# Is the cat food brand instincts a good brand



## Hedgielovers12 (Jul 25, 2017)

Is this a good cat food brand because I wanna put the Instinct by Nature's Variety Original Grain-Free Recipe with Real Duck Dry Cat Food, in ny cat food mix for my hedgie, here are the ingredients and such...

Duck, Turkey Meal, Duck Meal, Chicken Meal, Menhaden Fish Meal, Tapioca, Chicken Fat (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid), Montmorillonite Clay, Tomato Pomace, Natural Flavor, Potassium Chloride, Dl-Methionine, Choline Chloride, Carrots, Apples, Cranberries, Salt, Vitamins (Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Folic Acid, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement), Taurine, Minerals (Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide, Sodium Selenite), Freeze Dried Turkey, Freeze Dried Duck (Including Freeze Dried Ground Duck Bone), Freeze Dried Turkey Liver, Pumpkinseeds, Dried Bacillus Coagulans Fermentation Product, Rosemary Extract, Butternut Squash, Ground Flaxseed, Dried Kelp, Broccoli, Apple Cider Vinegar, Salmon Oil, Dried Chicory Root, Blueberries. 

Crude Protein	43.0% min
Crude Fat	19.5% min
Crude Fiber	3.0% max
Moisture	9.0% max
Vitamin E	100 IU/kg min
Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C)*	85 mg/kg min
Omega 3 Fatty Acids*	0.45% min
Omega 6 Fatty Acids*

And I wanna put it in a mix so when I mix it the protein and stuff won't be that high.


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## Hedgielovers12 (Jul 25, 2017)

But idk how it has all those great ingredients but the fiber is so low :/


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## Hedgielovers12 (Jul 25, 2017)

Please answer this I gotta know lol


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## Hedgielovers12 (Jul 25, 2017)

Also does anyone know what other cat foods I could put into my mix to break down all that protein content and fat


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Please try to be patient when you post questions - it can take a day or two for someone to see it who can help. Posting repeatedly asking for someone to answer isn't going to get it answered faster in most cases, especially with a non-emergency question. If a couple days go by without an answer, bumping the thread up is okay & can help someone see it who might have missed it previously or passed it by due to limited time.

The brand is a good one, but the protein is a bit high. Depending on how many foods you want to mix it with, you'll need to find something with a pretty low protein to offset it - if you're only mixing two foods, you'll need something with 25% protein.

I saw that you were confused previously on how mixing foods works & such - basically if you're mixing foods in equal portions, to get the protein content for the full mix, you add the percentages from each food together, then divide by the number of foods.

Example: You have three foods that have protein contents of 43%, 36%, and 31%. Add those all together and you have 110, which you divide by 3 (because 3 foods). So your mix protein content is 36.7% which is fairly close to the usual limit, but some people might still consider too high for their preference.

It's hard for anyone to say specific foods - it depends on what you have available to you. There are some good brands listed here - http://www.hedgehogcentral.com/foru...d-may-2016-recommended-dry-cat-food-list.html

What you do to find a good mix is locate a good brand, then go through the available foods from that brand. Find one that has appropriate protein & fat percentages, and if you have it available near you & want to, try getting a bag to try with your hedgehog. Introduce new foods slowly - over 2-4 weeks, at least. A lot of the chain stores like Petco and Petsmart will allow open bag returns if there's at least half the bag left, so keep your receipt. If your hedgehog doesn't like it, you can take it back & try something else. Then continue with another food & so on until you have the number of foods mixed that you want.

That said, I would start with something that has a bit lower protein & fat than this, even if you want to include it later on - that way your hedgehog won't be on such a high fat food if it takes a little bit to find something else she likes. It's usually easier (generally speaking) to get a hedgehog eating higher fat foods than lower fat ones.

Also your comment on the fiber - it's low because most of the food's ingredients are meat, which is high in protein & very low in fiber. This is ideal for cats because they're obligate carnivores. Part of why cat foods really aren't quite ideal for hedgehogs, but they're the best option we have right now for the most part. Feeding insects as a regular part of the diet helps with giving more fiber.


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## Hedgielovers12 (Jul 25, 2017)

Thank you so much. Sorry I was impatient I was just doing so much research and getting frustrated. I think I'm not going to use it. It's really good but I'm just gonna find two different foods that are between 30-35 percent protein which will equal up to the amount I want in her food. I finally figured out how to do it so I just divide protein, fiber, fat by 2. The only thing I'm having trouble is finding cat foods. I was thinking about using the Chicken Soup for the Soul Adult Dry Cat Food, does anyone still use that brand? It looked like a good food though and I saw reading other forums a lot people used it.


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## Hedgielovers12 (Jul 25, 2017)

You were very helpful. You have so much hedgehog knowledge!


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

I don't think it's quite as popular as it used to be, but I'm fairly certain there are still some people using it. The adult one is kinda high in fat at 20%, but you can balance it out with a lower fat one & switch it out later on if your hedgie starts putting on too much weight.  I don't know if ordering online is an option for you, but if you're having trouble finding foods at stores near you, you can also buy food online from Amazon and Chewy.com. 

And glad to be able to help.  I know food can be really overwhelming, especially when you're new to hedgies!


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## Hedgielovers12 (Jul 25, 2017)

Thanks for helping me out! I might use Nature's Logic Feline Turkey Meal Feast Dry Cat Food instead of chick soup one because it has 16% fat which I'll mix with something that like is like 12 percent fat and get the right amount that suits her fatty needs in a cat food


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## Cupcakethehedgie (Aug 31, 2019)

Is this food good by itself for a hedgie. My sister works at chewy and she feeds this to her calico. Is this good for my future pet hedgehog?


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## SquirtleSquirt (May 9, 2016)

Please check the date of the thread before posting! It's 2 years old. Thanks.


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