# how do i switch foods?



## dansmana (Sep 3, 2008)

i had to suddenly switch from pretty pets hedgehog food to kitten chow because i ran out and i dont know if the sudden switch was bad for him.

i had no way to get pretty pets and wont be able to until thursday but my dad dosnt want to buy any more beacause its expensive.


so what, if any thing will happen, will it last more than 2 days and will i have to buy another bag of pretty pets?


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## zoologist (Sep 2, 2008)

this is a newb talking here, but from what i've heard Pretty Pets isn't good food for hedgehogs and it shouldn't be fed.

I had to suddenly switch my hedgehog from puppy chow to sunseed hedgehog food because the petstore didn't give me any of his old food. Cloud suffered from a pretty upset stomach for a day, but that was it.


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## Hedgiepets (Aug 21, 2008)

Pretty Pets is NOT a good food. Do not switch back to it. Research the foods on this list viewtopic.php?f=6&t=15

It is not good to switch food quickly, but sometimes it happens. Please make sure he is eating. You may need to count the kibble.


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

Quickly changing a food can have a few different outcomes. The 3 most common seem to be:

1: nothing happens and the start eating the new food with no issues.
2: They get green stool from the sudden change upsetting their GI
3: They go on a hunger strike and refuse to eat until you convince them to eat.

It is because of the latter 2 that we highly recommend feeding more than 1 type of food. That way if you run out and cannot purchase a new bag of the food you have a fall back plan. 

My opinion of pretty pets is pretty low and no hedgehog I have had will eat it if offered another food. I did use it once and stopped not long after I bought the bag... I even had one hedgehog that picked out every piece of pretty pets and dropped it in his 'toilet'. I got the hint.

Try getting some high quality cat foods (see the list sticked at the top of the diet forum for ideas).


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## Zalea (Sep 12, 2008)

Did you get your hedgie from a pet store or a breeder? If from a breeder, you might check with them to see if they sell their mix. The breeder I bought mine from sells 6 months worth of her mix for $10. You might even check some breeder websites from the forum and see if any of them are selling theirs.

I'm a little concerned about the fact that your dad thinks the food is expensive...because vet bills in the case of an emergency are much more expensive than food. Have you discussed with him the total cost that owning a hedgehog can actually end up becoming? If not, that's something you should probably talk about with him and do more research into together so you can be prepared for any possibilities as your hedgie grows and ages.


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