# Maybe he's overweight?



## jdlover90 (Jun 14, 2010)

I don't know how much Quilly weighs, and I don't really have a way of weighing him at all. But I can tell he's much bigger than other hedgies on this forum. lol And judging by some people's reactions to how chubby he is on my new picture thread, I'm guessing he may be a bit overweight! :roll: 

I free feed him, and change out his food at night before I go to sleep so that he can eat what he wants. I don't count how many pieces I give him. Maybe I should start doing that? I'll list the cat foods I feed him and his treats:

1.) Authority cat food, adult -- weight management
and it's "Real chicken" fat , no more than 11.5%

2.) Royal Canin, Indoor Adult 27
and it has fat of 12%

For treats I feed him mealworms because he's super picky and doesn't eat much else regarding snacks. I give him maybe 2 or 3 depending. But not everyday.

Am I missing something? He wheels at night and everything.. I guess it's just the catfoods I pick? Maybe I need a healthier list of catfoods to give him. :shock:


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## lmg_319 (Oct 4, 2010)

My hedgie is 670 grams and not overweight, he looks about Quilly's size. Can you weigh him? I feed Holden CSFCLS light (9% fat) and Performatrin Ultra slim care (10% fat) but he's been gaining weight like crazy. I hope he'll just level off soon, I think some of them are just big boys/girls!


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

...and Snarf is full grown and 300grams and eats a fairly high-fat diet (20%)...lmg is right...sizes vary...a LOT! To know for sure and to keep track over time, weighing regularly is your best bet. You'll be better able to catch changes in weight that could indicate illness.


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## susanaproenca (Aug 14, 2010)

He might just be a big boy. Weight only is not a good indicator of obesity, because their sizes and shapes vary too much. 

One of my girls is overweight but besides being big, she has double chin, a lump on her back (between the shoulders,) a lot of space between her quills because her skin is somewhat stretched, and fat rolls in her bum. She also can't roll completely in a ball (the picture below is the most she can ball up, she can't cover her face.) We're trying to get her to loose weight. Poor thing. 

If you don't notice any of the other signs of obesity, he might just be fine... Just keep an eye on him.


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## jdlover90 (Jun 14, 2010)

lmg_319 said:


> My hedgie is 670 grams and not overweight, he looks about Quilly's size. Can you weigh him? I feed Holden CSFCLS light (9% fat) and Performatrin Ultra slim care (10% fat) but he's been gaining weight like crazy. I hope he'll just level off soon, I think some of them are just big boys/girls!


I currently have no way of weighing him. :| But I sure would like to be able to. 
I haven't seen any signs of obesity in Quilly, but he is chubb-a-licious! :lol: 
As for food, he's running out of what I'm currently feeding him, so I'm going to try something with a little less fat. Hmmm, we'll see!



susanaproenca said:


> He might just be a big boy. Weight only is not a good indicator of obesity, because their sizes and shapes vary too much.
> 
> One of my girls is overweight but besides being big, she has double chin, a lump on her back (between the shoulders,) a lot of space between her quills because her skin is somewhat stretched, and fat rolls in her bum. She also can't roll completely in a ball (the picture below is the most she can ball up, she can't cover her face.) We're trying to get her to loose weight. Poor thing.
> 
> If you don't notice any of the other signs of obesity, he might just be fine... Just keep an eye on him.


He's just a big boy I think! ^_^ My chubbikins.


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## Nebular (Dec 28, 2010)

I think part of it is that their size is so hard to gauge when they're rolled up, like the picture of Pete here. She looks like she barely fits in the palm of a hand, but that's being all balled up with quills erect and everything. And who knows how big the hands in the pictures are? I'm sure if I took a picture of Norman all balled up in my hand, he' probably look much bigger than he really is. Darn those deceptive hedgehogs!


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## jdlover90 (Jun 14, 2010)

Nebular said:


> I think part of it is that their size is so hard to gauge when they're rolled up, like the picture of Pete here. She looks like she barely fits in the palm of a hand, but that's being all balled up with quills erect and everything. And who knows how big the hands in the pictures are? I'm sure if I took a picture of Norman all balled up in my hand, he' probably look much bigger than he really is. Darn those deceptive hedgehogs!


Quilly does look a whole lot bigger when he's balled up, that's for sure. I don't think he's overweight. He just has a little chub!

Thanks everyone for your opinions/advice!


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