# Doesn't eat very much



## lane_m (May 20, 2009)

Hello everybody,

I have two hedgies and they are so different in how much food they eat. My male who is slightly overweight eats a full 2 tablespoons (measured out cause he's on a diet) of food a night as well as whatever else I give him (cottage cheese, chicken, fruits/veggies etc.) and mealies of course! (3/day) He also drinks a ton of water. 

My female on the other hand eats less than 1 tablespoon per day and will never eat anything else I give her except for her mealies. She drinks barely any water at all. She is so small compared to my boy. He weighs around 400++ grams and she weighs around 300 grams. She is very active and runs every night and seems happy, but less than 1 tablespoon of food seems like nothing!

Any thoughts or insight would be appreciated.

Thanks!


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## dorasdaddy (Dec 23, 2008)

Our little Dora eat 1 - 1 1/2 tbsp a night and weighs around 300 grams. She is a very active runner and has a hard time putting on weight so i added a higher fat food to her mix. Halo Spots Stew Senisitve Stomach Wholesome Turkey...It has 16% fat and she can eat it with no advers affects. The only other things she will eat are bugs, SELECT baby foods, and a bite or two of soft foods. Another thing that we have started doing with Dora instead of counting kibble is weighing it when we feed and in the morning to see exactly what volume of food she is eating not just the amount of kibble.


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## lane_m (May 20, 2009)

Is SELECT baby foods or certain brand? Or do you mean she will only eat select flavours? Charlotte won't eat Gerber (I am in Canada) or another organic one that I tried. She also won't eat canned cat or dog food. I think she will eat a kibble that is higher in fat though. It just means she needs a diferent mixture than my boy. That's a good idea about the weighing of the food. How often do you weigh Dora? Daily?


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## dorasdaddy (Dec 23, 2008)

We usually try to weigh her twice a day...and yes i mean certain baby foods. She loves the turkey & turkey gravy, Sweet potatoes and turkey, mixed vegetables and occsionally apples and blueberries. We use the Natures Goodness brand.


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## hedgielover (Oct 30, 2008)

My boy also only eats about a Tablespoon/day but lately he's been eating almost a tablespoon and a half. He is a little over 300 

He will not eat soft food except for the occasional banana bit but he does get meal worms. Back when he was eating less than a tablespoon of food I gave him extra meal worms to make sure he was getting enough in his stomach. Since he's settled in with me his appetite has grown. I also find that covering his cage at night to make it super dark makes him eat more. I usually cover it with a heavy towel leaving the sides open for ventilation. 

I think that as long as your hedgehog does not look underweight with sides curving in )( Then she is probably eating enough.


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