# Cat Food or (small kibble/crushed) Dog Food



## JazzJunkie (Mar 6, 2013)

Hi! I don't have a hedgehog yet but I am trying to make myself as informed and prepared as possible before I get one. I read in the book by Kimberly Goertzen that low fat cat food *or dog* food within the following requirements was suitable:

Protein: Max 35%
Fat: Max 15%
Fiber: Min 2%

My boyfriend and I spent Saturday scouring the cat and dog foods at the local pet store and calculating these values (accounting for dry matter basis) trying to have a food in mind to put on our "Hedgie Preparation Shopping List" and we didn't find any cat foods that fell within these criteria but we found a dog food that did, it was Nutro Ultra Small Breed Formula. Aside from us possibly having to crush down the kibbles to be hedgehog appropriate bites, is this going to be okay for our future little one or should we select a cat food and if so which one?

Thank you all this is so helpful, I can't wait to bring a little one of my own home!


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Dog foods work just fine too! Like you said, size might be the only issue and is the main reason most people go for cat food instead. Cat food is pretty big for little hedgie mouths though, and some people are starting to crush their cat food kibbles up too. As long as the analysis for protein and fat, and the ingredients are all okay, a dog food is just fine when crushed up. You might want to see if there's any other stores you can check out for more foods though - it's usually recommended to feed a mix of two or more foods. Hedgies can be pretty picky and are sensitive to food changes, so in the event that you run out of one food when the store's closed, or if there's a recall or formula change, it's extremely helpful to have another food that they're used to and will eat so you don't have a hedgie on a food strike on your hands.


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## JazzJunkie (Mar 6, 2013)

Thank you so much! We wanna make sure everything will be perfect when we finally get to pick one out and bring it home and this is such an amazing resource for new/prospective mommies!


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## JazzJunkie (Mar 6, 2013)

I know that hedgehogs are typically lactose intolerant. I noticed that one of the foods I was thinking about using has cottage cheese in it. It's not one of the main ingredients so there are probably just trace amounts but what are your feelings on this? Should I just throw that one out and go with one of the other brands I found?


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

That food should be just fine! Cottage cheese is one of the dairy products that is said to be fine in small amounts as an occasional treat, and since it's likely not a huge part of the food, it shouldn't cause any issues.


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