# Making the decision to stick with a bad food



## NoDivision (Aug 29, 2010)

As much as I hate this decision... it's one I have to make. When Sherlock came to me, he'd been eating purina one something or other. (smart blend chicken and rice I believe, but I might need to confirm that once and for all.) He'd been eating it since he was bought from a pet store as a baby-ish. And in the *counts* 6 and a half months since I've had him, I have been trying every which way to get him to eat something better.

I have tried samples of several blue buffalo foods, holistic select, wellness, chicken soup, newman's own, and several varieties of the "naturals" grain free purina one. I have tried 4 kinds of baby food, two kinds of canned cat food, lots of different veggies, chicken, eggs, cottage cheese... I have tried all the tricks in the book - keeping the new food in with the old food to get the smells to mingle, crushing up the old food and coating the new food with it, etc... but the bottom line is he WILL.NOT.EAT. any of them. 

So if it comes down to him starving (he has lost weight from not eating the new foods that I try to introduce, and he's a small guy anyway) or him eating a food that might not be ideal... I feel like a good enough mom letting him eat the food he likes. Do I wish it wasn't so corn heavy and the ingredients were a bit higher quality? Yes. But was I utterly thrilled to fill his bowl tonight and watching him chowing down like a champ? Absolutely.


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

Snarf is a smaller lil dude too and if I had a voice between him eating a lot of lousy food or a little bit of great food the decision would be easy: the lousy food so he at least gets some basic nutrition and calories. Not to mention he'd prolly be a whole lot happier. 

I would keep trying with the veggies and occasional canned something (just freeze it in teaspoon dollops) cuz you never know. 

Good decision, IMHO.


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## NoDivision (Aug 29, 2010)

I have lots of baby food stored frozen, and as I try to introduce Watson to new things (he doesn't seem nearly as picky) I'll keep trying with Sherlock too. I don't have much hope, but we'll see.


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

It was weird with Snarf...for the longest time, he ignored everything except the tried and true kibble. Then, when I started to add more and more stuff, it's like a lightbulb went off and he likes change and trying new things. He always has at least a bite of the fruit and veggies and, in spite of me changing his mix every day or two, he has never turned up his nose to anything, I have seen no green poop and he always eats at least 2/3 of the mix (cat/babyfood; veggies; cooked meat; kibble).

He seemd to make the connection that trying something new and different might taste good...or something... :? I dunno but I had tried for three months to get him to eat banana, for example, and once he decided to try new stuff, he looks for banana every night.

:? dunno...


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## SnufflePuff (Apr 16, 2009)

Definitely don't starve him, but I would keep up adding a good food in the mix too because you never know. 

Have you ever given flax seed oil? They seem to really like it and it makes them eat more kibble. They shouldn't have it every day, only one capsule once per week, broken over the food, but it may entice him to try new food?


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

I'm sure you have probably already tried but, have you mixed some of the old food, in with some of the new in a small container so the smell and taste will mingle? Often that works or helps. 

Sometimes it is shape that is the issue more than taste. Some hedgehogs will only eat certain shapes so getting a new food in the same shape sometimes works. 

Some are super stubborn and will starve before trying anything new. I suggest keep trying but make sure he always has enough of his old. 

Purina One, although certainly not ideal, could be worse. 

Good luck.


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## PJM (May 7, 2010)

Just something from personal experience...As I have mentioned before, I make a blended mix for Zoey. Partly the moistened kibble, some chicken & veggies. Anyway, after I put Zoey away & got Cholla, I still had the bowl of her food in my lap. Cholla (who I have tried to get to eat different things) wanders over to it & starts to chow down! I was thrilled & now he gets that as a snack during cuddle time. It's a great way to use up some of the kibble they refuse to eat.
So- do what you have to do, but don't stop trying new things. If nothing else, maybe Watson will eat it.


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## silvercat (Oct 24, 2008)

Have you tried "Go!" or "Now!" cat food? They're a higher fat content, so I'm guessing a bit yummier. I also have a stubborn hedgie but was able to get her to eat both of those. My pet store has them as sample bags, which I used during the switch incase she didn't like it.


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## NoDivision (Aug 29, 2010)

Yeah, I have tried all of the things everyone has mentioned - mixing kibble together, mixing with wet food, moistened kibble, etc. He just won't do it. If I put things in his bowl other than the purina one, he just won't eat, period. Like if he smells other food that is not the purina, he ignores the whole bowl. I am not exaggerating when I say he won't eat them - he WILL NOT eat. I've tried a few higher fat foods as well with no success (not worried about fat levels for him, he's a little guy) but I really cannot afford to keep buying random new foods without knowing if he'll eat them. I've spent tons of money on different foods because my pet store hardly ever has samples. 

If anyone here wants to volunteer to send me little samples of food they've had success in, that's great, but otherwise I really cannot afford to keep buying new foods.


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## pooka dotted (Jan 5, 2011)

Well since I work at petcetera NoDivision, If there are any samples that are small and cheap (I get a discount anyways) I will send you some if you like  Posting a list of the stuff you have tried would be a good place to start, then the rest of us can send foods you haven't tried? pm me with your mailing address and i'll check on thursday when I work for some samples  We also have a royal canin representative that comes by and has loads of coupons so maybe I can find some free sample coupons to send too


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

pooka dotted said:


> Well since I work at petcetera NoDivision, If there are any samples that are small and cheap (I get a discount anyways) I will send you some if you like  Posting a list of the stuff you have tried would be a good place to start, then the rest of us can send foods you haven't tried? pm me with your mailing address and i'll check on thursday when I work for some samples  We also have a royal canin representative that comes by and has loads of coupons so maybe I can find some free sample coupons to send too


Niiiiice, Pooka....and I don't mind sending some of the stuff Snarf has been eating. I have NOW! Sr; Holistic Select Chicken and Sunseed. Just PM me with your address.


