still put in the Petty Pet and Sun Seed hedgehog foods. All he eats is the Fromm's. Is there some how I can get him to eat junk food? As far as treats like fruits and veggies-he don't like that either. Mealworms are a totally different story, especially now that I'm growing my own. They must taste better or something.

I am also wondering if anyone has taken their little guys for a stroller ride. I have one that I use for the ferrets, so I know he can't get out of it. I thought maybe he would like the fresh air and smells. I would wait till it's quieter outside(lots of construction going on close by). Just wondering what you guys thought of that idea.


----------



## Lilysmommy

Zelda said:


> Popper must be a real fuss button. I changed his food to Fromm's chicken (cat food), but still put in the Petty Pet and Sun Seed hedgehog foods. All he eats is the Fromm's. Is there some how I can get him to eat junk food? As far as treats like fruits and veggies-he don't like that either. Mealworms are a totally different story, especially now that I'm growing my own. They must taste better or something.
> 
> I am also wondering if anyone has taken their little guys for a stroller ride. I have one that I use for the ferrets, so I know he can't get out of it. I thought maybe he would like the fresh air and smells. I would wait till it's quieter outside(lots of construction going on close by). Just wondering what you guys thought of that idea.


You should take the Pretty Pets out right away. It's about as nutritional as cardboard, which is most likely why he refuses to eat it. It's not necessary to include a junk food in a mix, so if he refuses to eat Sunseed, you could just remove that too. If you can find another high quality cat food though, it is good to have at least two foods that he will eat, in case the formula of one changes and he stops eating it, or you run out of one that he's familiar with. Glad he eats mealworms, they do make great treats! Just keep an eye on his weight, since they are a bit high in fat. Crickets also make great treats, are lower in fat, and easy to freeze if you don't want escapees. 

I don't know that anyone on here has tried a stroller, necessarily, but it could hurt to give it a try. I would give him a fleece blanket or something to hide under in the stroller, especially if the sun is out and bright. It'll depend on him as to whether he'll enjoy it or not. Some like being outside and smelling new smells, but some absolutely hate it and huff and puff until you stop the foolishness and take them back to their cozy bed. :lol: Let us know what he thinks of it if you try.


----------



## Zelda

Guess I'll throw the 2 bad foods out for the critters outside. I learned the hard way about freezing crickets. Didn't do it and had crickets all over :roll: . I will have to figure out another kind of cat food,then. 

I'm definitely going to try the stroller. He likes to be carried and his nose is going a mile a minute, inside. If he does get wiggly he can hide in a blanket with out me worrying about dropping him .


----------



## soimuk

*is it royal canin adult fit 32 safe for hedgehog*

Hi guys...
Im just recently had my pet Hedgehog.
Im currently using royal canin exigent 35/30 for my hedgy because thats the best i could find at that time. 
After i read the cat food safe chart, i think that the royal canin adult fit 32 is better, so im goin to buy it for my hedgy, BUT after i read the ingredients, it contain *BHA* as preservatif.
After i look around reading a lot of royal canin variety, all of it had BHA in the ingredient.
From what i read on the web, BHA is causing cancer. is it BHA a safe ingredient for hedgehog?
Please help guys, Thanks...


----------



## Zelda

Does anybody know a web site that might send samples of dry cat food?

I don't want to get a big bag and find out he or my cats don't like it.


----------



## Guest

Zelda said:


> Does anybody know a web site that might send samples of dry cat food?
> 
> I don't want to get a big bag and find out he or my cats don't like it.


I know bigger pet stores such as Petco and PetSmart will accept a refund or store credit if you bring the bag back and some of them and other pet stores offer free samples. IDK about a web site that sends free samples, but with Pet Stores that will refund even an open bag available if you have that option it shouldn't be a big issue aside from numerous trips to the pet store of course.


----------



## HOGwarts

My hedgie loves the innova and blue buffalo mix but his poop doesn't. Any reason why?


----------



## CanadienHedgie

If either or both of the foods have fish in them, that's why  .


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## CanadienHedgie

I saw in another post that your feeding Innova senior and blue buffalo longlivety. The protein in the Innova is too high. It's 38% it shouldn't be higher then 33-34%. The blue buffalo is a fish based food, which causes smelly poop.


----------



## SonicGems

I just got my hedgie today.
My friend (the breeder) was using natural balance,
but we live in different cities and I can't find natural balance where I live.
So I'm using Purina One Smart blend chicken & rice formula.
I hope it works for her!
Does anyone know if this will work? :|


----------



## leaveittoweaver

SonicGems said:


> I just got my hedgie today.
> My friend (the breeder) was using natural balance,
> but we live in different cities and I can't find natural balance where I live.
> So I'm using Purina One Smart blend chicken & rice formula.
> I hope it works for her!
> Does anyone know if this will work? :|


I personally don't like the ingredients such as corn gluten meal, poultry by-product meal, and whole grain corn. Are there any other brands carried in your area? You can also look into petfooddirect.com


----------



## Zelda

Would it be possible to get an updated Dry Cat Food List?


----------



## Guest

Zelda said:


> Would it be possible to get an updated Dry Cat Food List?


Not likely Reaper spent a lot of time working on that list 3 years ago it would take another person a lot of time to look at all the new foods and changes to foods to compile a new list, that list may be old but it has the right guidelines and you can base any food that is not on the list by those requirements


----------



## eb2015

I bought for my new 8 week old baby hedgehog, some Royal Canine Feline Kitten Food. I didn't see it on the list so I was just wondering if it is o.k.? Or what food would be best! :?:


----------



## ShutUpAndSmile

eb2015 said:


> I bought for my new 8 week old baby hedgehog, some Royal Canine Feline Kitten Food. I didn't see it on the list so I was just wondering if it is o.k.? Or what food would be best! :?:


Eh it's not the best. You pretty much want to see meat as the first few ingredients. This has "Chicken meal, brown rice, corn gluten meal, corn, chicken fat, chicken" in that order.

I personally love my food for my girl. http://www.chickensoupforthepetloversso ... n_formula/
Chicken Soup For the Kitten Lovers Soul
And I'm going to switch her to the adult light formula soon. Just cause the fat content is high.
Main point is they can't really digest corn well and it's the 3rd and 4th ingredient.


