# Is this strange?



## melymac (Dec 7, 2009)

My hedgehog occasionally eats his own poop. Yeah.....ummmm is this normal?!?!


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## sunshinequill (Dec 1, 2009)

I have never seen any of our hedgies eat their poop. I don't think it's normal. You need to look at it's diet...what are you feeding your hedgie? Maybe he feels like he's not getting something he needs......


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## ILOVElily (Dec 5, 2009)

is he just kinda eating it just cuz he is curious or does it look like he is literally eating the whole thing and then swallowing it , cuz 1 time pinchita ate her own poop and she spit it out right away she didnrt like it. if she is really eating it then i agree its probably a nutrition problem.


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## melymac (Dec 7, 2009)

Well my theory is that since I feed him around 8 pm he is hungry once again around 1 am and the poop is the only thing present.


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

hedgehogs should have food available to them all the time, if he's eatting his feces because he's that hungry then that is not healthy and he's starving


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## SnufflePuff (Apr 16, 2009)

always always always always have food present! We cannot stress this enough!!!

Besides your hedgie should not be forced to eat at 8pm anyways....that is still daylight during the summer months, hedgies eat at night and should always have food so they can eat when they want to...not when you want them to!


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

Sounds like the poor little guy is starving. He needs to have food present at all times.


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## melymac (Dec 7, 2009)

First of all my hedgehog is not starving or in any sort of poor condition. His wake up time has always been 8pm thats when he wakes up. As far as always having food present....will not work with my hedgie he WILL eat himself to death. I tried that once and he was so full he couldn't function properly.


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

You asked for opinions...
And the opinion is... he is starving and/or is nutritionally deficient.
If given the option to eat actual food, or poop... I'd rather feed him proper food...
But that's just my opinion, you might be ok with him eating poop. 
Though you may have to look into some sort of wormer that would be safe for hedgies if you chose to continue to limiting his food and forcing him to eat poop, as otherwise, he'll most likely get a tummy full of worms.

What brand of food are you feeding?


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

If he is gorging himself when he has an unlimited supply it is most likely because he has gotten used to not having enough to eat so is over eating because he knows it won't be there later on. 

He is eating his poop for a reason and if he does not have food available when he wants/needs it, he will eat what is available. 

Eating at 8pm when he wakes up is fine but they also eat all through the night when they are up and active and some eat during the day as well. The majority of their eating is done in the middle of the night.


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

funny how your hedgehog is the only one eating its feces...when its the one that doesn't have food all the time...think of any starving animal..they will gorge at first then taper off...i dont' know of anyone that restricts food especially on a young hedgie. If you had gotten him from me and I knew of this i would take it back or report you for not caring for it properly


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## melymac (Dec 7, 2009)

Well thank you for your advice.....I will no longer be posting on this board since I feel everyone attacks rather then calmy giving me advice. Have a nice day  By the way he rarely eats his poop so it's not a diet problem.


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## cutietexan (Sep 22, 2009)

jeez nikki shes asking for help, not an interrogation :shock: maybe actually helping...not criticizing... would be better next time. sometimes i feel like you do that to me too :|


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## cutietexan (Sep 22, 2009)

sorry i realized i kind of assumed you were a girl melymac. i should have said he/she


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

She asked for and was calmly given advice but chose to not listen. Of course people are going to get stronger with their responses to try and get the point across.


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## cutietexan (Sep 22, 2009)

well, yes, i understand that, and i would do it too. it just doesnt sound like anything nikki said would benefit anyone at all.


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## LarryT (May 12, 2009)

Maybe the food that's being feed is not getting digested properly?
Happens with dogs when the food being feed is poor quality full of fillers and such.
Nikki is a great breeder and loves hedgehogs she just wants the best for every hog out there.


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

how much calm advice do we give before trying to make then understand something that is common sense? till the animal dies?...till it loses its quills from malnutrion? Have you ever seen what happens to a hedgie that is suffering from malnutrition? I have...and I had to watch her die at a young age from health issues due to previous malnutrition. I'm sorry if she didn't want to hear the truth...but everything i said was..and I did try to say it nicely to start with ...which did no good.


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## melymac (Dec 7, 2009)

Well he is getting high quality food and enough of it I was just trying to figure out if it was some sort of behavior certain hedgies demonstrate. Dogs for instance sometimes eat their poop to hide smells from other dogs. Plus I am a little flustered because some of the information on this forum is incorrect in going with my vet's information. My hedgie does not show any signs of malnutrition. If you asked for more symptoms before automatically assuming I'm starving my hedgehog....that would have been calm.


