# I feel like a terrible mommy :(



## Hannah18 (Jan 17, 2011)

I got Hobbles Christmas day, so I've had him for about 3 weeks. He was 7 weeks old when I got him. I bought him spikes delight, which he loves and has been eating every day, but that's ALL he'll eat. I'm constantly trying to add variety to his diet, but he just won't seem to eat anything else. Every new food I introduce to him he nibbles, annoints himself with it, and leaves it alone after that. I'm worried that if he doesn't start eating fruits and veggies soon he'll get sick and gain weight. I'm in the process of buying new foods and trying them but what I have tried so far (fruits and veggies) is...
Bananas
Apples
Lettuce
Green beans
Corn
Cooked and uncooked carrots
Dried cranberries and raisins
Broccoli

Any suggestions? I will be trying millworms this week but I'm mostly concerned about fruits and veggies right now. Thanks!


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## PJsMom (Nov 20, 2010)

dont worry, my PJ is the same way. he just eats hsi kibble and mealies...NOTHING else. i was discouraged at first...but i just accepted the fact that he's picky lol. dont beat yourself up over it...maybe later your hedgie will want to try something new. right now..no..later maybe. if not..it's ok


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

You're not a bad mommy. Although it's natural to feel that way - You live with a hedgehog. :lol:

Snarf is Mr Picky-Pants - luckily, he's on a mix of 7 - yes 7!!! - catfoods. He won't eat anything healthy. :roll: I tried everything on your list at least 10 times...no luck...then, because *I* had so painstakingly shopped for new foods to try, cut up teeny pieces of food, cooked teeny pieces of food and coaxed him to eat it, my BF gave him one piece of dried banana and he loved it. :roll: I also tried a little bit of dried apple and he loves these even more!

So...
- keep trying - and try the same foods again and again...he didn't eat Royal Canin for two weeks, now it's his fave.
- these things are all treats and Spike's is pretty awful, so try really hard to s-l-o-w-l-y get him onto quality catfood. Try 3 or 4 pieces of one new catfood mixed in with his Spikes for a few days, then 4 or 5...etc. Watch his poop - if it's really green for more than a day, cut back on the new stuff. This will help:

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=15

EDIT: I forgot to say...I cut up the apple slices into teeny pieces and break the banana chips into even smaller pieces cuz they're so hard.


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## tonykunz (Jan 10, 2011)

i thout rassins were bad for hogs


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

Yes...Don't feed raisins again.... or grapes....
They can cause renal failure.


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## susanaproenca (Aug 14, 2010)

Sometimes they just don't want to it something new in front of you. You can try to leave the new treat in his cage with him, put it in a separate bowl and leave it there for a few hours, he might try it that way.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

No raisins, grapes, avocados, nuts, seeds uncooked carrots, or any hard vegetable that isn't easily chewed, like raw carrots.


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## PJM (May 7, 2010)

Welcome to HHC! And congrats on your new hedgie! Don't feel bad, most hedgies are picky in one way or another.
Just keep trying new things & you may find one he likes. Mealies are usually a big hit. But, even then, sometimes they don't realize they are supposed to eat them, not just look at them! :lol:


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## HedgehogsAnonymous (Dec 30, 2010)

I tend to introduce veggies/fruits one at a time, and usually when I have them out so I can see if they like it (I choose to believe that if they anoint over whatever I have given them, that means they like it haha) but I do have one boy that just won't touch mealworms--strangest thing. I even gave live crickets once, expecting them to hunt the crickets down and eat them quickly (like my first hedgie did) and nothing happened. 

I also recently switched my boys from the breeders mix to my own mix of 5-6 cat foods, which Gin isn't thrilled about, every morning I find his food dish and his food thrown around his cage 

With the mealies I've heard it helps if you cut them in half, that way they can smell them better. 

Good luck!!


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## Hannah18 (Jan 17, 2011)

tonykunz said:


> i thout rassins were bad for hogs


I'm assuming that's what they were, they came in the hedgehog treat mix


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## Hannah18 (Jan 17, 2011)

Thank you everyone! I will most definitely stay away from raisins and grapes  I checked the ingredients on the hedgehog treats, and they were definitly raisins. Looks like I won't be using those treats anymore! The brand is "ultra bites" Also I will begin bringing him off of spikes asap! Ill check out those dried cat food lists. Its good to know **** be ok without the veggies but ill keep trying


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## emeko (Nov 28, 2009)

If its the 8 in 1 "Ultra fruit bites" treat that I'm thinking of, you should feeding it-- it's totally unsuitable for hedgehogs. Not only does it have toxic raisins, it also has nuts and seeds that pose a choking hazard. It shouldn't be allowed to advertise is as a "hedgehog treat", in my opinion.


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## PJM (May 7, 2010)

I had a friend give me a bag of that stuff when we first got our hedgie. It was such a sweet thought. And you would figure with the picture of the hedgie on there & everything, that it would be safe. But it's trash - & that's where it went. (I won't ever tell my friend though). I had thought about picking out the pieces of kibble, but I didn't know what they were made of. Figured since they were way off with some of the other ingredients, it wasn't worth the effort.


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## emeko (Nov 28, 2009)

**EDIT. My post should say SHOULDN'T be feeding it. Fail. Woops!


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## Hannah18 (Jan 17, 2011)

Sucks I spent the money on it  maybe my little sisters hamster will like it haha. Thank heavens he didn't eat any of it and choke or something!


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