# So...what's so bad about corn?



## SiegeRichters (Apr 5, 2012)

I've been reading about the "proper" food for the hedgies in this forum and it seems like a lot of people do not recommend feeding hedgies with kibble that has Corn as its main ingredient. Can anyone shed some light on this? What's so bad about corn?


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## lehaley (Jun 25, 2011)

I think, and correct me if I'm wrong guys, that the problem isn't really with the corn itself. The problem is that hedgies need to have a high protein diet in order to remain happy and healthy and many pet food companies use corn as basically a filler rather than adding more protein sources like chicken (probably because it's cheaper). It's basically like feeding your hedgie junk food.


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## Guest (May 22, 2012)

Because it is a filler is a good answer, its because hedgehogs cannot digest corn so if its being used alot there is less nutritional value in a food. 

conataining some far down the ingredient list is okay, but if there is corn in the first few ingredients or this in combined with a meat by product meal then chance are teh food is not very good nutritionally.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

I worked at a pet store and had to go through a training program from the company that included sections on dog/cat food, as well as seeing presentations done by companies that would send a rep to educate us about their food. Although I know that it could be said that they can say anything to make their food look good, justify ingredients, etc., a lot of the information we learned both from the training and the company presentations, I found elsewhere, such as here - http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=main So I'm inclined to believe most of it.

To be honest, I don't think corn is a huge demon. I think the problem is when companies are using it to boost the protein in the food (corn gluten or corn gluten meal), or when it's the first ingredient (which would mean it has the most weight out of the ingredients in the food, so more of it's being used than other ingredients). Corn itself is used a carbohydrate source, for energy. That's the same thing that rice, wheat, millet, oats, sweet potatoes, etc. are used for. The main difference is in how easily the animal can digest something. Dogs (and I'm assuming hedgehogs, but who knows, since no actual research has been done on them) can digest corn to some extent, it just might be harder for them than other veggies. I'm trying to remember if I've heard anything on the digestibility of corn versus the other alternatives, but I can't at all. I may try getting on my school's research databases to find more (impartial) information on this. I did find this so far, and going to read through it - http://jn.nutrition.org/content/132/6/1704S.full

I know one of the other tricks that they sometimes use on labels is splitting up the different ways you can label corn - corn gluten meal, corn meal, etc. Because the weight of each of those things would be lower than all counted together, they can list it further down on the label so it doesn't seem to make up so much of the food. So like Lilyhogs said, you'd definitely want to avoid a food that's got two or three different labels for corn. Sometimes they also use "maize" instead, to try and trick people.

As well, companies that do tend to use corn gluten to boost their protein content, or try and break it down to make it look better on the labels, are likely to use other questionable things in their foods - lower quality of meat sources, BHT and BHA, dyes and flavorings to make the food look/taste better, etc.


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## GoodandPlenty (Feb 4, 2012)

Corn, as people typically/traditionally think of corn, is a great thing. However, corn, as used by the agriculture/food industry, is practically a poison. Corn in human diets causes all kinds of problems because of the enormous amounts that we eat and how it is fed to us.


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## Christemo (Oct 5, 2011)

Corn also turns to sugar inside the body, so just a double whammy to the animal.


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## MLHollywood (Apr 22, 2012)

Like most other people have said, corn is just not very nutritious. Also, there's a difference between food grade corn and corn grown for animal feed. For animal food, the goal is mass production, and the strains that we've created really is just for carbs alone. That's the kind of corn that companies use because it's cheap, and that makes the food cheaper.

Most animals don't digest corn well anyway. Humans included, but we are at least eating a food grade corn. As a rule, we don't feed corn products to our horses and cows because it bothers their digestive systems. It causes E. Coli that is naturally in their systems to get out of control. It doesn't have that effect in other animals, but it's no something our digestive systems are designed to cope with.


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