# Hills- Good Food?



## HedgyLove (Nov 4, 2015)

So I went to the pet store today to look for a hedgehog friendly food. I was at a total loss since most of the foods seemed to contain brewer's rice and grain products which I heard (not sure if true) were bad for hedgehogs. I found two from Hills that seemed okay but I wanted a more professional opinion if they are safe.
I took pictures of the exact food and ingredients list.
I just want to get the best for my hedgehog


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## HedgyLove (Nov 4, 2015)

EDIT: I forgot to list the Freshpet Vital I saw while I was shopping. It's a refrigerated food but thought it would be good for a mix to add to her dry food. I forgot to take a picture of the ingredients but I found it online.

Freshpet® Vital™ Grain Free Complete Meals Adult Cat Food

Ingredients: Chicken, Chicken Liver, Ocean Whitefish, Natural Flavors, Eggs, Carrots, Spinach, Pea Protein, Pea Fiber, Vinegar, Vitamins & Minerals (Zinc Chelate, Calcium Sulfate, Potassium Chloride, Iron Proteinate, Niacin, Vitamin E Supplement, Copper Proteinate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Manganese Proteinate, Vitamin A Supplement, Riboflavin, Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), Salt, Taurine.

Guaranteed Analysis: 
Crude Protein (min).....20.0% 
Crude Fat (min).....9.0% 
Crude Fiber (max).....1.5% 
Moisture (max).....65.0% 
Taurine (min).....0.05%


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

What pet store are you looking at? Is it the only option you have in the area or are there any others you can check out?

Hills is fine if you have no better options, but I don't consider the brand to be good at all & those foods still aren't fantastic. The FreshPet stuff would be okay to supplement her diet, but I would offer it separately from the dry food & would be cautious with how much you offer - when you calculate the DMB protein and fat, it comes out to over 50% protein and almost 26% fat, which are both quite high for hedgehogs. More moisture in the food helps offset the protein, but the fat can still be an issue depending on the hedgie.


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## HedgyLove (Nov 4, 2015)

I was at petsmart when I found these options. I also have a petco nearby as well. What would be the best cat foods?


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

There's a list of some recommended brands here - http://www.hedgehogcentral.com/forums/12-diet-nutrition/23042-recommended-foods-list.html and more information about what to look for in a food here - http://www.hedgehogcentral.com/foru...3034-beginner-s-guide-hedgehog-nutrition.html

Also the reason I say that the Hills foods aren't great is because while both of the ones you took pictures of don't have any grains, the meat in them is just regular meat (chicken rather than chicken meal, etc.). Ingredients are weighed before cooking - so when that chicken cooks down to go into the final product, it's losing a lot of weight due to losing the water in it. In the final product, the other ingredients are likely to be more of the food than the meat. There are also a lot of non-grain fillers which isn't really much better than grain fillers. Unfortunately, that's becoming a common thing to watch for with grain-free foods as more companies try to jump on the new popular trend, but still save themselves money.


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