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## LarryT (May 12, 2009)

melymac said:


> Well he is getting high quality food and enough of it I was just trying to figure out if it was some sort of behavior certain hedgies demonstrate. Dogs for instance sometimes eat their poop to hide smells from other dogs. Plus I am a little flustered because some of the information on this forum is incorrect in going with my vet's information. My hedgie does not show any signs of malnutrition. If you asked for more symptoms before automatically assuming I'm starving my hedgehog....that would have been calm.


There is a few other hedgie sites you could try if you don't like this one here is a link to one 
http://www.hedgehogworld.com/


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

Not to insult your vet, but most rely on very outdated, dangerous material. There aren't many that really know what they are doing until they treat many hedgies.


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

melymac said:


> Well my theory is that since I feed him around 8 pm he is hungry once again around 1 am and the poop is the only thing present.


You are the one that said he is hungry around 1 am and the poop is the only thing present. This sounds like there is no food present...and their should be..that's like saying that you were feed at 8 am and didn't have anything else to eat when you got hungry at lunch time. Animals rarely overeat, those that do usually do because of having gone hungry in the past.


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## Hedgieonboard (Nov 15, 2009)

I agree the post was very clear that there was no food present at 1am, there needs to be food present at all times. It seems like an endless cycle at times because someone posts asking the opinions and advice of others then when they get it they want to argue/pick apart the advice given like they only wanted replys if they contained what they wanted to hear. Then when someone stresses the importance of something there ends up being people acting like the poster is getting picked on/attacked/jumped on. Everyone who replies with information do so because they love hedgies and animals and don't want to see anything bad happen to them. To ask for opinions/help and to turn around and say to the people who give it that they are attacking is extremely disrespectful. No one was rude and were only trying to stress the importance that food should be available at all times. Now that you have what many many people feel to be the correct information (high quality food needs to be available at all times) I can only hope you'll make the right choice for your hedgehog.


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## hedgielover (Oct 30, 2008)

I'm sorry you felt like you were attacked melymac. I read these boards sometimes and some members do come off as a bit intense but it is only because they are so passionate about hedgehogs which is why we are all here.



melymac said:


> Well he is getting high quality food and enough of it


If you still want help maybe you can post what he eats and how much so some more experienced members may be able to tell if he is lacking something.



melymac said:


> I was just trying to figure out if it was some sort of behavior certain hedgies demonstrate. Dogs for instance sometimes eat their poop to hide smells from other dogs.


Dogs usually only eat their poop because of a nutritional deficiency. I've never heard them eating their poop to hide scents from other dogs (especially because dogs can probably still smell where the poop was after it is gone).

As Lizardgirl said some vets use outdated information. Even if your vet has current information and is a great vet he/she may not know about nutrition because it is not required knowledge to get a veterinary degree. Maybe if you start a post with questions saying "this is what my vet said why is different from what people on here say" then we will be able to help you find out more information and discover the correct information.


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## jbreze (Aug 15, 2009)

i read somewhere that the less you eat, the longer you live. it makes sense. i feed my hh one big meal a day and some worms throughout the day. a tiny little liver processing unlimited amounts of food cant be good, especially in the long run.

Melymac, ive had my hh eat his own poo before for a week, but thats because i bought the 8 in 1 hedgehog food and it was the only thing he was eating. i now feed him a mix of 5 foods including the 8 in 1 and never seen him eat his poop since. so maybe a change in quality of food will solve the problem.

all criticism will be ignored. i dont need to read copy n pastes from the info section. i take good care of my hedgehog and he is healthy and happy.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

jbreze said:


> i read somewhere that the less you eat, the longer you live. it makes sense. i feed my hh one big meal a day and some worms throughout the day. a tiny little liver processing unlimited amounts of food cant be good, especially in the long run.
> 
> Melymac, ive had my hh eat his own poo before for a week, but thats because i bought the 8 in 1 hedgehog food and it was the only thing he was eating. i now feed him a mix of 5 foods including the 8 in 1 and never seen him eat his poop since. so maybe a change in quality of food will solve the problem.
> 
> all criticism will be ignored. i dont need to read copy n pastes from the info section. i take good care of my hedgehog and he is healthy and happy.


You've had one hedgehog since mid August. I don't consider that very long to make an assessment on how healthy your feeding method is. I'd listen to people who have had many hedgehogs for 5, 10, 15 years.


