# What do YOU feed your hedgehog?



## MrsATeaches5th (Jul 5, 2015)

As a new hedgehog owner, I'm a bit overwhelmed with all the info on diet / nutrition.

Could some of the experts out there please weigh in about what EXACTLY you feed your hedgies (please use name brands). 

My hedgehogs have a little bit of IAMS Kitten food left. But I feed my dogs HALO Small Breed Chicken Stew (something like that - can't recall the exact name). I think I could switch the hedgies gradually to the HALO dog food. Does that sound like a good plan? 

As far as treats go - I am thinking I will get mealworms from Petland (my daughter works there). 

Looking forward to hear replies!


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## HedgiesJuliet+Jasper (Jan 2, 2015)

I use Royal Canin mother and baby cat for my one hedgie as she is underweight. The rest I'm experimenting with to see what they like.


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## Hammy (May 3, 2015)

I'm definitely no expert, but I feed mine a mix of Simply Nourish Indoor Duck/Oatmeal and Simply Nourish Adult Chicken/Rice. I was going to mix and match brands, but then I found a coupon... :lol:

I think people tend to prefer cat food over dog food because the kibble is generally smaller, and some say cat food is softer. Even if this is true, you could add a little water to the dog food so it softens anyway. Is small breed dog kibble similarly sized to cat food? If it isn't, you could always crush it to smaller pieces.

The swap to dog food should be fine, I think. Just make sure you do it slowly. The main thing you'd want to do is to check the nutritional information on your dog food. Protein should be 28-35%. Fat should be around 10-15%, but varies with each hedgehog/its activity level. The higher the fibre the better, insects and vegetables will also help that along.

Mealworms are good, you could also try crickets as well. Mine likes anointing to large crickets and mashed up sweet potato.


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## writergirlmel (May 16, 2015)

Right now, Fitzgerald is still eating the food the breeder uses: Purina One Smartblends Chicken & Turkey. The values aren't terrible on it, but the protein is a bit high, and the fiber is dismal. More importantly, the ingredients are awful. Lots of filler. 

Starting Saturday, we're going to start gradually introducing new foods and weaning him off the Purina until he's on a mix of Blue Buffalo Freedom Grain Free Chicken (Weight Control Formula), Natural Balance Green Pea & Duck, Solid Gold Winged Tiger (Quail & Pumpkin), and Wellness TruFood Salmon, Lentils, & Turkey Liver. I also have a list of alternatives if he doesn't like or tolerate one or more of those foods.

I think the Halo would be fine, but I'd make it part of a mix. Hedgies are notoriously picky, and having a mix really does serve a couple of purposes. First, it gives a better chance of covering all nutritional bases. Second, it protects you against food strikes if your usual food changes formula, gets recalled, or becomes unavailable. 

I'm planning to feed my cat (not a picky eater) the same food as Fitzgerald will be getting, so we'll go through it faster than a lot of households. I know I've read that dog food is an acceptable alternative, so I assume you could do the same between your prickly girl, her sister/brother, and your dog as long as you make sure your blend falls into acceptable nutritional parameters and can be eaten by those tiny hedgie mouths.


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## MomLady (Aug 14, 2010)

There are really some good threads here on nutrition. It's pretty much a shot in the dark as to what the exact nutritional needs are, so a mix of cat food is always recommended, just to cover the bases and in case one gets recalled, discontinued or changed--"improved".

Also keep in mind that you may find a wonderful nutritional food and if your hedgie won't eat it, there go all your plans! Buy small bags and see if the store will exchange/refund.

I feed her "Nara meatballs", which I make for her. Recipe follows.

I also feed her The Honest Kitchen dehydrated food. You mix with water to the consistency that you desire, it's kind of like a pate or wet cat food. Right now she is eating their Prowl which is chicken based for cats. (it's all from known sources and human-grade).
You can get samples from them on their website: www.thehonestkitchen.com 
I fed her the breeder's kibble when she first came home, but since I've introduced the Honest Kitchen food, she quit eating it.

I was hoping that when I got the little dear, that there was the possibility of raising her on a non-kibble based diet, just to see if there was any impact on her health. She has pretty much decided that she likes Honest Kitchen. I do offer her kibble every night as a backup. (Spike's Ultra--from the breeder, not a great food) and Solid Gold Katz n Flocken "All life stages cat food" --it's in a purple bag.

Nara's Meatballs:
1 jar of baby food "meat" chicken, turkey, beef, ham?

1 -2 Tablespoons of a baby food fruit (I use 2nd food bananas)

1-2 Tablespoons of a baby food single vegetable ( I use squash or sweet potatoes)

1+ cup of baby cereal--I use oatmeal because of the rice/arsenic issue

add-ins:
1-2 teaspoons of golden ground flax meal--for heart health and skin
3-4 capsules of Co-Sequin for cats (after age 2 or 3, for joint health--empty the capsules in the mix)

Mix together, it needs to be about the consistency of cookie dough. Add more ingredients as needed.

Drop on a jelly roll pan that has been sprayed with non-stick spray and then wiped off so it's not too thick. I also put down a sheet of aluminum foil.

This is the hard part--roll into "*meatballs*" about 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon each. They have to be hand-rolled to get the air pockets out, otherwise they will be hollow.

This makes about 100-140 *meatballs*.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes. You want them to be "set" not squishy.

Cool completely. Freeze in an appropriate container AND LABEL!

I keep about 10-12 in a container in the refrigerator and thaw as needed.

To feed, I kind of crush them up into kibble size bites.

You can experiment with different combinations.


Most people just feed kibble!


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## twobytwopets (Feb 2, 2014)

Also many of us use a mixture of foods, it helps when a food is recalled or the formula changes. It also seems to fill in the gaps, one can be lacking in one area but other foods in the mix fill the void. 
Another option is if any breeder is local to you, they might sell the mix they use.


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## MrsATeaches5th (Jul 5, 2015)

Great input everyone! I love the loving recipe for the meatballs. MomLady - You are one GREAT hedgie owner!!! I bet your baby(s) can taste the love in every bite! 

I bought a sample bag of Acana Pacific cat food last night to start mixing in a little with the Iams kitten food the hedgies are already eating. Acana and Orijen are the best foods on the market, and the pacific had the right protein level (35%), plus fish oils - which I know are good for the skin. In Kansas, furry creatures are prone to dry skin because of our crazy weather - lots of humidity, mold, then really dry winters. I think I might do a mix of the Halo Small Breed (yes - the kibble is the same size as cat food) and the Acana Pacific cat food. 

Great thread!


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## MomLady (Aug 14, 2010)

LOL--with the meatballs, if you leave out the cosequin, you can feed them to your toddlers, just make them bigger, so they don't choke. It came from Gerber. 

I used to make them for my son--he turned 36 today. That was a LONG time ago.


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## _jessica (Mar 3, 2014)

I feed Penelope Natural Balance Chicken & Pea. It's a wet food. I found she wasn't eating enough when she was being fed kibbles, but with the wet food she'll eat about 2 tablespoons a night.

For treats, I'll sometimes buy some canned crickets. I think they were Flukers. They are still wet.. but dead lol. Not freeze dried. I haven't bought her any in a while, I feel bad!

Penelope also likes watermelon, steamed cauliflower, and the occasional blueberry


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