# Picky Eater



## hedgielover (Oct 30, 2008)

Hey 

I've had my hog (Quigley) for a month now

I got him from a pet store who had him for over 2 years and couldn't sell him so I know he's an adult over two years but other than nothing. 

They gave me some food which I only know is a crappy cat food but don't know what and it's all he will eat. 

I have tried ...

Pretty pets hedgehog food 
Orijen Cat food
Wellness canned kitten formula (because I thought maybe the pellets were too hard) 

I am counting out the kibble and he will only eat about 20 pieces a night (from what I have read this seems low to me). He has eaten as much as 45 and as little as three. To introduce the food I gradually mixed it in with the food he came with. He will try a few bites and not eat it anymore or only eat one or two pieces a night. Once I tried leaving in the hedgehog food by itself and he only ate three pieces. Because he is eating it I know he knows it is food. The wet food he'll lick off my finger but not eat out of the bowl. 

He loves meal worms (I got them canned because I read it was softer than live or freeze dried and I am worried about his teeth) He will eat four meal worms a night plus about 15 kibbles if we let him but I think that is too many worms so I've narrowed it one or two a night (only nightly because he's not really eating his kibble and I think he should be eating something). 

I've tried soaking the food in water to make it softer and, I've tried not giving him any mealies to see if it made him hungrier. I've tried giving him less of the crappy cat food so he would still be hungry and eat the other stuff. He just doesn't seem interested in food that is good for him. He won't try any fruit, he tried scrambled eggs and wasn't interested, he won't try cottage cheese. 

I'm very frustrated and don't know how to get him to eat. He is currently ignoring wellness healthy weight for cats (the kibble not the canned stuff).


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## hedgieMate (Aug 28, 2008)

Quigley sounds just like our 3-1/2 year old Geoffrey! :lol: G is extremely picky and eats only a couple brands of dry cat food plus mealworms; nothing else. Like Quigley, G has never been a big eater either. When he was younger between 1 and 2 years-old, he ate somewhere between 35 to 50 pieces a day, but now he is getting older, he averages 20 to 30 per day.

We shouldn't generalize based on only two hedgehogs, but I believe it's not uncommon for some hedgies, especially picky ones, not to eat a lot. G stays quite healthy and active without a large quantity of kibble consumption, so you shouldn't worry too much about Quigley's smallish appetite.

Being a true picky eater, G ate only one brand of dry cat food for 8 months after he came to us at the age of 6 months-old, despite our best effort to entice him to try better quality kibble (we tried at least 15 different kinds so far). We also tried almost every treat and fruit/veggies recommended on various sites with absolutely no success. He refused to eat canned mealworms for 8 months too, until one day I decided to try live ones instead - it was love at the first sight and he never stopped pigging out on them ever since.

We tried different feeder insects including crickets, waxworms, butterworms, silkworms, and Phoenix worms. While he refused to touch "dead" bugs such as dry-roasted waxworms, G was quite enthusiastic about live ones. However, for various reasons including a high degree of upkeep, we've decided to raise our own mealworms and stick to them. G loves and feeds on all three life stages - larvae, pupae, and beetles. [Btw, if you watch Quigley's weight very closely, there's no reason why you can't give him more than a few mealworms per day. It all depends on the hedgie. Some hedgies have weight problems and they shouldn't eat more than a few and once or twice a week. However, others can take several mealies a day, everyday of the week, as long as they are active and don't gain any weight.]

G will not touch any canned cat food or dumped kibble. To him, if it doesn't crunch, it's not food. He doesn't eat crushed kibble either because they're just crumbs and not real kibble. :roll: :roll: :roll:

The only way to entice a picky eater to try new/different food is to keep mixing a couple pieces over a long period of time until he accidentally tastes it. It took G 8 months to start nibbling on CSFCLS which subsequently became one of his staple brands. As for treats, don't give up on any food so hastily. Just keep offering it to him from time to time. Quigley may change his mind suddenly and start eating it.

Try not getting frustrated by Quigley's picky eating habits. You just have to out-last him to win.


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## hedgielover (Oct 30, 2008)

Hey 
Thanks for the support. I'm just worried that if I don't get him eating something healthier soon he will run out of the stuff he came with (the only food he is eating right now) and then not want to eat anything. Like I said I have no idea what he is eating and no body at the pet store seemed to know (I'm not shopping there anymore they are clearly incompetent if they can't even tell me what he was eating for two years). 

But you have given me a glimmer of hope. I'm going to be persistent and continue to try everything I can think of. 

Thanks again


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