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## jbreze (Aug 15, 2009)

well said Nancy. but im going to stick with my feeding method since it works for me and my hedgehog. if i see any poo eating, weight loss, or abnormal behaviour ill adjust the diet immediately.

this is the article that made my decision..
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20 ... 110836.htm

"Interesting results that might be achieved by reduced diet include:
* On an average, they lived longer.
* Lesser cancerous tumors or heart disease.
* Lesser brain shrinkage with age.
* Retain more muscle.
* Less DNA damage.
* Can also lead to lower levels of fasting insulin and core body temperature."
http://www.saching.com/Article/Does-eat ... ction/2991

i know monkeys aren't hedgehogs but this can apply to all animals including humans


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

Uh... Question...
Can you give me the numbers that would correspond to an individual with a healthy active lifestyle?

Meaning, the difference in this "restricted" calorie intake between the consumption of calories for an inactive individual(like a monkey stuck in a small cage) and the consumption of calories for an active individual(like our hedgies running for at least 5 hours straight). 

I want to know what sort of difference in calories they would adjust for an individual who is a "forager" who runs around all night long to find food, as opposed to having food handed to them for minimal work. 

I merely want to know how one would adjust this calorie intake. 
Oh! I would also be interested in how you calculated how much calories your hedgie should consume. It's good general knowledge, and I'm intrigued. 
Like, what sorts of food are you feeding(the brands, and how many pieces of each), and I'm assuming you've calculated how much calories are in each individual piece of kibble, as otherwise, you wouldn't be able to fully calculate how many calories you should be feeding. 
Oh, and the weight of your hedgie and the amount of exercise that he does would also be great, I'm also assuming you have a pedometer to know exactly how much exercise he does, so you can give him the proper amount of calories.

(hehe, sorry, science major here and I LOVE experiments and this has me greatly intrigued.)


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

> a tiny little liver processing unlimited amounts of food cant be good


I'm not going to get into all the things I find wrong with that, but the main thing that sticks out to me is that _hedgies will not eat "unlimited" amounts of food_. Healthy hedgies aren't stupid. They will eat as much as they need, when they need it. Not much about their behavior has changed since they were first introduced as pets. Some dogs, for example, are not the same way. My lab will eat anything in sight. Very very few hedgies are like that.

I think it is unhealthy to only be feeding at one time, where a hedgie is going to attempt to eat practically the same amount he would if food was not limited, very quickly because instinct tells him that food is scarce (only having access to a decent meal once each day). In fact, it could make it worse if your hedgie was bigger to begin with because s/he is likely to retain all the fat they can get. If you're worried about caloric intake, feed the same amount but of a lower calorie food. Several small meals IMO is far healthier than one big meal.

In addition, I think the article you linked to was geared more towards the fact that there were fewer calories in the meal, and not that they were just given food once a day. That's a big difference. I don't claim to be a nutrition expert, but it's not difficult to apply basic knowledge of human and animal diets and reasons for unhealthy weight gain/loss to hedgies.


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## jbreze (Aug 15, 2009)

Immortalia: 
well since i moved him to a much larger cage, he uses his wheel less. hes stil crazy about the toilet tube. natural balance, wellness, 8 in 1, sunseed, and some bran. occasional crickets. more than 5 mealworms a day. i feed him more because he does not have access to unlimited supply of food. i weigh him by eye. im not going to buy a $200 scale just for the hedgehog. if i get a chance to weigh him i will. he is healthy. hes not skinny, hes not overweight.
the rest of your questions can be googled.

LG:
the meal is actually not THAT big. its about 20-22 pieces each of wellness/naturalB. 2 pieces each of sunseed and 8 in 1. 1 piece of temptations cat treat. and a bit of bran. i break up the big kibble and a drop of water on each wellness and naturalB.
i also give him snacks like 1 big kibble or 4 pieces of something smaller
i like the idea of feeding multiple times a day.


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

jbreeze - a good kitchen scale only costs $20-30 dollars...i would think that isn't too much to spend on your hedgie. Makes me wonder if you're limiting food to save money on that too.

Also can you tell me what the recommended daily caloric intake for a hedgie is and what the caloric intake that you are feeding daily is? That's what those article refer to ..not amount.


