# Is this food bad?



## Toast55 (Dec 1, 2013)

Can anyone tell me about this food? I got it from the breeder I got my baby from and another breeder is telling me it's bad and I should come buy her food mix. 
Have you used it? Is it really that terrible? 
Thank you!!

http://exclusivelyhedgehogs.com/food.htm


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Hard to say much about it when the ingredient list is completely non-specific. For that reason alone, though, I have to admit that I wouldn't want to feed it. I like knowing what's actually in the food - which means named animal proteins, how many different ones, how many different cereals and what they are, etc.

The other breeder may also just want to sell you their food mix though. :lol: That's not to say it may not be better though! They should be willing to provide you with information about which specific foods are in their mix so that you can look up the analysis & ingredients for them. Here's a sticky that explains what to look for in a good food and what to avoid - http://www.hedgehogcentral.com/foru...3034-beginner-s-guide-hedgehog-nutrition.html

If you'd prefer, you can also just make your own mix - you only need 2 foods, though some people prefer to do 3-4, sometimes even more. For one hedgehog, somewhere from 2-4 different foods is best unless you have other animals that can share the food or someone else to donate extra to. Otherwise you'll start wasting food as your hedgehog won't eat it all before it starts to get stale (even in a deep freezer).


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

Now there is an old food that I haven’t seen brought up for a while. Select Diet is also known as Mink Gro-Fur. Which, if I remember correctly, is made by National Fur Foods. It is a food that back in the late 90s and early 2000s was being pushed by several people who felt cat food was for cats and hedgehog food (even if it was just repackaged mink food) was for hedgehogs. It was one of the “hedgehog” foods on the market at the time and one which I did try back then. Is it still a green pellet that is easy to crumble and has a very sweet smell/taste? About the only benefits I could see using it was that it was good for feeding hedgehogs that were not eating and needed extra calories. But it also made them gain weight very quickly as it is a fattening product. 

The hedgehogs loved it, but the ingredients are awful. It is not a food I would recommend nor use again. Depending on what is the in the other breeder’s mix, I’d switch or make my own mix up.


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## Toast55 (Dec 1, 2013)

If say, I went to the store today to get some kitty food which two would you recommend me getting and mixing? 
And could I mix the rest of this bag in too? Or should I toss it? 
Thanks so much you guys.


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## Toast55 (Dec 1, 2013)

Oh and it's a black pellet now . Easily crumbled


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## Annie&Tibbers (Apr 16, 2013)

You'll want to keep the current food around to slowly transition to it. Add one food at a time to make sure it's accepted and doesn't cause dietary problems, then add the next food. If it were me, I'd gradually phase out the current food. Depend on how much you have left, if you have the receipt, and where you got it, some places will take returns on partially-eaten bags.

As for particular foods, that depends on what is locally available! Look for things with named ingredients, and a mix that results in protein 30-35%, fat 10-15%, and the highest fibre you can get while meeting the other two requirements (I think it usually ends up being 5-15%).

Blue Buffalo (various flavours) is currently pretty popular, as is Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul, Natural Balance (particularly the duck & pea), Wellness (although it gives some hedgehogs runny poops), Castor & Pollux... Here's a whole list of brands and flavours.


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