----------



## SquiggyTheHedgie

I recently found this brand of cat food called Evolve, I found it while looking at the selection of foods at a grocery store here in Texas called H-E-B. I dont think ive ever seen it at a petstore. But the ingredients seem really good. Its Evolve Kitten Formula Natural Cat Food

GUARANTEED ANALYSIS
Crude protein, min. 34.0%
Crude fat, min. 20.0%
Crude fiber, max. 4.0%
Moisture, max. 11.0%
Linoleic acid, min, 3.0%
Vitamin A, min. 12,000 IU/kg
Vitamin E, min. 100 IU/kg
Taurine, min. 0.15%

Total list of ingredients:
Chicken, Chicken Meal, Ground Brown Rice, Rice Flour, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), Natural Flavors, Dried Egg Product, Fish Meal, Brewers Dried Yeast, Potassium Chloride, Flaxseed, Canola Oil, Calcium Sulfate, Lecithin, Salt, Taurine, DL_methionine, L_Lysine, Dried Skim Milk, Dried Kelp, Dried Cheese Product, Yucca Schidegerea, Cranberries, Blueberries, Tomatos, Carrots, Celery, Beets, Parsley, Lettuce, Spinach, Lactobaccillus Casei, Bifidobacterium Thermophilum, Enterococcus Faecium, Vitamins: Choline Chloride, Vitamin E supplement, vitamin A supplement, Vitamin D3 supplement, Calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate (Source of vitamin B1), pyridoxine hydrochloride (source of vitamin B^), riboflavin supplement, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement.....

the list goes on, but its getting hard to type lol. I included an attachment to compare the kibble size. What are your thoughts?


----------



## Lilysmommy

Looks like a great food to me! Only thing to mention is the higher fat percentage, but it'd be a good food for a baby or a runner hedgie.


----------



## SquiggyTheHedgie

:lol: Squiggy is definitely a runner hedgie, matter of fact the first thing he does when he gets back in from exploring the living room is go right to his wheel. He only gets down every once in a while to eat a bit, drink a little, and poop. I think hes figuring out that his wheel gets less slippery if he does his business off it :roll: One more thing, he really likes the taste compared to the other stuff he was getting. At first I was mixing it with Hills Science Diet, but after seeing that the first ingredient was biproduct meal, that went out like lightning. So now its just Evolve with mealies, and occasional chicken and fruits.


----------



## packrat

ShutUpAndSmile said:


> I personally love my food for my girl. http://www.chickensoupforthepetloversso ... n_formula/
> Chicken Soup For the Kitten Lovers Soul
> And I'm going to switch her to the adult light formula soon. Just cause the fat content is high.
> Main point is they can't really digest corn well and it's the 3rd and 4th ingredient.


I'll follow in your footsteps. I'm still feeding mine the same mix the breeder supplied when I brought him home almost a year ago and he's kinda fat now. He can still ball up and he does so often. I just bought a $20 6lb bag of this food from amazon, and will start weaning him off the old stuff asap. Thanks.


----------



## AliBette

hi i was wondering is this food okay: 

Performatrin Indoor Adult Dry Cat Food


Crude Protein (Min.) 32.0 %
Crude Fat (Min.) 14.0 %
Crude Fiber (Max.) 7.0 %
Moisture (Max.) 10.0 %
Ash (Min.) 6.5 %
Calcium (Min.) 0.95 %
Phosphorus (Min.) 0.75 %
Magnesium (Min.) 0.08%
Magnesium (Max.) 0.10%
Taurine (Min.) 0.16%
Omega-6 Fatty Acids (Min.) 2.76 %
Omega-3 Fatty Acids (Min.) 0.35 %
Carnitine (Min.) 300 Mg/Kg.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Chicken, chicken meal, ground brown rice, corn gluten meal, ground corn, chicken fat (stabilized with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), oatmeal, herring meal, natural chicken flavor, dried egg product, dried beet pulp, rice hulls, pea fiber, oat fiber, cellulose, salmon oil (stabilized with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), salt, potassium chloride, lecithin, dried kelp, dl-methionine, potassium citrate, calcium sulfate, sodium tripolyphosphate, taurine, chicory root extract, yeast extract, choline chloride, l-carnitine, yucca schidigera extract, rosemary oil, dried cranberries, dried dandelion leaf, dried birch leaf, fennel seed, dried nettle leaf, zinc proteinate, ferrous sulfate, Vitamin E supplement, zinc oxide, iron proteinate, niacin, inositol, copper sulfate, copper proteinate, manganese proteinate, ascorbyl polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), manganous oxide, thiamine mononitrate, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride, beta carotene, Vitamin A supplement, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), folic acid, calcium iodate, Vitamin D3 supplement, biotin, sodium selenite, Vitamin B12 supplement

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My hedgehog is 2 months old, should i just put him on Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul kitten formula till he gets older then switch him to light?? or is Performatrin Indoor Adult Dry Cat Food okay??


----------



## Guest

AliBette said:


> hi i was wondering is this food okay: Performatrin Indoor Adult Dry Cat Food
> 
> Crude Protein (Min.) 32.0 %
> Crude Fat (Min.) 14.0 %
> Crude Fiber (Max.) 7.0 %
> Moisture (Max.) 10.0 %
> Ash (Min.) 6.5 %
> Calcium (Min.) 0.95 %
> Phosphorus (Min.) 0.75 %
> Magnesium (Min.) 0.08%
> Magnesium (Max.) 0.10%
> Taurine (Min.) 0.16%
> Omega-6 Fatty Acids (Min.) 2.76 %
> Omega-3 Fatty Acids (Min.) 0.35 %
> Carnitine (Min.) 300 Mg/Kg.
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Chicken, chicken meal, ground brown rice, corn gluten meal, ground corn, chicken fat (stabilized with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), oatmeal, herring meal, natural chicken flavor, dried egg product, dried beet pulp, rice hulls, pea fiber, oat fiber, cellulose, salmon oil (stabilized with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), salt, potassium chloride, lecithin, dried kelp, dl-methionine, potassium citrate, calcium sulfate, sodium tripolyphosphate, taurine, chicory root extract, yeast extract, choline chloride, l-carnitine, yucca schidigera extract, rosemary oil, dried cranberries, dried dandelion leaf, dried birch leaf, fennel seed, dried nettle leaf, zinc proteinate, ferrous sulfate, Vitamin E supplement, zinc oxide, iron proteinate, niacin, inositol, copper sulfate, copper proteinate, manganese proteinate, ascorbyl polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), manganous oxide, thiamine mononitrate, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride, beta carotene, Vitamin A supplement, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), folic acid, calcium iodate, Vitamin D3 supplement, biotin, sodium selenite, Vitamin B12 supplement


Looks good to me, a lot of people will mention the corn issue however the rest of the ingredients look fantastic for a hedgehog.