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## jbreze (Aug 15, 2009)

no im not limiting money. ive spent way more than i needed on this hedgehog and dont mind.

can you tell the recommended calorie intake for my hh? LG's hh? for nancy's hh? imortalias hh? reapers hh?
for MY hedgehog and the amount of wheel running he does i think the diet im providing is suitable
i didnt realize the scales were that cheap. i prob still wont buy one tho. im planning a vet visit soon so he can be weighed there.

ive fed him more in the past and he looked fat and bloated, so i reduced his diet for a couple weeks. the amount im feeding now is MORE than what i fed him for his reduced diet.


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

what about the second part of my post? And what's your reason for not buying a scale when they are so cheap and so important?


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

no i can't say what the reccommended caloric intake is which is why i don't limit any of my hedgehogs food intake. I don't limit the food intake of any of my animals, and when I took nuturition classes while getting my Vet Tech degree I was taught that the only time an animals calorie intake should be limitied is in the case of a medical reason or if the animal is unable to exercise. Because of this my 2 dogs, 4 cats, 11 hegies, macaw, and mini donkeys are all free fed, and not one is overweight. When we had cattle and over 150 sheep their feed intake was never limited either.


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## jbreze (Aug 15, 2009)

thats a LOT of poop.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

I understand your reasoning about diet if the animal is overweight and overeats but there is no way anyone can say with certainty how much an individual hedgehog requires. I have/had slim hedgehogs that ate 20 kibble per night and others that ate 80. I've had overweight and obese hedgehogs that ate 20 kibble per night and one that is eating 60. The others ranged in the middle. I don't consider an obese hedgehog that is only eating 20 or 30 kibble should have their food limited because obviously they are not overeating. Likewise those slim hedgehogs that are eating 80, when they are active and not gaining weight, what would be the reasoning to limit their food? 

I've not found any correlation between overweight and obese hedgehogs and early death. Truffles and Quillson were two of my heaviest hedgehogs, obese when young and I tried them on weight loss programs although never limiting kibble. It consisted of more veggies, hidden kibble, cage rearranging and more encouragement to be active. Yes, they lost weight but then put it right back on again. They were not big eaters. Both died just weeks before turning 5 and I don't consider their weight had any bearing on their deaths. 

Yes, I can understand that possibly limiting food of an obese, inactive hedgehog if that is the only way to get them to slim down, might be to their benefit but I see no reason to limit food of an active healthy hedgehog of normal weight.


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10098024

I bought that scale the week of buying my boy. I got it in the store for $14CAD. 
I've been weighing weekly since, and know exactly how much weight my boy gained as he grew. Hedgies are very hard to "eyeball" their weight, because unlike cats and dogs, you can't really SEE their ribs and bones. It's easy to eyeball a dog, but because of the shape of a hedgie, it's much harder. And by the time you actually see a difference, it may already be too late. A couple of grams can mean the world to an animal as small as a hedgie, but I can guarantee that you won't notice a couple of grams through eyeballing.

For this experiment of yours to work better, you do need to be able to keep track of his weight. That way, you will know what to change before things go downhill.


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## amanda (Nov 24, 2008)

I just read through most of this post and I have to say is wow... Please take a moment and clear your head BEFORE you answer. When you answer in a rude or defensive manner it doesn't help ANYONE. If you are an adult or a breeder especially, you should be conducting yourself in a much better manner than some of you have on this thread. NO EXCUSES! 

Something to think about... New people are not aware of how many years anyone has been handling hedgehogs, and are not going to be willing to take your word as the ultimate truth. Would you trust a complete stranger who was telling you the opposite of what your vet said? I think not. 

*JUST FYI: Feeding free choice is one of the leading causes of obesity in domesticated animals. Obesity can cause your animal to have a much shorter life span. Feeding will vary from hedgie to hedgie. Just because feeding free choice works for one hedgie doesn't mean it will for another*

A suggestion... MAYBE we need to make a how to ask for help form... (I got this off of another forum I am active in and it really helps when you need help or are trying to help someone else) Just know this is not a way around visiting the vet, if a visit is needed. If you are having an emergency, veterinary attention should be what you seek first, not a response on a forum.

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.


Hedgehog Info:
Your hedgehog - The species, sex, and age of your hedgie. How long has it been in your care?
Weight - What is your hedgehog's weight?
Handling - How often do you handle your hedgehog?
Feeding - What are you feeding your hedgie? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders if you are feeding insects? What is the name of the brand(s) of food you are feeding?
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings.
History - Any previous information about your hedgie that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, wire, plastic tub?) What are the dimensions?
Lighting - What is your daily lighting schedule?
Temperature - What temp range have you created? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
Bedding- What are you using for bedding? (Carefresh, liners, shavings) Name of specific bedding?
Toys - What type of wheel are you using? What toys are in the cage?
Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? Is the cage on the floor or on top of something, if so how high off the ground is it?
Location - Where are you geographically located?

