# Should I switch from Sunseed?



## StephDanelle (Jan 24, 2014)

I've been trying to read as many posts as possible to figure out the answer to my question, but it might be best to just ask my particular question instead.

My hedgie is almost 1 year old, and I have been feeding him Sunseed Hedgehog Food the whole time I've had him, supplementing with meal worm treats. He gobbles it down, we don't have weight problems, and his poop appears very normal. He seems to be an active and healthy boy!

After reading a lot of the other recommendations on here (cat food, dog food, cooked meats, cooked eggs, veggies, wet food) I feel like I am not feeding him a good enough food... 

My question is: do I change his food?

I like how low-maintenance the bagged food is (I don't have to cook anything or worry about not having cooked it well enough, plus I don't have to worry about my husband doing something or feeding him something wrong), but of course I love my little boy and want to make sure he is getting the "proper" nutrition (I am well aware that no one knows exactly what hedgehogs should ideally be fed). So I'm just kind of stumped! Do I follow the "don't rock the boat" philosophy, or do I go through attempting to change his diet?

So of course if the consensus ends up being that I do need to change his food, what is everyone recommending these days that is fairly low maintenance to feed? 

Norman and I thank you for your help!


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## shmurciakova (Sep 7, 2008)

It is my opinion that it is up to you. Sunseed has good ingredients, it is just very low in fat. My hedgehog Daisy was very thin when she was eating it (when I first got her that is what she was on). However, now at almost 2 years old and having eaten a mixture sold by a breeder, she is now what I would call fat. This is the second hedgehog I have had who became too fat after switching to cat food. If he has a nice teardrop shape to him and does not appear caved in on the sides like this ) ( then if it were me I'd keep him on that diet. If however, he seems thin, or seems hungry all the time or food dependent, then I would change to cat food, but be careful of the amount. Many people will disagree I am sure, but you should not feel peer pressure. Like I said, the ingredients in that food are quite good, but it is kindof like diet food.
Bear in mind that once introduced to cat food he will refuse to eat Sunseed. So there is really no going back.
It is like eating rice cakes vs. something yummy!
-Susan H.


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## StephDanelle (Jan 24, 2014)

I like your comparison of rice cakes vs. something yummy, that brings it into perspective!

He is not underweight, but he also eats quite a bit of the Sunseed (again I also give him mealworms, and if he can choose between meal worms and his Sunseed food he definitely chooses to scarf down the meal worms). Do you think if I changed his diet to something he doesn't have to eat as much of he might poop less? Because currently he poops a LOT and creates a huge mess each night.

I certainly don't want to cause him digestive distress by switching foods, but I wouldn't want to eat rice cakes my whole life!


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Personally I'd switch him, but I'm really not a fan of hedgehog foods or their ingredients. Sunseed is considered one of the better ones, and the ingredients aren't terrible. But they're still not fantastic either - mainly because the first three ingredients are too vague in their description. Poultry meal (instead of something named, like chicken meal) means that meat could have come from any kind of bird, and the bird might have already been dead, dying, disabled, or diseased before being used for the food. Blood meal, again, you don't know where that blood is coming from or what might be in it - hormones, medications, etc. It's used to boost protein levels. Fish meal, once more you don't know what kind of fish it is or where it came from (which is an issue with the levels of toxins that accumulate in some fish). Ethoxyquin (which is possibly linked to cancer & other illnesses) is used to preserve any fish not meant for human consumption, so that's included in the food even though it's not listed. There's more information on ingredients & what to look for here - http://www.hedgehogcentral.com/foru...3034-beginner-s-guide-hedgehog-nutrition.html The site where I obtained the information on the three ingredients I mentioned here is linked in there, the Dog Food Project.

That all said....If he's doing well on the Sunseed, that's a good thing. You don't necessarily have to completely remove it from his diet - usually a mix of two or more foods is recommended since we don't know what's best nutritionally for hedgehogs, and in case a food becomes unavailable for some reason. So if you want, you could also mix a good quality cat food in with the Sunseed and see if he'll eat both. Some hedgehogs do completely reject a hedgehog food in favor of a cat food once it's introduced (particularly with the downright horrible quality foods), but some will go ahead and enjoy both. If you do want to just look through some cat foods for something you might like to try with him, there's some recommended brands here - http://www.hedgehogcentral.com/forums/12-diet-nutrition/23042-recommended-foods-list.html Specific percentages for hedgehogs are listed in the previous sticky.

All of the cooked foods, fruits, veggies, etc., most people use just as supplemental treats and to give their hedgehog some variety in its diet. Some people are starting to try out home cooked diets and raw diets, but they're a lot of work and the majority definitely prefer to stick with bagged food for the ease and without having to worry about a nutritionally complete diet. The extra treats are definitely not a requirement, but just kind of fun to do.  If you want to see if he's willing to try anything new, here's the safe treat list - http://www.hedgehogcentral.com/forums/12-diet-nutrition/17725-treat-list-safe-fruits-veggies.html and some ideas on how to introduce them to your hedgie - http://www.hedgehogcentral.com/forums/12-diet-nutrition/23058-offering-fresh-foods-treats.html

Edit: Less fillers does usually translate to less eaten and less poop.  It won't hurt him to switch foods if you do it properly - it's best to introduce a new food over a period of 2-4 weeks and keep an eye on poop. If there's any green, that's a sign that you're going a little too fast, so you need to back off for a couple days. Most people take 4 weeks and go with getting up to 1/4 new to 3/4 old the first week, move to 1/2 and 1/2 second week, and so on.


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## Annie&Tibbers (Apr 16, 2013)

And, welcome to the forum! Here's a lovely hedgehog-care guide.

You're going to get a lot of, "It's up to your best judgement" answers when it comes to hedgehogs. So little is known, it's mostly up to talking to other owners to see what trends we can come up with, and slowly evolving the best care practices as we figure out new things that work better. But even then, some hedgehogs might be an exception and want something different!


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## Lady (Dec 30, 2013)

The thing is, and this is my own personal hypothesis, commercial hedgehog foods aren't just made specifically for pet hedgehogs. I've been to a few hedgehog food websites and read some of the reviews, and it's all mostly responses about garden hedgehogs, that is, people that want wild hedgehogs who have other sustainable food sources to visit their garden, much the same way they might put out bird feeders so birds will visit. Of course, this is only JUST a thought of my own. That said, Lily's right, Sunseed isn't the worst, and I think it would be fine to mix it in with a cat food or two.


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## StephDanelle (Jan 24, 2014)

Thank you everyone! I am looking at foods now to gradually incorporate into his diet, and greatly appreciate everyone's input!


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