I think it would be fine for your hedgehog, remember to slowly introduce this to your hedgehog in 1/4 portions per week.

Example:

If you feed 2 tablespoons or 60 hedgehog pellets then the first week would be

45 old and 15 new or 1 1/2 tablespoons old and 1/2 tablespoons new

30 old and 30 new or 1 tablespoons old and 1 tablespoons new

You get the picture I think, be prepared for green poops and some increased stink babies poop usually stinks more anyways but the new food can cause a bit of an upset tummy until they adjust.

Be prepared also that your hedgehog might want nothing to do with the hedgehog food when you introduce a good cat food its happened to owners in the past and in this case you just usually have to give in and switch to the cat food


----------



## AliBette

TWCOGAR said:


> Looks good to me, a lot of people will mention the corn issue however the rest of the ingredients look fantastic for a hedgehog.
> 
> I think it would be fine for your hedgehog, remember to slowly introduce this to your hedgehog in 1/4 portions per week.
> 
> Example:
> 
> If you feed 2 tablespoons or 60 hedgehog pellets then the first week would be
> 
> 45 old and 15 new or 1 1/2 tablespoons old and 1/2 tablespoons new
> 
> 30 old and 30 new or 1 tablespoons old and 1 tablespoons new
> 
> You get the picture I think, be prepared for green poops and some increased stink babies poop usually stinks more anyways but the new food can cause a bit of an upset tummy until they adjust.
> 
> Be prepared also that your hedgehog might want nothing to do with the hedgehog food when you introduce a good cat food its happened to owners in the past and in this case you just usually have to give in and switch to the cat food


thanx a lot TWCOGAR! .........i will start weening him to that food today


----------



## Kstiletto

I just checked the list, and out of all of them which one gives you more bang for the buck. I have a cat so two birds with one stone is pretty good. I like to buy large bags.


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## Kstiletto

Has anyone tried lifes abundance? I use to buy that for my dog.


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## Lilysmommy

Haven't heard of Life's Abundance before, but just looked it up and the ingredients look fine. The fat is a little high, but it'd be okay to use with one or two lower-fat foods.

As far as other foods, the popular choices as far as hedgies and owners are both concerned are Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul, Innova, Solid Gold (this is my hedgie's favorite one), Natural Balance, and Blue Buffalo.


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## packrat

My hedgie hates Chicken Soup For the Cat Lover's Soul with a passion. I have been putting about 10 pieces of his old kibble on top that he's eaten for a year now, and every morning it seems like he didn't eat any of the new stuff. It's too healthy for him lol. I'm sure he'll eat it when he has no choice when I run out of the old bag in a week or so.


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## Lilysmommy

Lily hates Chicken Soup too, I finally gave up trying it when the bag I was using ran out. Keep an eye on his eating once you run out of old stuff - it's entirely possible he'll still be too stubborn to eat it and would rather starve himself, which can quickly lead to FLD. Personally I'd find another good food to try with him, he may like it better, or at least be more willing to try it.


----------



## chelsea.kang

I'm starting to put together a cat food mix. Right now I'm in the process of getting Marvin off of Purina Cat Chow Indoor and onto Innova Low Fat. Does anyone have any suggestions for another cat food to compliment the Innova? I was thinking Wellness Indoor Health because from reviews I've read some hedgies seem to think its tasty. 

In addtion to kibble Marvin has 5 mealies and 7 crickets a night. My crickets are bought live, gut loaded with carrots, bananas, and peas. After gut loading they're frozen in the freezer (ew). 

Any other suggestions for his diet? I'm trying to change it slowly but he is a growing hedgie (8 weeks tomorrow). I've thought about baby food but I'm worried about messiness. For example when I changed the crickets gut load diet he chewed up his crickets and anointed their goo all over himself :roll:


----------



## Lilysmommy

Wellness might be good, but just watch him if you do try it. Some hedgies have no problem with it (Lily did fine on it until she decided she didn't like it anymore), but some owners have found that Wellness foods cause loose stools. The theory is that it's because the food is so rich, it's too much for their little systems. But it's kind of hit-and-miss for which hedgies have problems with it, so you could try it anyway. Some other good foods are Natural Balance (they have one with duck as the main meat, which is nice), Solid Gold (lamb is the main ingredient, and it's one of the only cat foods I know of with lamb), Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul, and Blue Buffalo. A lot of people try to get at least two different meat sources, such as chicken and lamb, or turkey and duck, etc. in their mixes, just to give more variety. 

Plain cooked meat is popular with lots of hedgies, and might make a nice addition a couple nights a week. Baby food can be messy, but I really think it's worth it to give them some more variety in their diet. Sometimes hedgies that won't eat veggies on their own will try them if they're mixed with a meat food, since the meat ones are usually pretty popular. I've heard that peas and carrots are both popular veggies too (though Lily won't touch carrots, she loves peas). Yes, it's usually messy the first time they try a new baby food, but unless they're a super-annointer, I would think it'd only happen the first time you introduce the food. So just offer the new food while you're watching, and have a damp washcloth ready if you don't want to do a full bath. If you get it right after they're done, baby food is pretty easy to wipe off. Don't let annointing scare you away from giving new foods! It's worth it in the end, for both of you.


