# Weight Question



## xsarahjox (Jul 28, 2009)

What is the average weight of an adult male hedgehog? I've been searching the forums and can't seem to find a definite answer. It seems that most weigh somewhere between 300g and 400g. That leads me to be a little bit concerned about Ivan's weight. I've been weighing him every day for the past month and he has been weighing a very consistent 440g to 450g. He doesn't really LOOK chunky (I've attached a couple of pictures so that you can be the judge), but his weight seems to be a little bit higher than others.

He's extremely active (a runner) and spends _hours_ every night on his wheel. I have him on a mix of three different cat foods. I use Pet Promise Healthy Weight and Aging, Blue Spa Select Longevity for Mature Cats and Wellness Healthy Weight. I sprinkle some Grape Nuts on top just because loves them (and I like to watch him anoint with them). I give him a couple of mealies or crickets a day. I've tried veggie treats but he spits them right back out.

I don't know if I should be concerned about his weight. He's been at this weight since I got him, so he's not gaining and he can still curl into a tight ball which I read is good. So, should I be concerned?

Also, I have been thinking about counting his kibble, just for consistency (I currently free-feed) and I was curious as to how much you all give your hedgies.


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## knitfreak (Jul 17, 2009)

They can weigh up to 1000 grams! So yes, I would say he is looking pretty good from those pics 

I free-feed, my guy needs more weight on him though. I would suggest to continue to free-feed. If he gets fat you feed a diet food, not less food. They still need full little tummies! So I always give about half a crock and throw the rest out in the morning. There is always left-overs, which I think is preferable to waking up to see an empty bowl.


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## xsarahjox (Jul 28, 2009)

I guess that I didn't explain myself very well with the free feeding. I'm not looking to cut back on the amount of food he gets, I was just curious as to how much the average hedgie eats. I want to count his kibble so that I can gain a better idea of how much he eats in a night. It's a hard thing to gauge since I just eyeball how much he is getting and how much is gone in the morning.

Sorry for not explaining that in the first place.


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

The average hedgie weighs somewhere between low 300's to over 1000. 

My boy weighs ~320g, and he usually eats about 50 kibbles. So every day, I dump the left overs, and refill his bowl with 70 kibbles. There are days when he eats a bit more(up to 60) and some days he eats less (40 or so). How much he eats also reflect if I have given him treats. 

Since you are not sure how much yours is eating in a regular basis, it would be good to start with giving around 100 kibbles(or whatever the eyeball amount of how much you normally give. So if you usually give half a bowl, count how many kibbles it takes to fill up half a bowl). Then count from there and decrease/increase accordingly. I usually give the 20 extra, so that if my boy ever feels like eating more, he always has the option to eat more. But there is always kibble left over in the morning.


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## knitfreak (Jul 17, 2009)

If you have a scale it might even be nice to weigh his food instead of counting kibbles. That could be very accurate as well!

I am an "eyeballer" with the food myself. I give about half a crock, It's about 1.5 to 2 tablespoons.


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

The only problem I have found with a scale(and this is just personal preference), is that
4 Wellness = 1 gram, so anywhere from 4-7 kibble = 1 gram.
6 Natural Balance = 1 gram, so 6-11 kibble = 1 gram. 
And I wasn't feeding Solid Gold back then when I weighed. 

So given the difference, that's a decent amount of kibble in between. While it is relatively accurate, unless you have a much more sensitive scale that reads grams to the decimals, you will find the bit of difference. (The scale I used is my designated hedgie scale, which I use to weigh my boy)

However, the scale does give a decent approximation, more so than guesstimating on how much you think might be there.

Yes...I got paranoid when I first got my boy :lol:


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

He looks like he's in good shape as far as I can tell.  While there is no set guidelines for healthy weights (ranges from 250-1000+) I would say _majority_ of hedgehogs weigh between 300 and 600 grams.


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