I tried to modify this the best I could for a hedgehog. We could add and or change anything to make it more applicable towards hedgies.


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## amanda (Nov 24, 2008)

nikki said:


> no i can't say what the reccommended caloric intake is which is why i don't limit any of my hedgehogs food intake. I don't limit the food intake of any of my animals, and when I took nuturition classes while getting my Vet Tech degree I was taught that the only time an animals calorie intake should be limitied is in the case of a medical reason or if the animal is unable to exercise. Because of this my 2 dogs, 4 cats, 11 hegies, macaw, and mini donkeys are all free fed, and not one is overweight. When we had cattle and over 150 sheep their feed intake was never limited either.


I just finished a course on care and management (taught by a veterinarian) and was taught the complete opposite. I made an A in the course too. Feeding free choice is generally suppose to be limited to animals in need of extra calories. An animal that is lactating is in the most need of calories. Which is a prime example of when to feed free choice.


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## amanda (Nov 24, 2008)

hedgielover said:


> Dogs usually only eat their poop because of a nutritional deficiency. I've never heard them eating their poop to hide scents from other dogs (especially because dogs can probably still smell where the poop was after it is gone). .


Some eat it as a learned habit passed from mom to pup. The mother will often eat the feces of her puppies to keep the "den" clean.


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

Well Amanda I graduated from my Animal Health Technology Program with honours..although I don't see what marks have to do with anything. And all my course were taught by Vets.


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## amanda (Nov 24, 2008)

My grade only establishes more credibility, as if I made an F, it wouldn't be as credible. I'm not saying you didn't attend or do well at your vet tech school. I am saying that we have conflicting information, and maybe just maybe this situation is different for this one person. Views differ from institute to institute. I in no way meant to insult you, please do not take my typed message personally. I simply wanted it to be known that it varies in animals and what works for you may cause obesity in some other animals. And congrats on graduating with honors, that is something that really deserves props! I can't feed free choice to any of my animals except for one. An animal does not have to have been starved or be starved to not have portion control. My doberman will consume any form of food except pickles. She even went so far as too eat the apples out of my fruit basket. I feed her top quality food and enough to meet her caloric needs she just loves food and always had. If I fed her free choice I'd have to spend $50 a day on a bag of 40lb food, crazy dog! NTM, she'd be extremely obese!


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

We can't even begin to compare feeding recommendations for dogs and cats or long domesticated animals to hedgehogs. Dogs and cats have been domesticated for centuries, hedgehogs not even 20 years yet. Heck, we aren't even 100% certain yet what hedgehogs should even be eating. Back in the early days a high fat diet was recommended. Now it's the opposite. High protein used to be recommended but now we know that high protein is hard on their kidneys. Highest quality foods are recommended by many but there are many people who feed what others consider to be crap and swear it works for them. I personally feel a good quality food, closer to the higher end but not top is the best. Some of the really high quality foods can be too rich for some hedgehogs and cause stomach upset. 

Hedgehogs are also not like dogs and cats. Free feeding most hedgehogs means they are only going to be up and eating at night, the exception being babies and elderly and some adults. Free fed cats and dogs eat all day and night. 

The point here is how can we limit a hedgehogs food when we have no clue what their intake should be? A 240g adult should technically require less food than a 1000g adult but going by my gang over the years, that doesn't hold true. Interestingly, all my obese hedgehogs have also been very large body frames. If the hedgehog is active and a proper weight, how can we say what limits should be placed on their food intake and why limit their food when obviously the amount they are eating is not causing them to be overweight or inactive?

W have 7 cats. All are free fed the same food and only one is overweight. He is a big cat, easily half again taller and longer than the rest. He is also the most active by far yet the rest are all normal weight and he is overweight. 

I agree with you that people who are asking for advice should give as much information as possible. On the old forum, there was an area in your profile that you could give all your details. Perhaps I'm just not seeing it, but I can't find one on here. 