----------



## chelsea.kang

Do you know which of those come in smaller bags (no more than 3 lbs)? I'm a college student and we don't have a ton of freezer space by time 5 of us get frozen pizzas, tater tots, tv dinners etc crammed in there. I already have to freeze my crickets outside in the snow :lol:


----------



## Lilysmommy

:lol: That does pose a bit of a problem! From looking up on Petco and Petsmart websites, it looks like the smallest bags for Solid Gold are 4 lbs, Natural Balance is 5 lbs, but Blue Buffalo has 3 lb bags which aren't bad. And if I'm remembering from my work correctly, I think you can get 2-3 lb bags of Wellness. If you can get a good airtight storage container, though, that might work for storing some of the food as well, if you put small amounts for a couple weeks into smaller containers, so you're not opening the big one very much.


----------



## chelsea.kang

Thank you! I'll check both when I go out to buy a pinky (Xmas treat, really hoping he doesn't anoint over that but hey its Xmas).


----------



## Zileto

My boyfriend and I just bought a bag of this food- http://bluebuffalo.com/cat-food/bc-fini ... ken-turkey

It has Crude Protein 32%, Crude Fat 16%, and Crude Fiber 3.5%, and the first five ingredients are Deboned Chicken, Deboned Turkey, Chicken Meal, Turkey Meal, Menhaden Fish Meal. I think we did well, but would like some confirmation. Our hedgie is definitely a slim runner/explorer type, so the higher fat content should be fine.


----------



## Kalandra

You did just fine. Let us know how your little one likes it. With a busy hedgehog the fat content should help keep his weight up.


----------



## cookieboots

I Just got some of the Chicken Soup for the Cat Lovers Soul light and the 2nd ingredient is chicken meal.


----------



## nikki

What's the first ingredients? There's nothing wrong with chicken meal...basically all it is is ground up chicken that has most of the moisture removed from it.


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## Lilysmommy

Chicken Soup is one of the most recommended and used kibbles on here, it's a great choice to feed.  Chicken meal is actually a great ingredient to have in a food - even better than something like "Chicken" or "Deboned chicken". That's because ingredients are listed by weight before cooking. But plain chicken has a LOT of water in it that all disappears when the food is cooked, so it actually ends up being a smaller portion of the food than what you think it is. Chicken meal already has the moisture removed from it like Nikki said, so if it's the first or second ingredient, you can be sure that it's actually a main part of the food.


----------



## avoth

are these all okay for a 2 month old hedgehog? is there anything else i should be looking for with a younger hedgie?


----------



## Lilysmommy

avoth said:


> are these all okay for a 2 month old hedgehog? is there anything else i should be looking for with a younger hedgie?


Yup, any food that's recommended for an adult is safe for a younger hedgie as well. The only difference is that you can generally be more lax about fat content with a baby - higher fat can help with growing. As always though, it's important to keep an eye on your hedgie's weight and body shape to make sure they're not gaining too much weight.


----------



## EtherealRose

I have noticed most of the cat foods have <5% fiber content... what is a good way to get more fiber into hedgies diet since it should be around 15%... :?:


----------



## Lilysmommy

Mealworms and crickets are both good ways to get more fiber, their exoskeletons are good for that. Fruits/veggies are another good way (pumpkin is especially good for either constipation or diarrhea issues). I remember some time ago when this was a concern with the forum and a lot of people were adding either baby cereal or Grape Nuts cereal to their hedgie's food to add fiber. I tried both of these - Lily didn't like the Grape Nuts cereal and wouldn't eat any pieces of it, but the baby cereal was easy to dust over her food. I couldn't see that it made much of a difference in her though, and I stopped doing it after awhile and was instead offering more insects and a baby food mix with lots of veggies.


----------



## EtherealRose

Lilysmommy said:


> Mealworms and crickets are both good ways to get more fiber, their exoskeletons are good for that. Fruits/veggies are another good way (pumpkin is especially good for either constipation or diarrhea issues). I remember some time ago when this was a concern with the forum and a lot of people were adding either baby cereal or Grape Nuts cereal to their hedgie's food to add fiber. I tried both of these - Lily didn't like the Grape Nuts cereal and wouldn't eat any pieces of it, but the baby cereal was easy to dust over her food. I couldn't see that it made much of a difference in her though, and I stopped doing it after awhile and was instead offering more insects and a baby food mix with lots of veggies.


Thanks! I think crickets would get away to fast haha 
The book I have mentioned grape nuts too...may try and see if he likes them.
What baby food and veggies worked well for you?


----------



## LarryT

It's gross but you can pull the legs of the crickets. :| Some people will also use Gerber baby rice cereal a few times a week for fiber, just sprinkle a bit on top of the food.


----------



## EtherealRose

LarryT said:


> It's gross but you can pull the legs of the crickets. :| Some people will also use Gerber baby rice cereal a few times a week for fiber, just sprinkle a bit on top of the food.


Ah, my brother would do that for the reptiles he had hehe.

Hmm.. I looked up some of the gerber baby rice cereal and most only have 1gm of fiber.. and are pretty high in iron which i've heard is not good for hedgie.


----------



## Lilysmommy

EtherealRose said:


> Lilysmommy said:
> 
> 
> 
> Mealworms and crickets are both good ways to get more fiber, their exoskeletons are good for that. Fruits/veggies are another good way (pumpkin is especially good for either constipation or diarrhea issues). I remember some time ago when this was a concern with the forum and a lot of people were adding either baby cereal or Grape Nuts cereal to their hedgie's food to add fiber. I tried both of these - Lily didn't like the Grape Nuts cereal and wouldn't eat any pieces of it, but the baby cereal was easy to dust over her food. I couldn't see that it made much of a difference in her though, and I stopped doing it after awhile and was instead offering more insects and a baby food mix with lots of veggies.
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks! I think crickets would get away to fast haha
> The book I have mentioned grape nuts too...may try and see if he likes them.
> What baby food and veggies worked well for you?
Click to expand...

