# What they WON'T eat so far



## hedgewawa (Apr 25, 2009)

My two hedgies are doing fine on dry cat food mixture based on info from HHC.
However we are not doing so good with snacks. So far they only eat mealies from my hand or in their snack dis.

We have tried: watermelon, cantaloup, green peppers, broccoli, bananna. Not a nibble except for the broccoli which resulted in annointing and no further nibbles.

Tonight we are trying a little cooked chicken breast. 

Any other suggestions would be welcome.


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

I would recommend scrambled eggs, Inky is also picky but he loves eggs.


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## xsarahjox (Jul 28, 2009)

Try Gerber baby meat sticks. Ivan loves them! They make a chicken and carrot one. It's the only way that I can sneak something even remotely _resembling_ a vegetable into Ivan's diet.


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## hedgewawa (Apr 25, 2009)

Thank you so much for both suggestions.  

I forgot about the scrambled eggs. I eat them a couple of times per week myself. LOL

I will check out the meat sticks next shopping day. 

Picky little buggers. :roll:


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## soprano (Sep 10, 2008)

Try Can-O-Crickets.

Beef stew is also a big hit at our house.


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## hedgewawa (Apr 25, 2009)

Hi Soprano, 

I had canned crickets. Jeesh those things were huge and the legs were all full of stickers. They chewed on the crickets. I found legs all over and it was the most gross thing I have ever seen in my life. I was worried the legs would get stuck in their throats and choke them. I can just tolerate touching and dividing up canned mealies. 

I don't eat beef either. At least it does not come with the legs still attached.


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## hedgielover (Oct 30, 2008)

Haha. Yeah crickets are gross. I bought some live ones and Quigley didn't know what to do with it. The cricket hopped right under Quigley's nose and stayed there, nothing happened. Once I froze them Quigley liked them much better but he insists on putting the whole thing in his mouth and then chomping. Bug guts squirt out everywhere (sort of like biting into a tomatoe). ICK!!!! lol but it is so cute to watch him chomp it up and he loves them.


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## Free2Dream (Aug 10, 2009)

Some hedgies just are not into trying new foods! My hedgie is like this. She even refuses mealworms. Eventually I will find something she likes!


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## Godzilla Girl (May 23, 2009)

The only snack Nigel likes is the Natural Balance Duck and Green Pea canned food. It takes forever to go through a small can, but he gets so excited when he smells it. I warm it just a bit in the microwave before I give it to him. He seems to prefer it warm as opposed to room temp.


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## soprano (Sep 10, 2008)

hedgielover said:


> Haha. Yeah crickets are gross. I bought some live ones and Quigley didn't know what to do with it. The cricket hopped right under Quigley's nose and stayed there, nothing happened. Once I froze them Quigley liked them much better but he insists on putting the whole thing in his mouth and then chomping. Bug guts squirt out everywhere (sort of like biting into a tomatoe). ICK!!!! lol but it is so cute to watch him chomp it up and he loves them.


I never knew how ferocious a hedgehog could be, until I opened up that can of crickets!


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## hedgewawa (Apr 25, 2009)

The cooked chicken was the biggest hit with one hedgie out of two. My female, Tanya, scarfed down tiny bits of chicken. I had more but I stopped as this was the first time she had eaten chicken and I wanted to make sure that it agreed with her.

My male, Lenny, ate one piece and then refused any more chicken. He almost annointed. LOL

Next try, scrambled eggs.


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## basmati (Feb 13, 2009)

Turkey, chicken, and scrambled eggs are a hit here. As far as fruits and veggies,
watermelon, pears, sweet tasting apples (no grannies), cantalope, and sweet potatoes.


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## hedgewawa (Apr 25, 2009)

OK, female ate scrambled eggs but just a tiny bit. Male did not like them. 
Next is the meat sticks.


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

Silly Lenny! *turns nose away* Nope, not good enough for me!


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

Are you trying items more than once? Sometimes they will resist a new food the first couple of times then decide to eat them. You may also find that they just won't eat anything else. I've had a few now that will only eat kibble and mealworms. And one of those wouldn't touch mealworms for the first 4 years of his life. Suddenly one day he decided to try them and loved them!


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## jopenguin (Jun 29, 2009)

I've got a picky eater, too. And he won't eat treats out of my hand at all. If he eats during the day (like after a bonding session) he'll eat his crunchies, but that's it.

He loves scrambled eggs and banana. I've tried the freeze dried meal worms the last couple nights and he ignores them. I put them in the dish with the eggs and banana. He eats around them.

I am on the hunt for live MW in town, but slowly. I don't know if I can handle crickets. I hate crickets.


