# Chicken breast questions



## teddythehedgie (Nov 22, 2015)

Hi everyone. I've recently started giving Teddy a new treat he seems to adore: cooked unseasoned chicken breast thinly chopped into tiny pieces mixed with maybe 1/4 tablespoon of wet cat food (just to add moisture to the chicken and make it less dry). 

He really likes it a lot and prefers the chicken over his dry food. I read the label of the chicken. It says 19% meat protein and is organic, hormone/steroid free. 

I have a few questions:

1. Could I add a few drops of coconut oil to the chicken? I wonder if its not moist enough for him as its completely unoiled. Alternatively is olive oil okay? When my boyfriend eats chicken he likes to cook it with olive oil, makes the meat mega juicy. 

2. Is it bad if Teddy prefers this to his dry food? He gets a wide range of foods, including wet & dry cat food, dry dog food, and I buy many brands too. Just for variety. I feel sad for him if he doesn't get enough variety. 

3. If we give the chicken (1.5 table spoons worth usually) is that enough food for an evening? I always provide fresh dry food but I wonder if he will overeat. We leave the chicken in his cage and it always disappears. I don't want teddy gaining weight. 

4. Is the dry food good for them solely because it has chicken/other meat or is it because it also has rice, added vitamins etc? 

I have no plans to remove the dry food from his diet, just really hoping he doesn't end up overeating if he's given too many choices. 

Thanks all!!


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## twobytwopets (Feb 2, 2014)

He isn't likely to overeat. However, he could easily choose to eat the more fatty foods. Given that he is more drawn to the chicken, it would be a good idea to offer it as a treat. Not a daily part of his diet.
If you aren't doing a raw diet, keep the kibble in his dish. Ideally have a separate dish so it's easy to pull the chicken after a bit. 
Adding the oil, it isn't necessary unless your trying to fix an issue like dry skin. If your concerned with it being dry, cook it in moisture like boil it out. In reality, the kibble is drier unless your seriously overcooking your chicken. 
I can understand wanting variety in his diet. But, he needs a base staple. Most of us, that's the kibble. Meats fruits and veggies become treats, infarcts are daily depending on the type.


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