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## NoDivision (Aug 29, 2010)

The full list of dry foods I have tried:

(sample sizes that I got in my last hometown where the pet store was awesome)
Blue Buffalo adult chicken
Blue buffalo adult indoor
Blue buffalo weight control 
Newman's Own Adult cat formula
Newman's Own advanced cat formula
Holistic select duck meal
Natural balance green pea and chicken

full size bags that, thank god, Watson will eat
Wellness indoor health
chicken soup
Purina one beyond chicken (he ate this for a few nights, then snubbed it)
Purina one beyond salmon (same as above) 

There were a few others - I stole cat food from my parents and from my brother - I don't remember the brands but they were snubbed too. Also tried few little pieces of royal canin baby cat - there is some in watson's mix still so I offered a few pieces to Sherlock, just to see - no dice. 

So yeah, somewhere around 15 different kinds of food - yes, I know there are still a lot of foods I haven't tried, but just cannot go through every bag in the pet store -_- Luckily my pet store here has a huuuuuuuge variety, so if there is a brand to try, they probably have it. They just don't have samples. 

I know you guys are in canada so shipping might be a hassle - but I will gladly pay shipping charges if anyone wants to send me samples that they think might be worth trying.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

How many times did you try the foods. Sometimes, it takes weeks of a food being in the dish (fresh pieces daily), before they will try it. You can also try leaving a few kibble of the new food in bed with him. Eating in bed sometimes entices them to try something new. What a stubborn boy you have. :lol:


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## NoDivision (Aug 29, 2010)

this has been over a span of 6 months, so most of the foods were in there in some mix or another for at least a few weeks - some longer than others, depending on the supply. And yeah, I have put a few kibbles in his igloo every now and again, and they've always just been left there. He is seriously so fussy D: Those are just the dry foods, we don't even want to get into all the treats I've tried.


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

Have you tried canned catfood? Maybe mixed with kibble?


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## NoDivision (Aug 29, 2010)

Yup - tried a few canned varieties, again, no interest. Not even a snuffle. I tried it mixed it, and by itself.


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## rivoli256 (Mar 1, 2009)

i have one very fickle hedgie. he is always changing his mind about what he wants. GAH! it is maddening sometimes. i also had to transition 5 hedgies from a Purina mix onto my own mix. some were not thrilled about it. in the least. however, they now plow through their food! it is possible...i promise. if Sherlock will play nice.  :lol: 

keep trying. you never know. just like people, tastes & habits can change. or like with PJM's Zoey & Cholla, he may decide he likes the yummy stuff Watson is getting & think he needs to get in on things.  he may not. but since Watson has a more adventurous palate & you will be trying things with him, keep plugging away with Sherlock. 

i, too, have tons of foods that i can make sample baggies of & send. 

kind of off the wall suggestions:

any chance the food transitions are upsetting his tummy? maybe probiotics would help. they are great idea anyway & BeneBac powder seems to be a little sweet & has worked to encourage my guys to try new foods.

also, maybe a supplement like Harrison's Sunshine Factor (SF) or Booster could be used...most hedgies love the taste. it is really good for them. most people mix it in wet food. i give my guys a big enough dose that i pour/drizzle it on their kibble. they eat it up. & their skin/nails/etc look better than ever. (i use Booster.) since it is an oil, it also coats the stomach so could help too if there is any tummy upset...

(for folks who use SF/Booster...if you have to give meds & you are worried about stomach upset, give an oral dose of SF/Booster just before the meds to buffer the stomach.  i had to give Atty HUGE, frequent doses of Metacam in the last few days of his life & did this & never once did he have any GI upset!)


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

Sometimes you don't have a choice and a lower quality kibble is better than not eating at all.

I had one once who refused to switch too. The food she had been fed was IAMs canned Turkey in gravy canned food. We tried dry kibble, we tried moistened kibble, we tried a lot of other canned foods. None of them worked. She was so finicky that if there wasn't enough gravy on her Iams she wouldn't eat it either. 

She was only with me for about a year, but over all she did fine on that food. I kept trying new stuff with her, but in the end she knew what she liked and that was what she ate.

I'd still keep trying though. Don't give up. I've have also had a hedgehog who refused to eat new foods, then suddenly a year later decided he was going to eat the new stuff and continued to do so. The new food was part of my regular mix so he always got some of it whether he ate it or not.

I'm betting you have tried these but just in case. Mix the new and Purina together and then feed from that mixture. You can also crush the Purina into a fine power, mix it in a container with the new food, and shake. With the first option, the new food will take on the smell from the old and he may eventually not tell the difference. The second method also helps mask the smell, but also the taste when they pick it up.


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## Littlefootsmama (May 23, 2010)

Wow, I have never run into a hedgie that won't eat Royal Canin baby cat... he is a stubborn little dude! I have a stubborn one has well, so I do understand your frustration!


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## NoDivision (Aug 29, 2010)

Littlefootsmama said:


> Wow, I have never run into a hedgie that won't eat Royal Canin baby cat... he is a stubborn little dude! I have a stubborn one has well, so I do understand your frustration!


I know, right? I would have thought that stuff would have been a sure thing and was hoping that I could maybe let him eat that as long as he stays active, but nope!


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## Mytheral (Feb 9, 2011)

Curious, will the lil guy even eat chicken? Like grocery store rotisserie.


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## NoDivision (Aug 29, 2010)

Nope. I cook a lot of chicken, and whenever I'm cooking it I always cook up a few pieces plain and unseasoned. He's not interested :\


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