Me, I've had hedgehogs since may 2003. HWS and IHA Rescue contact since 2004, Breeding since May 2004. I've taken in over 50 rescues and rehomes of all ages. Many lived their lives out here, some got rehomed. At quick glance, there have been about 140 hedgehogs living here during this time, babies, adults, rescues, rehomes, petstore, breeder bred, elderly, ill, cancers, whs, strokes, hibernation attempts, prolapses, proptosed eyes, etc. Of all these hedgehogs I've had 4-5 that could be classed as obese and maybe 10 that were overweight. I've also had some that needed a higher calorie diet to help keep weight on. Most have been a normal weight either the teardrop body shape or runner body. Weight ranges of adult, 240g - over 1000. Average high 300s-400. 

I've tried and used just about every type of cage out there as well as heating. My hedgies have their own room with a space heater and their own room A/C but taking in rescues that live in quarantine I have tried many different heating options as well as cages. 

Temp range, 75-77F but even so, some have required a heating pad 24/7. Rescues in quarantine might be kept at lower temperature as often these rescues have never had a heat source. With them, I go by the individual and the circumstances they came from. 

Bucket wheels for the most part, some comfort wheels, 3 CWS wheels on pipe bases, some solid surface metal wheels. Even used a Silent spinner for about a week when a rescue came in with one. 

Free feed. Always. Each hedgehog gets slightly more than I know they will eat. 

Without writing a book, that's my info.


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

> Would you trust a complete stranger who was telling you the opposite of what your vet said? I think not.


It is obviously different for some people but I would definitely trust someone with many many years of experience with an exotic species than the majority of vets, even exotics ones, have no clue on. I think a lot of people think far to highly of their vets. There aren't many that have any reasonable experience with hedgies, and even less that are going on safe information for them. There are SO many vets that I would never ever take a hedgehog to, that tell me that they would treat one. And of course many people swear by those type vets' opinions.

...hey! My vet says I should feed Pretty Pets and that no higher than room temperature is fine! Guess what I'm going with! :x


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## jbreze (Aug 15, 2009)

> I've not found any correlation between overweight and obese hedgehogs and early death.


how about an overweight and obese human? does that not lead to an early death? 
please don't tell me we're not the same as hedgehogs. we're made of the same material, same organs, same functions.


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## Ariel (Oct 26, 2009)

jbreze said:


> > I've not found any correlation between overweight and obese hedgehogs and early death.
> 
> 
> how about an overweight and obese human? does that not lead to an early death?
> please don't tell me we're not the same as hedgehogs. we're made of the same material, same organs, same functions.


Humans can live to be 100 years old. With 5 years old being an old hedgehog weight doesn't factor in as much. Humans didn't die of obesity even as much 200 years ago because we simply didn't live as long. Now we need our organs for longer and we need to take care of them better.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

Ariel said:


> jbreze said:
> 
> 
> > > I've not found any correlation between overweight and obese hedgehogs and early death.
> ...


Great point Ariel. That's exactly what I've been told about hedgies and strokes. Strokes aren't that common because they don't live long enough for there to be a problem.


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## aydree (Oct 19, 2012)

Hedgehog obesity is a huge killer in hedgies it is beyond me why everyone is suggesting unlimited food


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## hedgielover (Oct 30, 2008)

aydree said:


> Hedgehog obesity is a huge killer in hedgies it is beyond me why everyone is suggesting unlimited food


This is a really old thread, not sure if you know because you are new to the forum but usually people don't post in old threads. You can tell the date of a post because it is under the title beside the name of the poster. There might even be a forum rule about posting in old threads but it might not apply to your post because it seems like a legitimate question that is related to the discussion.

I posted in so many old threads when I was new because I was reading all the posts I could in all the forum sections and didn't even think to look at the date they were posted.

Just out of curiosity where did you hear that obesity is a huge killer in hedgies? If you read through this whole thread you read where Nancy said that she never had a hedgehog die of obesity or complications of obesity. I've been on here a while and it seems like Nancy has had experience with every common hedgehog problem (and she explained in her post how many hedgehogs she's had experience with) if something has never happened to Nancy it seems weird to me that others would think it's common. So I'm really curious about the circumstances of hedgehogs that died of obesity, what they were being fed and where you found out that it is such a common problem. I'm always looking for more info.


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## aydree (Oct 19, 2012)

Seems like a lot of mights. But yeah I didn't realize the date til after I posted I won't be posting in elder threads again. Was just checking out posts with the most comments. About it being a killer I've heard that on another hog forum but I could be wrong as it is debatable since most info we have on this animal is not exactly proven considering they haven't been pets for very long


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