# Food Q's - Wellness Brand Diets



## Hogzilla (Nov 15, 2012)

I just brought Pillsbury home last week and the breeder had him on Wellness Core Original: http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/product- ... =grainfree

Deboned Turkey, Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Whitefish Meal, Herring Meal, Peas, Turkey Meal, Potatoes, Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Tomato Pomace, Natural Chicken Flavor, Ground Flaxseed, Cranberries, Chicory Root Extract, Choline Chloride, Salmon Oil, Vitamins [Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Beta-Carotene, Vitamin A Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin, Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Folic Acid, Biotin, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C)],Minerals [Zinc Proteinate, Zinc Sulfate, Iron Proteinate, Ferrous Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Manganese Sulfate, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Iodate], Taurine, Mixed Tocopherols added to preserve freshness, Dried Kelp, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Dried Lactobacillus plantarum Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus casei Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus Fermentation Product, Rosemary Extract.

Crude Protein Not Less Than 45.0%
Crude Fat Not Less Than 18.0%
Crude Fiber Not More Than 3.0%

The protein levels in this food are much higher than recommended for hedgies based on what I am reading here.

So I picked up some Wellness dog food today. It's a small breed formula, which means the kibble is small enough to be easy to eat by a hedgie (almost the same size as the cat kibble in fact), and it seems to me like it is much more hedgie-friendly food: http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/product- ... letehealth

Deboned Turkey, Chicken Meal, Salmon Meal, Oatmeal, Ground Brown Rice, Ground Barley, Rye Flour, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols, a natural source of Vitamin E), Menhaden Fish Meal, Tomato Pomace, Natural Chicken Flavor, Pea Fiber, Tomatoes, Salmon Oil, Ground Flaxseed, Carrots, Spinach, Sweet Potatoes, Apples, Blueberries, Potassium Chloride, Minerals [Zinc Sulfate, Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Ferrous Sulfate, Copper Proteinate, Copper Sulfate, Manganese Proteinate, Manganese Sulfate, Sodium Selenite], Vitamins [Beta-Carotene, Vitamin E Supplement, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Vitamin A Supplement, Niacin, Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin, Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Folic Acid, Biotin, Vitamin B-12 Supplement], Choline Chloride, Taurine, Mixed Tocopherols (a natural preservative), Chicory Root Extract, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Chondroitin Sulfate, Dried Lactobacillus plantarum, Enterococcus faecium, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation products.

Protein Not Less Than 28.0%
Fat Not Less Than 15.0%
Fiber Not More Than 4.00%

My plan is to mix the foods and eventually wean him to the dog food because the cat diet is just too rich in protein.

Is there a reason, besides kibble size, that everyone tends to feed cat food? Does this food seem ok?

TIA!


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## moxieberry (Nov 30, 2011)

If you go with a dog food, you'll have to grind/crush the pieces to make them small enough for a hedgehog. There are other Wellness cat food options out there that are more in the appropriate range. Wellness is a fine food, though personally it's not on the top of the list of the ones I recommend, because I've heard of a few too many instances of Wellness being related to digestive upset, like squishy poops, that don't go away until the Wellness is removed. If you're wanting to stay with the Wellness, you can browse through the cat options to find a good one, but you could also consider a different brand. Generally I recommend that a mix should be two different brands, since if there's a recall, basically all of a brand will be pulled from shelves. You'll also find different protein sources in other brands, but including those is up to personal preference.


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## Hogzilla (Nov 15, 2012)

Thanks for the reply. I don't think this dog food is too large for my hedgie, here's a comparison pic. The triangular piece is the dog food. It is also flatter than the cat kibble. I do see your point on having different brands, however.

[attachment=0:3qbl9614]ImageUploadedByTapatalk1353959607.963319.jpg[/attachment:3qbl9614]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

I personally feel dog foods are more suitable for hedgies, but the kibble size is a problem. I break the dog food pieces in my herd's mix up into smaller bites. The Wellness you might be able to get away with not breaking up the pieces, but in my experience Wellness kibble tend to be smaller, but really hard, so the hardness might make it not worthwhile unless you're willing to put the effort into cutting them up or what not. Overall it's a great food though! moxieberry's right though that some people have noticed persistent digestive upset for whatever reason from Wellness foods.


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## tigereyes319 (Nov 10, 2012)

It might be harder even though it is for a small breed. Dog foods are designed to help clean teeth. So like Moxieberry said you may have to crush it up for your hedgie. Small breed usually means smaller pieces not softer ones unless it is for a puppy but no gaurentee on that. I have learned a ton from this site and trust the people on it since they only want the best for their hedgies. I had one years ago and four weeks ago became mom to another hedgie. One week after getting her I became mom to a total of 6. When that happened I immediatley came on here to find out information. There is so much to know about caring for these spikey delightful creatures. When I had my first one I didn't know about this site wish I had would have made less mistakes with her. In two weeks will be weaning the babies onto babycat (royal canin). Since getting shadow time has seemed to go by so fast.


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## Hogzilla (Nov 15, 2012)

I put a few kibbles of the dog food into his bowl and he went right for it. I could see, however, that he seemed to be putting more effort in to chew it up, so it probably is much harder. I do not have a problem breaking up the kibbles for him so I will do that. Since I eventually want to get him entirely off the Core diet, and on to two different brands in case of recall of one, what would you guys recommend as a mix for the dog food that is a non-Wellness brand? TIA!


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Some of the other brands that are pretty popular on here are Solid Gold, Natural Balance, Innova, Blue Buffalo, and Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul.


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## pickles17 (Feb 18, 2012)

I have had good results with Innova (low fat), and it comes at a good cost too, so you might want to consider adding it to your mix. I used to use a Blue Buffalo/Wellness mix but I found it too expensive. The Wellness was also pretty hit and miss, I had two hedgehogs that could eat it fine, and one hedgehog that had grainy poop, but if it works for your hedgehog then that's all that matters. Good luck!


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