# How much is too much food?



## run34me (Aug 20, 2014)

ok im sure this has already been asked but I have look and wasn't able to find it.
So my girl is almost 3 months old and I have a 3oz food bowl that she normally take about 2 nights to eat. but the past few days she seems a little more grumpy and is eating the whole bowl in ONE NIGHT. is that normal and ok or should I give her half a bowl everyday instead?


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

She is probably going through a growth spurt. Don't limit her food. She should have access to as much food as she wants at this age.


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## NewHedgieOwner100 (May 31, 2014)

I agree with the above post. I fill my hedgies food bowl and just let her eat as much as she wants.


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## HedgehogsNW (Sep 22, 2014)

Two-three days for 3oz. is about right if they are being fed a high quality food. Free feeding is fine and especially with babies, it's important to let them eat as much as they want. Most likely like the other people said, she may be going through a growth spurt but they will also eat more if they are not being fed as high of quality food since they are looking for the nutritional value that they are not receiving. What is she eating? Make sure she has meal worms or other feeder insects and I have personally been the most successful with a food that's 34% protein and 20% fat from animal sources and not from plants.


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## Teddi4211 (Apr 30, 2014)

Some hedgehogs won't eat bugs, so if she doesn't then that's fine. She should never have limited food. If she gets fat, she should get a lower fat food, but not a limit.


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

You should be giving her fresh food every day, not leaving it in her cage for 2-3 days.


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## run34me (Aug 20, 2014)

she eats the food within 2 days then I put more in there. I am not going to throw out food.
And yes she gets mealies as well and LOVES them


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## DesireeM81 (Jun 14, 2014)

You don't have to throw out that much food. Feed her just a little more than what she eats in a day. I give my guys about two teaspoons of kibble a night and they eat all but about 10 pieces of it. I put the rest in a container and give it to my dogs as treats.

You should replace her food every day. You wouldn't like it if you had to eat leftovers that have been left on the counter overnight either.


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## gracefulchaos01 (Mar 19, 2014)

What my hedgehogs don't eat I usually give to my cats. They seem to like it.


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## Prickerz (Sep 17, 2014)

I am planning on doing the same thing with my hog that I do with my cat... refill the bowl when it is empty!
Otherwise, i'd be throwing out way too much food to justify. I clean the cat's bowl about once a week and put the leftover food back in the bag. She never cares and just eats when she is hungry. Usually she won't even go near the food for about an hour after I put it out... 
I know hedgehogs are very different, but I don't have one yet! So, that is why my example is going off of what my cat does. 

If my hedgehog simply won't touch leftover food, then i'll figure something else out. But I have done this same method with guinea pigs, hamsters, rabbits, and numerous cats. None of them ever seemed to care if the food had been sitting out for a day.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

IMO, the best reason for changing food nightly is so you can keep a closer eye on how much is being eaten. It's recommended to measure, weigh, or count out how much kibble your hedgehog eats nightly. While amounts can vary a bit nightly, especially when they're young and still going through growth spurts, it's a good idea to have an idea of their normal amount of food eaten. Hedgehogs (and other small mammals) are usually prey animals and they hide illness and weakness for as long as they can. Keeping a close eye on how much they eat is one of the best ways to take note of something being off and catching an illness before it gets serious. 

Birds are another good example of this - Because birds and other small pets are so small, and the amount they eat are so small, it really doesn't take much to start causing a problem. It's very easy to overlook if they're gradually eating less & less if you're not changing the food every night. Weighing or measuring the food can be a pain, but you quickly get into the routine of it, and it forces you to pay a little more attention to what their norm is, and take notice when it varies.

And to be honest, I would follow this same method at the very least for any small mammal. I don't think they compare very well to larger animals or predators because they're much more likely to hide illness than cats or dogs. They also go downhill much more quickly once they start due to their small size. So it's better to keep an eye on the best markers we have available so we can catch anything early - food eaten, weight, normal activity, and appearance/amount of urine & poop. 

(Though I do admit I'd also do all of this for larger animals like cats and dogs too, but that's partly due to the diet I would give those animals not allowing for free-feeding!)


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