# What is Everyone Feeding?



## SpikeMoose (Dec 9, 2012)

I am reevaluating my kibble mix (again) and I'm curious what other people are using these days. 
I've got Penny on Solid Gold Katz n Flocken and Chicken Soup Adult Lite. I've got Milton on Solid Gold and Wellness CORE, he's a runner and I struggle to keep weight on him. 
What are other people using? I'd like to avoid fish more, because fishy poops STINK. I'm also wondering about people reporting liver or kidney problems with rich foods? I am so conflicted! 
Has anyone used, or considered using, these raw food bites as an added food in the mix? http://www.petco.com/product/121727...d.aspx?CoreCat=LN_DogSupplies_DogFood_RawFood


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## Tom (Jul 21, 2013)

I feed:
Solid Gold Katz N Flocken
Blue Buffalo Weight Control Chicken & Brown Rice
Natural Balance Duck & Pea

I'm not sure about those raw bites- mainly because they are so low in protein.


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## Kizzynicole (Mar 5, 2013)

Solid Gold Katz N Flocken
Blue Buffalo Finicky Feast (getting rid of)
Natural Balance Green Pea and Chicken 
Wellness Indoor Health (getting rid of)
Also a junk food that when gone he won't be getting anymore.

I was feeding wellness core, but I noticed more green poop episodes on it. I think it was too rich. I took it all out of the mix and it solved the green. I'm taking him off the other wellness because it was the last in his bowl and I would rather get him something he will eat.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Don't forget you have to account for moisture - 66%. That means 100-66 = 34, then 14/34 = 41% dry-matter basis (DMB) protein. You could definitely give them a try! I would just make sure they're either eaten during the first part of the night, or freeze them if you want them to be available later at night - let them thaw slowly in his cage. Raw should only be left out 4-5 hours before being removed, if I remember correctly (or at least, according to feeding ferrets raw, which my friend does). 

The raw bites are decently high in fat too (20-30% DMB), so they might help with keeping weight on Milton. Another alternative is adding a kitten food into his mix.

Also, the tentative theory from the liver/kidney failure caused by high protein thread was that it depends more on how much moisture is given with the food - the more protein, the more moisture required to help the kidneys process. So wet foods that are higher in protein are safer than dry foods that are higher in protein - and by "higher" I'm talking over 35%. But that said, we didn't have any of the breeders people were mentioning that had personal experience with losing hedgies, so our "theory" could be skewed. I wish we could get some scientific studies done with hedgie diets and nutrition needs. *sigh*


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## abbys (Oct 13, 2012)

Blue Buffalo Indoor Health
Blue Buffalo Basics Limited Ingredients Turkey
Wellness Core Turkey

Although I just found out that he sniffs around for his favorite and if he gets the one he doesn't like he actually spits it out (which explains why there are always 3-4 pieces of kibble on the floor around his dish). The problem is that those foods look nearly identical and I can't tell which one he's spitting out...


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## SpikeMoose (Dec 9, 2012)

Thank you all for the input! I think I'm going to look into adding/switching Blue Buffalo into the mix. 
As for the bites, you've given me the confidence to give them a try! I won't be making them a main part of his diet, but I may add a few for the first part of the night. He's got a strict routine each night... he gets up, stretches his way to his litter, gets a drink, takes a lap around his cage, eats part of his dinner, and then runs for about an hour straight, and gets off to eat again. Yup... I've sat in his room and quietly watched him do this. I have no life  I'm thinking I'll thaw out a couple and put them in, and take out the remaining bites after he's finished his second helping. I'm going to start off with only a little to ease his tummy into it, and that way I can get a handle on how many he's going to want to eat!

I think we need to get some scientists converted into hedgie lovers like us so we can finally get some solid research behind our gathered knowledge. I have a binder full of all the info I've absorbed from others as well as my own babies. I literally stay up at night plotting diets and cage plans and things. Crazy!


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## grins&needles (Sep 10, 2013)

abbys said:


> Blue Buffalo Indoor Health
> Blue Buffalo Basics Limited Ingredients Turkey
> Wellness Core Turkey
> 
> Although I just found out that he sniffs around for his favorite and if he gets the one he doesn't like he actually spits it out (which explains why there are always 3-4 pieces of kibble on the floor around his dish). The problem is that those foods look nearly identical and I can't tell which one he's spitting out...


Lay out a bowls filled with each type of food and see which bowl he eats 

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## Annie&Tibbers (Apr 16, 2013)

Grins: I was going to make the same suggestion!

Spike: Animal research is a tricky thing. Would you want any of your hedgehogs part of mass experiments? With statistics, bigger is better, and the normal standard is to aim for over 100 so if some die, you still have a 100+ sample size. :\ About the only experiment I'd be not-horrified by is one on the impact of socialization on hedgehog-health, and even then I'd be so uncomfortable about the control group of zero socialization, or any limited "Just enough handling to clip nails & check for wounds" groups.

I'd love to see someone formally document the available opportunistic research (ie, write down what various reputable breeders & their herds do; compare any special cases to their herd; compare herds). Considering how much similarity there is between the recommendations of the various breeders on this site, it might actually be a comparison of "UK vs. US" best-practices (vivarium vs. C&C/bin, etc).


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## sonichedghehogbreyer (Jul 23, 2013)

I feed spikes delight hedgehog food. One of the best on the market. I don't mean to brag by the way.


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## grins&needles (Sep 10, 2013)

sonichedghehogbreyer said:


> I feed spikes delight hedgehog food. One of the best on the market. I don't mean to brag by the way.


Do feed another food besides that such as dog or cat of proper protein and fat as spike's will not be enough alone.

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## SpikeMoose (Dec 9, 2012)

Sonichedgehogbreyer: Store Bought Hedgie foods strike fear in the heart of many forum users here. You are correct, as far as hedgehog diets go, Spikes Delight is one of the best foods avaiable. However, we have realized that we can do better than using the food made specifically for hedgies. High quality cat foods added to a mix of your food may be something you want to look into. Spikes Delight Premium has chicken meal and yellow corn as the first two ingredients. Ideally a protein is the first ingredient, such as deboned chicken (Blue Buffalo). If you look in the "nutrition" section of the forum you can find a list of how to judge food for it's nutritional value and hedgie needs. 
Hedgie nutrition is an ever changing topic as we discover more about our little quilly friends!


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## bluegie (Feb 23, 2013)

My brother and I feed Roll (his hedgie):

*Natural Balance Green Pea and Duck* -- extremely love this one whenever we put it near his mouth
*Chicken Soup Adult Light *-- he doesn't really like it, tho he still eats it. Sometimes we do find a few kibbles on his dish.

We used to feed him *Innova Reduced Cat Food*, but then this brand had a recall recently and we stopped giving him the remaining pieces in the bag (like... 10% left). We are trying to find him a replacement but dunno which one is good. In fact we went to the pet store today to get *Blue Buffalo*, but it didn't carry that Longevity for Mature Cats.

Is *Solid Gold *good or not? I read the dry food list thread and lots of you like this brand. I read the ingredients and it contains peas as well, so does that overlap the ingredients with Natural Balance? If not, I may get this one for our hedgie.


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## powercage (Oct 2, 2013)

Blue buffalo


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