# Picky eater -- how to get him to eat fruits and veggies?



## Littlefootsmama (May 23, 2010)

My hedgie eats his kibble great but the only fruit he will eat is banana. I can't seem to get him on any variety because he is picky. He smells stuff I put out but doesnt try it. Is there anything I can do to encourage him trying things? I worry that he isnt getting what he needs because his diet is limited. Ive tried carrots, apple, apple sauce and squash and he wouldn't eat any of it. He looked at me like "Where the heck is my banana?" haha

Suggestions?
Thanks everyone!


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

Haha, I am very sneaky with my boy.
I use tweezers to feed him mealies, so when he sees them, he goes nuts. So several times, I've stabbed a piece of fruit, and gave it to him. He snatched it up and ate it before he even realized what it was. :lol: Then after a second piece, I'd give him a mealie. 

But anyways, don't worry too much about him being picky about other foods. There are many hedgies who will refuse to eat anything but kibble, even refusing to eat mealworms. As long as you are feeding a mix of 3 or more good quality cat kibble, then he will be fine. ^_^


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## Littlefootsmama (May 23, 2010)

Thanks for the idea. I tried giving him chicken tonight and I got him to sniff it and lick his nose but that was it. He sat there and waited for the banana. Ill keep on trying!


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## fracturedcircle (May 31, 2010)

sweetie LOVES steamed chicken breast and watermelon. we tried banana and melon, but he didn't eat them. we'll try again.


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## fracturedcircle (May 31, 2010)

in what form did you give him squash? just wondering.


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

Huh, usually, they love meats. My boy LOVES seafood. Fish, lobster and crab...He absolutely loves them. 

Have you tried eggs?


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## Littlefootsmama (May 23, 2010)

No I havent tried eggs yet. Im going to just keep introducing him to stuff and maybe eventually he will get sick of me sticking it in his face and try it. hahah 

I gave squash in the form of baby food because his pooping was out of order. I had to syringe feed it so he wasnt too thrilled.


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## fracturedcircle (May 31, 2010)

Immortalia said:


> Huh, usually, they love meats. My boy LOVES seafood. Fish, lobster and crab...He absolutely loves them.
> 
> Have you tried eggs?


seafood, really? do you broil it?


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## Amy1024 (Mar 18, 2010)

So far, my girl loves her mealies, apples and eggs but she dislikes the chicken. I want to try banana soon though from looking at all your banana nomming pictures!  

I heard fish makes their poop very smelly. Is that true for the rest of the seafood category?


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## Littlefootsmama (May 23, 2010)

I just took like 10 more banana nomming pictures hahaha He did just nibble on a strawberry though SUCCESS!!!! Yeah I have heard that fish makes their poop smelly as well; Im not sure about the rest of the seafood family though. I doubt I could even get my guy to look at seafood.


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

I feed it as occasional, sometimes rare treats, so I don't notice a difference in my boy's poops.

I usually boil or steam(at my house, our lobster, fish and crab are usually steamed, and fresh shrimps get boiled). And they usually get steamed or boiled with a few slices of ginger(just to get rid of that fishy smell :lol: ) Though I'm sure broiling in the oven would be fine as well. Just make sure you leave the piece you want to feed plain and unseasoned.

If anything you can section off a piece you want to feed, then just boil it in water later to feed your hedgie.


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## fracturedcircle (May 31, 2010)

sweetie doesn't want to try any fruit save watermelon. i am going to try to dip one end of a watermelon piece in a baby food and see if it does the trick. he refuses to drink water outside the cage (although he eats watermelon, so i assume he's getting enough liquid for his out-of-the-cage time) and one time i just put drops of water on my hand and he licked it off. so, if the aforementioned trick doesn't work, i'll try to get him to lick off some baby food.

please let me know if you come up with other ideas.


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## nationofamanda (Jan 19, 2010)

try warm sweet potato baby food, and steamed broccoli. those are the two i seem to have the best luck with.

i straight up just take one broccoli piece frm a bag of frozen ones (unseasoned, unbuttered) and put it in a small bowl of water and microwave til super tender and let it cool a bit.


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## Sela (Apr 10, 2010)

My Loki enjoys chicken and turkey, but hates eggs. I could only get him to take a tiny bite the one time I tried him on it and he just would not touch it again after that. Baby knows what he likes, and egg isn't one of those things.


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## hedgielover (Oct 30, 2008)

Quigley will eat meats and bugs. I've tried, chicken, turkey, eggs, meal worms and crickets. He will only eat softer foods if I syringe them. When he goes on a hunger strike I syringe him chicken or turkey baby food mixed with butternut squash baby food. He loves it!!!! He attacks the syringe trying to get the food faster. I have also syringed him yogurt mixed with mashed fruit like banana or mixed fruit baby food. He's not as in love with that mix but will eat it from the syringe.


