# Foods to put on weight?



## whoopy (Sep 21, 2008)

So this is probably the exact opposite situation than one might expect, however my hedgehog Edmund needs to put on some weight. He's been sick for the past few weeks and lost a lot of body weight, the vet gave me some antibiotics and a special soft food to syringe feed him, but now he's off the medicine and I fed him all of the soft food. He was doing good getting back to his normal weight, but then he seemed to top out after he got back about 1/2 of what he lost, and couldn't put any more weight on. Since then, he's even lost a little bit, though he's been pretty steady for now. His other symptoms seem to have disappeared, but he still weighs less than he should.

I'm going to take him back to the vet when I can get an appointment next week, but for now, does anyone have some suggestions for food I can feed him that will help him bulk back up a bit?

Fyi, I'm feeding him "8 in 1" ultra hedgehog blend. He always liked it fine before he got sick, but his appetite hasn't been that great since.


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## Reaper (Aug 22, 2008)

Read all you can under Diet and Nutrition. I would suggest feeding him a mix of high quality cat foods from the list. Wellness indoor health, chix soup senior, Blue Spa Select, Castor and Pollux to name a few. Start with a little higher fat content and slowly raise treats with fat till he seems to be at a better weight.


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## hedgieMate (Aug 28, 2008)

My guess is the special soft food that your vet gave you is "Hill's Prescription Diet© a/d Canine/Feline Canned Food" or simply known as "Hill's a/d". The product is high in energy and nutrients to support healing in sick or recovering pets.

If you have a local animal clinic or hospital near you, you should be able to just walk-in and purchase Hill's a/d by the can without an appointment or seeing their vet. Phone ahead and ask if they have them in stock.

There is also a recipe called "Bodega's Blend" by Teresa Mills posted in the old archives here. I've never tried it before, but I hear it's designed to help aging and/or recuperating hedgies. You may want to try it.

Waxworms are very high in fat (50+%DMB), but I understand they often stimulate your pet's appetite and help put on weight. If you can get a few samples from a pet store or reptile shop, it's worth trying on your hedgie to see if he'll eat them.

8 in 1 isn't very good food for your hedgie. As Reaper advised, consider switching to high-quality dry cat food.

Wishing your hedgie a quick and full recovery!


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

My boy is small (back to around 250 grams) and almost 2 years. I've found the best way to add weight is lots of mealies, and adding some kitten or other high fat kind of cat food. I added Blue Buffalo Spa Select Mature to Inky's diet a while back, along with about 5-10 mealies a night and he gained 20 grams over two months.

If you happen to find some type of food that works well for you, I'd be interested in hearing.


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## rtc (Sep 5, 2008)

What is a hedgeohg's ideal weight? Our little guy lost about 50 grams or so in the past few weeks and wondered what was considered normal. He is about 31 right now but he was in the 360-370 a few weeks ago. He is a little over 7 months old.
Cheers,
RtC


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