With the Grape Nuts, if he doesn't eat the pieces themselves, you could try crushing them into powder and sprinkling that over food as well. Though I would try it just one night and count/weigh his kibble to make sure it doesn't affect how much of his kibble he eats. You can also freeze crickets and thaw them out to give, or hide them in the cage once you know your hedgie likes them. Lily loved this game - she'd go around to all her hiding spots and get her crickets as soon as I put her back in her cage. And I got a great hedgie death glare one night when I didn't have any hidden because I ran out. :lol:

For baby foods, Lily's favorites were applesauce, peas, sweet potatoes, and kind of green beans. Anything else she could take it or leave it, but if I mixed up any baby food with one meat baby food, she'd eat it, no matter what. I ended up just going to making big batches of baby food mix, mixing up a jar of meat with a few jars of veggies and one jar of fruit, and freezing the whole mix into one-tablespoon ice cubes. Took out a cube a night and microwaved it for her, she thought it was great.


----------



## EtherealRose

Has anyone tried Premium Edge for Senior Cat - it has 8.5% max fiber or Natural Balance reduce calorie formula with max 8% fiber? Trying to find some kibbles with higher fiber that I can buy in my area.


----------



## Kalandra

High fiber content is not always a good thing. Take a look at the ingredients in those foods and find the fiber source. 
Premium Edge uses powdered cellulose. What is powdered cellulose and where does it come from? Well its reported that in the pet food industry its usually pine trees. (see: http://www.petfoodindustry.com/Columns/ ... /2376.html). It could be something else, but since they don't tell us exactly what plant source, we get to guess.

Mazuri Hedgehog food, another high fiber food. It has several nutrient-less sources of fiber, and one of those is ground aspen. Yep another tree! OK this food has many other worse problems, but it is an example of trees in pet foods, at least they were honest about it and didn't leave us guessing by using a generic term.

Seriously, ground trees. Yes they say its fine/safe, but I'd rather supplement with vegetables and insects. My opinions of course.


----------



## EtherealRose

Kalandra said:


> High fiber content is not always a good thing. Take a look at the ingredients in those foods and find the fiber source.
> Premium Edge uses powdered cellulose. What is powdered cellulose and where does it come from? Well its reported that in the pet food industry its usually pine trees. (see: http://www.petfoodindustry.com/Columns/ ... /2376.html). It could be something else, but since they don't tell us exactly what plant source, we get to guess.
> 
> Mazuri Hedgehog food, another high fiber food. It has several nutrient-less sources of fiber, and one of those is ground aspen. Yep another tree! OK this food has many other worse problems, but it is an example of trees in pet foods, at least they were honest about it and didn't leave us guessing by using a generic term.
> 
> Seriously, ground trees. Yes they say its fine/safe, but I'd rather supplement with vegetables and insects. My opinions of course.


Mmm, interesting article. Thanks! Looks like the Natural Balance is a bit better in the ingredient area. Think I will continue to search for a good mix though... so far the innova added to what he came with is working.


----------



## EtherealRose

He seems to really be liking the Natural Balance mixed with the Innova and his original food... thinking about ordering some either buffalo blue spa select or chicken soup kibbles.


----------



## Viridis Lupus

I bought my hedge Royal Canin Light 40. Is 40% too much protein? I was thinking in mixing it up with another Royal Canin that comes with less protein... sounds good?


----------



## coribelle

40% is pretty high - most recommend levels of around 28-35%. You might be able to get away with it if you mix it with a food with a very low protein content, but I think it might just be easier to return the bag and get something a little lower.
I'm not too experienced with food mixing or balancing percentages though (as I've always just bought within the margins), so hopefully someone can give you a little more advice.


----------



## Viridis Lupus

Would the Royal Canin Fit 32 be a better option? I was unsure about the fat amount on it...


----------



## moxieberry

Viridis Lupus said:


> Would the Royal Canin Fit 32 be a better option? I was unsure about the fat amount on it...


14% is fine. You may want to add a lower fat food at some point to balance it out, since 14% is at the high end of what's good for most hedgehogs. It'll be fine for one that's fairly active, but if you get a lazy hog (like my Archimedes, lol) you'll probably want something a little less.

Figuring out the fat/protein in combinations is fairly easy. For a 50/50 mix of two foods you just find the average of the two percentages. For instance, if you were to combine RC Fit 32 (14% fat) with something like Simply Nourish (10% fat) the overall fat content of the mix would be 12%. If you're using three foods in equal amounts, each 1/3 of the total, then you do the same - take the average of the three of them.

Most people will do mixes where equal amounts are used, so it's pretty simple. If you aren't using equal amounts (such as how I give Archimedes about 10% RC Kitten 34), it's still pretty straight forward. You take the "average" but not exactly. For 1/10 RC Kitten (18% fat) and 9/10 Chicken Soup light (9% fat) I multiply the 9% fat by 9 (because of the 9/10 of the mix) and then add 18 (for the 1/10 of the mix). Then, I divide all of that by 10. It looks like this:

9 (%) x 9 = 81
81 + 18 = 99
99/10 = 9.9 = percent of the total mix

You can pretty much take that general way of doing it and apply it to different amounts and different percentages. It's easiest when the amounts of food in the mix are in tenths - 10%, 20%, etc.

Feel free to PM me if you ever need help with those calculations. I've done calculations for about 20-30 different mixes by now while trying to settle on a good mix of food for our hedgehogs (since we'll be getting quite a few more over the next year) and I would be able to do it pretty quickly.


----------



## jkwan

Could Metamucil be used as a fibre supplement? The regular ones have flavouring in them, but there's a Metamucil Clear and Natural. It's supposed to be odour- and taste- free, the nutritional information is as follows:
Serving: 1 heaping tsp.
Ingredients: Inulin (100% natural vegetable fibre) It says it's harvested from chicory roots
Total Carb: 6g
Dietary fibre: 5g
Soluble Fibre: 5g
Sugars 0g

If I were to feed my future hedgie Innova Reduced Fat, and sprinkle on some Metamucil to make up the fibre, would that be a sufficiently balanced diet? I would probably still feed some fruits and veggies occasionally. I don't think I'm going to go the insect route unless he/she wouldn't eat anything else lol.


----------



## Viridis Lupus

moxieberry said:


> (...)while trying to settle on a good mix of food for our hedgehogs (since we'll be getting quite a few more over the next year) and I would be able to do it pretty quickly.