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## fracturedcircle (May 31, 2010)

so i got some baby food (squash and banana) and, seeing how Sweetie loves chicken, dipped a piece of chicken in it (very lightly and not the end that he first bites on...). he ate it! i dipped the next piece a bit more boldly and he ate it too. so yesterday Sweetie had a refined meal: lean freshly cooked chicken with a generous helping of warm sauce (baby food). am i clever or what.


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## EryBee (May 23, 2010)

Phinneus doesn't care for anything (that I've tried so far) of the fruit and vegetable variety, but he loooves eggs and cooked chicken breast. I've tried to feed him baby food and also Wellness wet cat food, but he will only eat those if I smear them on one of his kibbles. He turns his nose up at mealies as well.


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## tcheveres (May 18, 2010)

I've tried cook carrots, mealworms, and I made chicken for Harley yesterday. She'll sniff and lick a tiny bit and shes like, Nah I don't like it. lol I should try fruits since she's a lady and ladies love the sweet stuff lol.


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## Rivent (Jun 9, 2010)

I've tried carrots (cooked and raw), celery, strawberries, oranges, nectarines, bananas and eggs... all I can get Sonic to eat is his kibble, mealworms and dried crickets. He wouldn't eat the dried crickets at first either, but now he chows 'em down (I usually put a few in his food bowl at night). I even tried tricking him for fruits and veggies... I dipped them in the mealworm container and got a bit of the mealworm dust on them since that smell drives him nuts... He bit a chunk off the banana and strawberries, then spit them out. He ate the orange slice the first 2 times I gave it to him, but hasn't taken a bite of orange since... I've yet to try any cooked meats... next time I'm making myself some chicken I'll give that a shot.


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## nessariel (Mar 3, 2010)

You shouldn't feed your hedgehog orange, or any citrus fruits for that matter. I believe that it's because the citric acid can burn their mouths, but I'm not sure.


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## Rivent (Jun 9, 2010)

I've read on several different sites that hedgehogs like oranges and they can be fed to them with no problem, so I'm not too worried about it. Like I said, he won't eat them anymore anyway.


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

I think hedgehogs like oranges the same reason they like herbs like cilantro. The scent is strong and different. Lots of hedgies annoint with the smell of orange peels.

I too would worry about the acidity of citrus disrupting their natural pH levels in their intestinal tract and stomachs. With the lack of scientific study done, it's unknown as to how well hedgehogs can eat and digest acidic food. What you feed your hedgie is completely up to you, but it's just something to think about. ^_^

Have you tried eggs? Or even a small glob of cottage cheese. My boy loves both of those. And hard boiled egg more so than scrambled, just because he LOVES the yolk.


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## fracturedcircle (May 31, 2010)

Immortalia said:


> I think hedgehogs like oranges the same reason they like herbs like cilantro. The scent is strong and different. Lots of hedgies annoint with the smell of orange peels.
> 
> I too would worry about the acidity of citrus disrupting their natural pH levels in their intestinal tract and stomachs. With the lack of scientific study done, it's unknown as to how well hedgehogs can eat and digest acidic food. What you feed your hedgie is completely up to you, but it's just something to think about. ^_^
> 
> Have you tried eggs? Or even a small glob of cottage cheese. My boy loves both of those. And hard boiled egg more so than scrambled, just because he LOVES the yolk.


Sweetie rejected eggs. he even stopped eating the watermelon. he loves chicken (and i do smear some baby food on it) and mealies (duh) but that's about it.


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## Rivent (Jun 9, 2010)

Sonic seems to like grapes... he won't eat a lot of it at a time, but he will nibble on it and if I leave one in his cage at night, it's gone in the morning. 

Apples... not so much. He nibbled a bit last night, but wouldn't taste it again after the initial bites. Still want to try watermelon since a lot of people seem to report their hedgehogs liking it...


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## tie-dye hedgie (Dec 19, 2009)

Grapes are toxic to hedgehogs, if they try to eat a seed there is a chance that it could get stuck in their throat and choke them.


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## fracturedcircle (May 31, 2010)

tie-dye hedgie said:


> Grapes are toxic to hedgehogs, if they try to eat a seed there is a chance that it could get stuck in their throat and choke them.


ditto.


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## Sela (Apr 10, 2010)

Grapes also cause renal failure in small animals. They're considered dangerous for a number of reasons, but I believe that is the biggest problem with grapes.


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## Amy1024 (Mar 18, 2010)

Rivent, there's a treat list made by LizardGirl regarding which treats are safe and harmful to feed to hedgies.

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=3974&p.

However, like mentioned before, it's really up to you for what you want to feed your hedgie.

Back to topic, Hershi tried banana one night but she only took a few nibbles but didn't finish it like she would with apples, watermelon, eggs and mealies. She's getting watermelon tonight due to the extreme hot weather


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## Sela (Apr 10, 2010)

Nothing like some nice, cool watermelon on a hot evening. ...D< Well crap, now I want some and we don't have any.


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## Rivent (Jun 9, 2010)

Well, Heck... I guess he's sticking to kibble, worms and crickets then because he won't eat anything else I've given him. Just tried watermelon too, and he doesn't like that either.


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