# weight loss program questions



## newfie_nurse (Apr 28, 2011)

So I have changed Chloes kibble to exclude most of the higher fat Mixes
now I have equal parts
*wellness healthy weight : prot 30, Fat 8, Fiber 4
Go! Naturalfruit and veggie ( which she was on): Prot 30 Fat 20 Fiber 3
Natural Balance Green Pea and Duck ( which she already had): prot 30 fat 12 fiber 4*

*My Questions are* 
Is this a good mix :?: I know I left one High fat food but it has fruit and veggies which she wont eat normally anymore.
Should I also be limiting the amount of her Kibble mix at this time :?: 
Or should I just stick with the food change first :?: 
I know hedgies dont like too much change at once but can I do both or just try the new mix first.


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## zorropirate (Aug 13, 2010)

Oh my! I didn't realize there was another "fluffy" Chloe! 



Sorry, just had to comment. Also I will be watching this thread as since my Chloe is coming home tomorrow we'll need some suggestions for diet changes too.


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## hanhan27 (May 12, 2011)

The mix looks good to me! 

From what I've read, limiting kibble isn't always a great option... If I were you, I would free feed this mix and weigh her daily to see if there's any weight loss. If not, maybe consider halving the higher fat food and putting more of a lower fat food in. I don't know if that makes sense haha, so I'll over-explain it. If you're offering, say, 20 kibble of each food, and there isn't any weight loss, try cutting down the fruit & veggie food to 10 kibble and upping the Natural Balance to 30 kibble.

Are you supplementing with bugs or wet cat food or anything? If so, feel free to tell us! We might spot something that could help with weight loss.


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## Christemo (Oct 5, 2011)

It looks good to me as well.
You can always sign her up for a Gold's Gym, or install a little home gym in her cage... or get her hedgie P90x tapes...


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## newfie_nurse (Apr 28, 2011)

LOL at Christemo.. hedgie boot camp great idea.. :lol: :lol: 

I want to give her some more bugs. She does have live mealies , and live beetles and dried crickets.. But the vet told me to limit them as a once or twice a week thing. Which sucks since I just started farming my own a few months ago and now have quite a few!!

She is 425 grams, I think part of the issue is she is now in her smaller 24inch x 40 inch cage as opposed to the larger open C&C. Since I moved in with 4 other animals its been a bit of a change..


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## newfie_nurse (Apr 28, 2011)

LOL at Christemo.. hedgie boot camp great idea..

I want to give her some more bugs. She does have live mealies , and live beetles and dried crickets.. But the vet told me to limit them as a once or twice a week thing. Which sucks since I just started farming my own a few months ago and now have quite a few!!

She is 425 grams, I think part of the issue is she is now in her smaller 24inch x 40 inch cage as opposed to the larger open C&C. Since I moved in with 4 other animals its been a bit of a change..


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## hanhan27 (May 12, 2011)

Definitely stick with the crickets. You can give crickets more than once or twice a week! Hedgehogs are insectivores for Pete's sake. My vet tried to tell me that, too. 

You may want to switch to live crickets. If you let one or two go in the bathtub with Chloe it might help her get some exercise, too.  

If you started farming mealies, start selling those suckers! You could put an ad online or in a local paper. You could be surprised at the number of people with insect eating pets, or even fisherman that want mealworms in your area. I have a 40 minute drive to the closest place that sells mealworms and I would love to find someone closer, even if I had to go to someone's home.


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## newfie_nurse (Apr 28, 2011)

I have tried live crickets, but she doesnt like them. One or 2 chomps and she leaves the dead cricket there.. maybe canned ones are better than dried?? even though they smell SOOOOO bad.. I will try to get some


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## lmg_319 (Oct 4, 2010)

Hi, just wanted to share my story on weight loss with you. My hedgie is 700+ grams. He is big boned but he is also overweight. I rescued him, and when I put him on the right food he gained 150 grams just like that (he was eating hedgehog food before). I use Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul Light, and Performatrin Light and they both only have 8% fat. He was not losing weight, so with the advice of an experienced member here, I put him on a diet limiting his kibble. Over 3 months, he barely lost any weight and he got super cranky. He was always so hungry he would eat all his food right away, so I started putting in some at 6 pm, some before I went to bed around 1130pm and some in the morning. He was still awfully cranky, huffing all the time and he even bit me once which he had never done before. So, I've decided to let him be him, even if he is a bit overweight. I would rather him have a happy life than anything else. He does wheel all night, but he is just a bigger hog. He is 2 years old now and healthy as can be, except for his weight. He can still curl up in a ball so he's not grossly obese. Also, I didn't find a difference between putting him on a 14% fat food or an 8% fat food which regards to losing weight. I give him crickets quite often and have cut back on the mealies even though he loves them since they are more fattening. He also loves veggie baby food mixed in with a bit of wet cat food or chicken baby food so you may be able to try that. All I wanted to point out was that if your hedgie doesn't lose a ton of weight don't worry, its very difficult to get them to lose weight. Good luck! And if you find anything that works, let me know!


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