# fussy Prickly pear! - wont eat anything but kibble!!!!



## Crowley is loved (Aug 27, 2014)

so I got Crowley about a month and a half ago. she's 3-4 months old(?) 

I absolutely love her to pieces, but she is the fussiest eater iv ever met!!!!!! (and trust me, i know some extreme fussy eaters) 

The breeder i got her from only feed them kibble. I bought some of the kibble they feed her from the breeder (Purina pro plan savor) so that she wouldn't have a diet upset- but now im trying to introduce new foods to her but she won't eat anything!!!!!!!!! 

Iv tried meats- eggs and chicken 
fruits - all soft without seeds 
and various cat treats- after double checking the labels to make sure they are hedgie safe 

but mostly she either turns her nose up or ignores it :/ or licks it than bathes in it :/ 

im worried that if shes not getting enough form her kibble or that if for some reason she decides later that she just doesn't want that kibble anymore that i won't have anything that she will eat as a replacement :/ 

any advice and kibble brand suggestions (non-junkfood) would be highly appreciated!!!


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## PennyRosa (Mar 2, 2014)

Have you tried baby food?


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## Crowley is loved (Aug 27, 2014)

no i haven't, that was going to be my next step, i'v already tried wet cat foods and she still wont eat those either :/

do you have any recommended baby foods i should try?


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## ellisrks01 (Mar 25, 2014)

Crowley is loved said:


> no i haven't, that was going to be my next step, i'v already tried wet cat foods and she still wont eat those either :/
> 
> do you have any recommended baby foods i should try?


I would start off trying the "stage 2" baby food meats, like Beef, turkey or chicken. Also try sweet potatoes it seems like a lot of hogs love it, mine do.
You can pretty much just experiment with the baby foods to see what sparks a interest.


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## spikesnfluff07 (Aug 8, 2014)

Mine was fussy too- she was raised on cheap cat food. 
I would suggest applesauce and pureed sweet potato. My hedgehog is still a little fussy but she loves those. 
She really _*really*_loves crickets. Have you tried those? Maybe yours would too ^^ 
Good luck!


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## Melanie G. (May 29, 2014)

One of my hedgehogs will only eat kibble. I think I got Gretta to eat a mealworm once. Gretta won't try or even smell anything else.
Some hedgies are just stubborn and picky.


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## sheap (Mar 12, 2012)

Just keep trying, some hedgies will not try a new food the first three dozen times they see it, then suddenly, they will eat it as if it was normal all along. 

Another thing you can do, which I got as a suggestion when I posed a similar question, is to limit the amount of food that she will eat, and free feed the other food. For instance, if she eats 20 pieces every night of Purina, give her 18 pieces tonight, and 10-15 pieces of the new food. Then every few nights decrease the amount of the Purina and add more of the other food. Eventually she'll be eating some of each and she'll not even notice the difference! (This works for non-kibble food too, btw)


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## lilsurfergrlsp (Dec 13, 2013)

My Tansy was a stubborn little thing when she was under six months of age too. Don't worry, hedgies are very picky animals and it takes a lot of patience and persistence before they're willing to try anything new.

The other suggestions are great. What formula of Purina is she on? Sometimes it helps to get the same kind of "flavor" (ie, chicken and rice, salmon, beef, etc) of a better quality food, so you're hedgie will likely try a new kibble. Also, this helped my girl try new foods - I got chopsticks, then rubbed the ends on the new food I wanted her to try (in my case, raw food and mealworm), then kind of rubbed it around her mouth so she at least tasted it. After she did, she loved it!

I would definitely keep trying to introduce her to new foods. But like sheap said, sometimes they'll be sticking their nose up at it, and then they'll suddenly eat it all up! Also, sometimes (like in my case), your hedgie won't be willing to try new things until they're older and very comfortable with you and their surroundings. Good luck though!!


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## Crowley is loved (Aug 27, 2014)

thanks  She's on Purina pro plan savor chicken and rice.

i got her to anoint with a peach the other day so im hoping that means maybe she'll be willing to actually eat it at some point


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## shinydistraction (Jul 6, 2014)

Have you offered her insects yet? You can get live mealworms and waxworms from petco and probably petsmart. They keep really well in the fridge and most hedgies go crazy for them. They are kinda icky, so I use chopsticks to offer them so I don't have to touch them.


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