Wow, Archimedes will have new friends, he is lovely.  
Thanks for all help you gave me, moxie, now i can take proper care of my Regininha.
I live in Brazil, here we don't have so much cat food brands like in US or Europe. We've got Purina, Royal Canin, Whiskas, and some more known brands if i buy from internet. I think i'll use RC, since its the best brand here and is easy to find. For now, i'll use RC light 40 wich she eats for long time with another RC. An then, i'll slightly transition to another blend... or even 3 kinds of RC wich i'll blend stock inside a jar. Sounds good?


----------



## moxieberry

Viridis Lupus said:


> moxieberry said:
> 
> 
> 
> (...)while trying to settle on a good mix of food for our hedgehogs (since we'll be getting quite a few more over the next year) and I would be able to do it pretty quickly.
> 
> 
> 
> Wow, Archimedes will have new friends, he is lovely.
> Thanks for all help you gave me, moxie, now i can take proper care of my Regininha.
> I live in Brazil, here we don't have so much cat food brands like in US or Europe. We've got Purina, Royal Canin, Whiskas, and some more known brands if i buy from internet. I think i'll use RC, since its the best brand here and is easy to find. For now, i'll use RC light 40 wich she eats for long time with another RC. An then, i'll slightly transition to another blend... or even 3 kinds of RC wich i'll blend stock inside a jar. Sounds good?
Click to expand...

I'd say RC is your best option. It's not the best choice ever but it's still pretty good. My boyfriend had his first hedgehog on RC (don't remember which one exactly) for his whole life. The ingredients in all of them are comparable, so just look for one that's the best in terms of fat and protein. The RC light/indoor 40 is too high in protein (40%) but the fat is good (9%). If you can find RC indoor 27 (27% protein and 12% fat) and use a 50/50 mix of that and the RC indoor 40, the mix of those two would give you 33.5% protein and 10.5% fat overall. That would be my best suggestion.


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## Viridis Lupus

moxieberry said:


> If you can find RC indoor 27 (27% protein and 12% fat) and use a 50/50 mix of that and the RC indoor 40, the mix of those two would give you 33.5% protein and 10.5% fat overall. That would be my best suggestion.


I found the RC indoor 27. Many thanks, moxieberry


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## Viridis Lupus

Today i found another imported brand: Hill's Science. It looked a very quality food. Here what i found: http://www.hillspet.com/products/sd-fel ... d-dry.html
In the site it says 35.5% protein, but in the package, 33.3%. Well, since it is low on fat, i was thinking in mixing it with the RC indoor 27 later. But then, since i have only 1 hedge, it would take an eternity to her eat the 3 packages and it could "wither"(i forgot the word). Anyway, would it be a good option?
For now: 50% RC Light 40 + 50% RC Indoor 32
Transition: 25% RC Light 40 + 25% RC Indoor 32 + 50% Hill's Light
Later: 50% RC Indoor 32 + 50% Hill's Light
Would it be better or should i stick to RC Indorr 27 + Light 40?

Another question, if i put the food inside a lidded jar, wouldn't it "wither"? It got air space, so, is there a better optionn for storage?


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## shaelikestaquitos

Viridis Lupus said:


> Today i found another imported brand: Hill's Science. It looked a very quality food. Here what i found: http://www.hillspet.com/products/sd-fel ... d-dry.html
> In the site it says 35.5% protein, but in the package, 33.3%. Well, since it is low on fat, i was thinking in mixing it with the RC indoor 27 later. But then, since i have only 1 hedge, it would take an eternity to her eat the 3 packages and it could "wither"(i forgot the word). Anyway, would it be a good option?
> For now: 50% RC Light 40 + 50% RC Indoor 32
> Transition: 25% RC Light 40 + 25% RC Indoor 32 + 50% Hill's Light
> Later: 50% RC Indoor 32 + 50% Hill's Light
> Would it be better or should i stick to RC Indorr 27 + Light 40?
> 
> Another question, if i put the food inside a lidded jar, wouldn't it "wither"? It got air space, so, is there a better optionn for storage?


The ingredients for Hill's Science is not very good.

Ingredients:
Brewers Rice, Corn Gluten Meal, Chicken By-Product Meal, Whole Grain Corn, Oat Fiber, Chicken Liver Flavor, Soybean Mill Run, Animal Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid), Powdered Cellulose , Lactic Acid, Dried Beet Pulp, Potassium Chloride, Calcium Sulfate, Soybean Oil, Choline Chloride, Taurine, Iodized Salt, Vitamin E Supplement, vitamins (L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement), Fish Oil, minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), L-Carnitine, preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid, Phosphoric Acid, Beta-Carotene, Rosemary Extract.

First few ingredients are fillers, unfortunately. I would suggest not using it in your mix


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## Viridis Lupus

Thanks, shaelikestaquitos. It`s got a nice package, but since its interior is not so good, Royal Canin it is, then!


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## adehay7

Based on information in this thread, I think I might have 3 foods that I am going to try for a first mix for my new hedgie when she comes home hopefully tonight. Her current owner is feeding her Iams kitten I think (pink bag), so I plan to switch it to a good mix. Here are the 3 that I think I will try:
Natural Balance Green Pea and Duck Formula 
Wellness Indoor Health Adult Chicken & Turkey 
Innova Low Fat Adult 

Do those look like a good mix to start out with?

Any input and advice is greatly appreciated!


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## Guest

that looks like a good one to me. 
only thing is some people have had issues with the wellness food being to rish and causing upset tummys, however i use it and have never had an issue


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## Konakuer

Didn't know I could feed my hedgehog with crickets... I will, I hate those insects so much. Haha.


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## olive2

Just picked up my little girl today (6 wks old)  I'm thinking of making her mix…...Natural Balance Green Pea & Duck, Solid Gold Katz-N-Flocken, and Innova Reduced Fat. Should I add 1 higher Fat food since she is a still young. I have currently the food breeder gave me and Innova currently to start transitioning. Thanks!


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## Lilysmommy

olive2 said:


> Just picked up my little girl today (6 wks old)  I'm thinking of making her mix&#8230;...Natural Balance Green Pea & Duck, Solid Gold Katz-N-Flocken, and Innova Reduced Fat. Should I add 1 higher Fat food since she is a still young. I have currently the food breeder gave me and Innova currently to start transitioning. Thanks!