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## knitfreak (Jul 17, 2009)

Things I've tried so far with my one boy:

Kibble - well, obviously his normal food, but he eats it so I included it 

Freeze Dried Mealies - took a few days and a few tries, but likes them now. Will still refuse them on occasion if he's not in the mood.

Freeze Dried Crickets - same as mealies, but seems to like them more than mealies!

Cherries - licking, annoiting, and that's it

Banana - little lick, then ignored it

Scrambled Eggs - nothing, no lick, no annoiting. I don't even he thinks they are food 

Cooked Ground Turkey - OMG LOVE LOVE LOVE. I have never seen him eat so much of something so fast :lol: It was like his ideal treat


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## _gatecrasher_ (May 8, 2009)

I recommend turkey cold cuts and strawberries.


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## jopenguin (Jun 29, 2009)

I finally tried those baby food chicken sticks and he loves them. He's getting plenty of protein and loves his bananas/melon, now I have to figure out how to get some veggies in. I've got some peas I need to cook and get all nice and mushy.

Jodi


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

I would be careful with cold cuts of any kind as they are often filled with preservatives etc which are not good for hedgies, also they are alot higher in fat.


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## krbshappy71 (Jul 17, 2009)

I am new, I am wondering why the quest for snacks for them? I thought it was great that they just eat a quality cat food. I have offered mine mealworms freeze-dried and he liked them but ate so few that the can got gross before he had even a quarter of the can, seemed like a waste of money. Are the snacks important for diet balance or is it just something all of you enjoy offering to them like biscuits and treats for other pets? I'm concerned about causing tummy-upset if I offer too many different things to him. Thanks for any input!


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## hedgielover (Oct 30, 2008)

Snacks are good for bonding purposes. Offering treats while a hedgehog is out on your lap or sitting with you in the playpen is helpful to teach your hedgehog that you are good. They also help to add variety. Because we don't know much about hedgehog nutritional requirements it is better to offer the largest variety possible. Offering new foods should be done slowly and one at a time so that you avoid upsetting your hedgehog's stomach. Also that way if a reaction occurs you know what food caused it. 

As for the meal worms, if you are not going to feed live canned is better than freeze dried (I think). When I buy a can I put it in the freezer and thaw a few days worth of worms on a paper towel. I've found this to be the easiest way to feed meal worms and it stops the worms from going bad.


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## silvercat (Oct 24, 2008)

Sylive hates eggs but loves cooked chicken & cooked beef. The beef is a very very rare treat but she scarfs it down when she can. No to any veggies. She likes blueberries, but I think she just likes to annoint with them. Sometimes she'll eat bananas. Smooth low fat peanut butter is a huge hit here (some people have different feelings about giving peanut butter). If I'm anywhere near her cage eating it, even in the middle of the day, she'll come out sniffing.

Oh & of course meal worms.

Watch out with trying too many new foods at once, even day after day. It can still be in your hedgies' system and if later something bothers them, you want to know which food it was.


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## jopenguin (Jun 29, 2009)

I finally tracked down some live mealworms yesterday. Even for a non bug eater, they were a lot more appetizing looking that the freeze dried ones  I tried giving Ender a couple during bonding, but all he did was walk all over them. He just won't take food from me.

I left them in his cage in a cup overnight, giving them a small piece of peach to nibble on to keep them alive.

They were gone! So was the piece of peach. And there were pieces of litter in the cup, so I know it was Ender not just the bugs escaping.

I'll give him a couple more tonight and see what happens.

I'm so proud. *sniff*


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## krbshappy71 (Jul 17, 2009)

Thank you for the reply! I tried a rasberry and left it overnight, a big-fat-NO to that from Riley but Chippette the turtle was happy as those are her favorites so more for her. Did not offer it to Whyte, he's still adjusting to home so will wait on treats with him. Thanks all for the list of safe items to try.


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

Heh, I guess I am really lucky. My boy eats just about anything :lol: 

Meat wise, he'll eat chicken, turkey... LOVES seafood. He will always eat fresh shrimp, crab, lobster and fish. He never hesitated to eat seafood, he'll just sit in my lap with his nose in the air waiting for me to give him the next piece :lol: 

He also LOVES hard boiled eggs. Scrambled he'll only eat a bit or two, but hard boiled? He'll eat the whole thing if he could. 

Fruits he will eat are bananas, asian pears, a bite or two of cherries, raspberries and strawberries. But bananas and pears are his favs.

He never was much of a veggie eater.

Love wet cat food, and he'll share a can with my cat :lol: Doesn't matter the brand, he'll just eat it right up.

And of course, his mealies ^_^


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

What a good boy. :lol: Wish my kids ate that well.


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