# Big Boy Needs to Lose Weight



## lcam85 (Nov 30, 2011)

Hi Everyone,

I have a problem that I need some advice on. Oreo needs to lose some weight. He's a fairly big boy and I'm not sure the best way to go about it.

Diet:
He was originally on Royal Canin Fit 32 but gained way too much weight on that and then I switched him to Blue Buffalo Weight Control and Innova Weight Control and Wellness weight Control. He keeps gaining weight. I'm read not to restrict the amount of food he's getting.

Exercise:
He runs like it's his job. He loves his wheel and uses it every night for hours on end. But when I take him out to have him roam the room he finds a corner and falls asleep (lazy lazy little boy). 
I was thinking about letting him swim a bit, he has no problem with the water unless he's really grumpy because he wants to sleep and I'm bothering him.
Also I think I am going to cut back to maybe just one kibble because the mix has him gaining too much weight  

Veggies/Fruits:
I've tried baby food and actual fruits and veggies. He'll be interested for a few bites and then leave the whole thing alone. I've tried reducing his kibble and having fruits and veggies there for him to eat and he'll just eat the kibble so I stop because I don't want him to go into starvation mode. He doesn't like the texture of soft things I think.

Can you give any advice to get him to lose weight?


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## moxieberry (Nov 30, 2011)

How much does he eat each day? The foods you're using now are 10% and 9% fat, so removing one isn't going to make much of a difference. You're already at the low end of the options as far as fat content goes. The first step in trying to get a hedgehog to lose weight is to try a low fat food, which you've done. After that, restricting food is appropriate as long as you don't go below 1 tablespoon.


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## lcam85 (Nov 30, 2011)

Right now he's on 1 1/2 heaping tbsps of the mix


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## moxieberry (Nov 30, 2011)

How much does he weigh? Are you seeing extra chub around the tops of his legs (armpit area and the equivalent for the back legs) or at the neck/chin?

1.5 tb is typical for an adult. You can try going down to 1tb but since it's a low fat food you probably won't see a huge difference. Swimming is fine since he doesn't mind the water, but since he's already pretty active on his wheel, the swimming may not do much either. Wheeling is the most efficient exercise option. Does he eat mealworms? If so, how many and how often?


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## lcam85 (Nov 30, 2011)

I'll try to weigh him later on today, but I heard back from his breeder and big bones run in the family. He does have chub at the top of his legs and under his chin so I still think he could stand to lose some. 
Also big mistake on my part, I went back and checked the bags of food and where I thought I had grabbed the weight loss innova it was actually the senior cat which is 14% fat   so I've gone out and bought the right one and started the food transition period yesterday. So fingers crossed this works. 
I have mealworms for him but I rarely give them because I know they are fatty. I'll give him a cricket now and then as we'll. it's the fluckers gourmet ones.


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## lcam85 (Nov 30, 2011)

And I've figured it out! I need to give him veggies that are the same size and sort of the same texture as his kibble. Apparently he LOVES peas. I tried him on a little of left over peas that were in the fridge from dinner the night before and he gobbled all of them up, left most of his kibble behind. Its the frozen peas that are boiled for 2-3 minutes left in the fridge for a day. I've also got the peas and carrot mixture one that I will try him on this weekend to see if that will work 
Yay I've found a veggie that he actually likes  so excited


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

That's great! Just be careful not to feed him too many, the main part of his diet should still be his kibble / insects. My brain is failing but I think peas are high in phosphorus, and since hedgies tend to have diets high in phosphorus anyhow (from insects without calcium supplementation), just be careful you don't feed too many. If you wanted to supplement with a very small amount of calcium (from a crushed Tums, or calcium supplement) to make sure he's getting enough, that might be a good idea.


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