You can if you want, and it shouldn't hurt if you do want to add in a higher fat food. Most of it is a balancing act, you just have to keep an eye on your hedgie's weight and body shape - if she seems to start getting a little pudgy, you can remove the higher fat food. If she seems to be getting a little skinny, especially if she turns out to be a big runner, she might need more of that higher fat food in her diet, or one of the lower fat ones switched out with a higher fat.


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## olive2

Lilysmommy said:


> olive2 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Just picked up my little girl today (6 wks old)  I'm thinking of making her mix&#8230;...Natural Balance Green Pea & Duck, Solid Gold Katz-N-Flocken, and Innova Reduced Fat. Should I add 1 higher Fat food since she is a still young. I have currently the food breeder gave me and Innova currently to start transitioning. Thanks!
> 
> 
> 
> You can if you want, and it shouldn't hurt if you do want to add in a higher fat food. Most of it is a balancing act, you just have to keep an eye on your hedgie's weight and body shape - if she seems to start getting a little pudgy, you can remove the higher fat food. If she seems to be getting a little skinny, especially if she turns out to be a big runner, she might need more of that higher fat food in her diet, or one of the lower fat ones switched out with a higher fat.
Click to expand...

Any suggestions for a good high fat food? The food list is kinda overwhelming !


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## Lilysmommy

Yes it is! Usually a good starting point would be to look for the regular or kitten version of a food. For instance, Innova regular adult food is 20% fat. The kitten version is 22%. A couple other brands that are pretty popular on here are Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul and Blue Buffalo, so you could check and see if those are sold near you. Chicken Soup has a regular version at 20% as well, and kitten at 22%, and I'm not sure about Blue Buffalo.


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## ilovemater101

Is Purina Naturals ok for hedgehogs? The breeder was feeding that to Loki before I got him and I was told I should continue him on it...


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## moxieberry

ilovemater101 said:


> Is Purina Naturals ok for hedgehogs? The breeder was feeding that to Loki before I got him and I was told I should continue him on it...


Any kind of Purina, except Purina One Beyond, isn't very good. It all has a lot of corn in the ingredients. I'd suggest transitioning to something else.


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## ilovemater101

moxieberry said:


> ilovemater101 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Is Purina Naturals ok for hedgehogs? The breeder was feeding that to Loki before I got him and I was told I should continue him on it...
> 
> 
> 
> Any kind of Purina, except Purina One Beyond, isn't very good. It all has a lot of corn in the ingredients. I'd suggest transitioning to something else.
Click to expand...

Ok thank you. I will try to go out tonight and buy new food


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## ashheartshedgies

If I have a lot of the Innova Kitten food left over once the babies are grown (I was expecting to have more than two survive...so I bought five 2.5 lb bags...) can I mix it into my Hedgie's mix with no ill effects? Not a lot...just enough to have it stay fresh and being used?


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## Alexia

Does anyone have experience on Solid Gold? I feed my dog the brand, around $60 for a 28 lb. bag  but he is very old yet healthy, I am assuming it's a good food. Has anyone feed their hedgehog this brand? Also, if I do buy it, when is a safe time to start mixing it in with his old food so that he doesn't get sick?


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## moxieberry

Solid Gold Katz-N-Flocken is a great choice. You can start the transition at any time, just do it gradually. Depending on what food he's already on, he might take to it quickly - you can go by his reaction and any signs of upset stomach to judge how quickly to transition, anywhere from a few days to a week or two. I also recommend using a probiotic like Benebac or acidophilus during any food transition to help with digestive upset.


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## ashheartshedgies

Anyone have any idea on the Innova question?


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## Lilysmommy

It shouldn't hurt, just keep an eye on her weight in case she starts gaining too much from the high fat.


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## ashheartshedgies

In the grand scheme of things, the kitten food takes up maybe 1/4 of an inch of my 10 gallon bucket of food that I keep my mix in. It's maybe a pound total out of like 35 lbs.


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## JulieAnne

OK, I'm sure this has been asked but I couldn't read all 34 pages of responses to this thread LOL.

I am new to hedgies and am wanting to make my own mix. If anyone here sells a mix I would gladly buy it but I didn't see any in the classifieds. Anywho, I am wondering what foods and how much of them to put in my mix. I know a lot of people said Wellness and the Green Pea and Duck. Is the point of mixing foods just for a variety of taste or am I wanting a variety of fat/protein/fiber etc as well?

I was looking up different foods from the list provided and found Innova, Wellness, Solid Gold, and the Natural Balance Pea and Duck are all sold at the petstore right by me (woot!). My question is, should I mix ALL of those together? Should I just pick a couple of them, if so which ones. And once I decide which ones I want, how much of each do I do?

I may be over thinking this, but I just want to be sure that I don't completely mess her diet up.


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## Lilysmommy

There's a few breeders that will sell their own food mix, if you wanted to check around for breeder sites that mention it. You would just want to make sure they're completely upfront about what's in the mix - I think I remember at least one not saying what foods are in their mix.

Mixing foods is for several reasons. Variety of taste and proteins is one, but that's just kind of an "extra" bonus to mixing. The main reason (IMO) for mixing is because of how picky hedgehogs can be with their food. If there's a sudden straight switch from their usual food to a new one due to their usual being unavailable (sold out, food recall, etc.), it can cause them to go on a food strike and not eat anything. That's no good for them, so then you have to syringe-feed, and that's stressful for everyone...So if you have a mix of at least two foods, even if one becomes unavailable, at least they still have one familiar food and you can hopefully avoid all the fuss.

And I saw that the rest of the questions here were answered on the other thread, so I'll leave those be.


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## JulieAnne

Awesome! Thanks so much. I really want to learn how to make my own mix. I'm hoping to have one of the foods she is on also be my cat's food. Hopefully I'll be able to figure it out with y'alls help!


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## Mr Totoro

Hi all, 
apologies if this has been covered but I couldn't find it, my hedgie was having real trouble crunching up the kibble so I've been mixing a very small (few ml) of water onto it, is this ok? As I've seen other posts mentioning it's hard but no-one has suggested this solution and it got me thinking. ...maybe it's not a great idea??


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## Lilysmommy

Softening the kibble with water isn't terrible, but you'll want to keep a close eye on it - it can go bad faster when it's wet. It is a suggestion that's often given for hedgehogs that are getting older and having a hard time eating, though. Another thing you could try is crushing up the kibble into smaller pieces and see if that helps too. A few people recently have discussed getting little grinding mills that they use to crush kibble more easily.


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## Hedgies<3

Is Iams indoor weight and hairball control good to use as long as I am making a mixture to add fiber?


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## moxieberry

Iams is really terrible food, even in a mix. You should definitely look for something better. This list should help:

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


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## avr82793

Okay, so I've been doing research on the foods, I'm thinking Innova Weight Management (Fat - 10%, Protein- 32%, Fiber - 5%) and Wellness Indoor Health (Fat - 12%, Protein - 20%, Fiber - 5%).
I'm wondering though if it's too low on fat and fiber. What would the final fat, protein and fiber products be if it is mixed half and half? I'm worried it's too low on fat for a baby, but would the meal worms/crickets be enough of an addition to offset the fat?

Any opinions/anything I should change?


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## avr82793

Does Innova not make small bags of cat food? I want to mix so getting two 3 lb bags make more since than a 6 lb and a 3 lb. >.<

And, the stuff everyone orders from petdirect.com - is it always fresh, etc?


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## shirohedgie

I give my little guy Whiskies Meaty Mortsels mixed with Pretty Pet Hedgehog food and dried Mealworms with dried Banana and coconut. Is what I feeding him okay?
He seems to like the cat food over the hedgie food.


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## Lilysmommy

Sorry to be the one to tell you, but...everything you're feeding isn't really that good, or downright bad.

Whiskas isn't a good quality cat food at all - I would check out the food list from the first post on this thread and choose another food. The brands that are most popular on the forum here are Blue Buffalo, Innova, Natural Balance, Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul, and Solid Gold. Choose at least one good food, but preferably two - having a mix gives more variety and ensures that if one food becomes unavailable, you still have a food your hedgehog is used to and will eat. They can be picky, especially if their food is changed suddenly. You'll want to change to the good cat food over a week or two - add in 1/4 good to 3/4 old for a few days, then 1/2 and 1/2, then 3/4 new to 1/4 old, and so on. However, if you notice him eating only the new food, just go ahead and switch - he'll have some green poop, but it's okay if he's doing a sudden switch on his own.

Throw the hedgehog food out. It's not good and has no nutrition in it. Dried mealworms can cause impactions and constipation issues, especially if too many are fed. It's better to feed live, and they're really not difficult to keep, either in the fridge (take out once a week to let them warm up and eat) or out (they're pretty pathetic, they won't go anywhere!).

Dried banana and other fruits can be sticky, so it's best to try and feed fresh foods for treats. I saw you post on the treat list as well, so you can check that for what fruits and veggies are safe.


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## Vivalahedgielution

hey guys/gals/others,

Currently I am just using All natural Nutro Natural choice healthy weight (No ground corn, no chicken by-product meal, no artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners or preservatives) ingredients listed:
Crude Protein (min.) 42.00% 
Crude Fat (min.) 10.00% 
Crude Fat (max.) 13.00% 
Crude Fiber (max.) 7.00% 
Moisture (max.) 10.00% 
Linoleic Acid (min.) 3.50% 
Arachidonic Acid (ARA)(min.) 0.05% 
Calcium (min.) 0.80% 
Phosphorus (min.) 0.70% 
Iron (min.) 200 mg/kg 
Manganese (min.) 35 mg/kg 
Zinc (min.) 300 mg/kg 
Vitamin D (min.) 1,500 IU/kg 
Vitamin E (min.) 250 IU/kg 
Taurine (min.) 0.18% 
Starch (max.)* 20.00% 
Alpha-Linolenic Acid (ALA)(min.)* 0.15% 
Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA)(min.)* 0.06% 
Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C) (min.)* 50 mg/kg 
Beta Carotene (min.)* 4.0 mg/kg 
L-Carnitine (min.)* 100 mg/kg 
Omega 6 Fatty Acids (min.)* 3.70% 
Omega 3 Fatty Acids (min.)* 0.25% 

Obviously this alone is a bit rich at 42% protein minimum, which may be why Hubert isn't really eating a whole lot of it. 
I would ideally like to mix it with 2 to 3 others, with one of those being his 'junk' food. I looked at the lists but I am not sure which ones would be good to mix with it without overdoing it too much in one of the areas. As of now, I give him mealies (probably too many honestly) and some tuna. Tomorrow I am going to hit up the market for some carrots and veggies for me and to treat him.

Do any of the experienced 'mixers' :lol: like Reaper or Lizard girl or anyone else who has contributed to this forum with lots of hedgie experience (sorry I didn't list you, I assure you that I'd love also to hear from you too! lol) have any ideas for 2 more that would make a good mix? or even 3 more? I don't mind the cost, Hubert is my only pet and he really doesn't eat a whole lot. haha


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## CarrieJ

I think I'm going to take the Natural Balance out of Soda Pop's mix. That kid will not eat it. He does happily pick out and eat the EVO food that's in there. I'm going to go look for the other brands that Lilysmommy suggested.


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## lcam85

Has there been up updated list?


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## velooyuotn

I also was hoping there was a more recent and updated list.


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## mdb070371

I was told to feed purina one chicken and rice and purina one kitten. Does that sound like a good mix. I was thinking about mixing in chicken soup for the cat lover's sole???


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## Hedgehog101

*dry cat food??*

my hedgehog eats dry cat food he also likes turkey and eggs but he dosent eat mealworms or hedgehog food.At night he eats dry cat food.Is that good for my hedgehog?


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## Lilysmommy

It's good that he's not eating hedgehog food, since most have pretty bad ingredients. What cat food are you feeding him? 

Turkey and eggs are good treats, as long as they're cooked plain, with no salt, butter, or seasoning.  I'm actually in the process of posting some new stickies about food and nutrition, so you should check those out once they're all up!


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