# Is my hedgehog's food too hard to chew?



## SpikeyFl00f (Jul 30, 2016)

I've had my hedgehog for nearly two weeks now and am just curious about this. When he eats his cat food it makes an extremely loud crunching sound, and when I watch him eat he doesn't seem to enjoy it - I almost wonder if it hurts him to bite down so hard??? He is nine months old his name is Rudy. We don't know each other that well yet and I just want to make sure he's not having any problems. As far as I know, this is the food he's always had. I'm probably just worrying about nothing but I thought I'd ask anyway.

The food I have for him that was fed by his previous owner is Purina Kitten Chow, which I know is not the best. I am planning on switching his food but am still gathering research on how and what kind I should switch to. If you have any suggestions I'd appreciate them


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## Prue (Feb 20, 2016)

For the longest time I wondered if Prue's food was too hard. I heard the name loud crunch that you describe and immediately thought it sounded painful. In some ways, a good crunchy food is actually good for hedgehogs because it helps to keep their teeth clean. However, large, crunchy kibbles can indeed chip teeth and cause jaw and mouth injuries as well as impactions due to consuming partially chewed food. If he's wincing and appears to be struggling, it's possible that the kibble is either too hard or too large. How big are the kibbles of Rudy's food in comparison to an American Penny? I doubt that it's particularly large because it's a kitten food. Kibble gets harder to chew as it ages, so is the bag you have is getting old? Technically (once opened), dry cat food should be used within 2-3 months unless being frozen or refrigerated. I found that when I switched Prue from the old bag that her breeder was feeding to an unopened bag the crunching was majorly diminished.

You are right that you are feeding a lower-end food right now. I would recommend taking a look at the new list of Recommended Cat Foods May 2016. Here is the link:
http://www.hedgehogcentral.com/forums/12-diet-nutrition/139826-updated-may-2016-recommended-dry-cat-food-list.html
Also, you should start thinking about buying a new bag of food. Make sure to transition slowly to the new food. Hopefully it will crunch less too (being fresher and all).

I something here helps!


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## SpikeyFl00f (Jul 30, 2016)

Prue said:


> For the longest time I wondered if Prue's food was too hard. I heard the name loud crunch that you describe and immediately thought it sounded painful. In some ways, a good crunchy food is actually good for hedgehogs because it helps to keep their teeth clean. However, large, crunchy kibbles can indeed chip teeth and cause jaw and mouth injuries as well as impactions due to consuming partially chewed food. If he's wincing and appears to be struggling, it's possible that the kibble is either too hard or too large. How big are the kibbles of Rudy's food in comparison to an American Penny? I doubt that it's particularly large because it's a kitten food. Kibble gets harder to chew as it ages, so is the bag you have is getting old? Technically (once opened), dry cat food should be used within 2-3 months unless being frozen or refrigerated. I found that when I switched Prue from the old bag that her breeder was feeding to an unopened bag the crunching was majorly diminished.
> 
> You are right that you are feeding a lower-end food right now. I would recommend taking a look at the new list of Recommended Cat Foods May 2016. Here is the link:
> http://www.hedgehogcentral.com/foru...d-may-2016-recommended-dry-cat-food-list.html
> ...


Thanks! I'll definitely try switching food as soon as possible. The kibble is pretty small, so I assume the crunching is just because it's aged. I have an unopened bag I can open and clear out the old food.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

You can break the food up if he seems to struggle a lot with it. 

Unfortunately, it's a myth that dry food helps clean the teeth - it's widely believed, but it'd be like expecting crackers or chips to clean your teeth. It may not be as bad as wet food, but it's still not going to actually offer any cleaning benefits (and IMO, wet food has some benefits to offer over kibble as well). That's why dogs & cats still frequently need regular teeth cleanings even if they're being fed kibble.


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

Its possible that the kibble is too hard. I add 1/4 teaspoon of water to 12 grams of food to my hedgehogs' kibble to just give it a touch of water to soften the outer edge to make it easier on them. I started that with a hedgehog who had dental issues, and just decided it was a good idea for all and have done it for, gosh, like over 10 years now.

However, if that doesn't seem to help, you may want to have a vet look at him. I have one that has a bad underbite. We started adding a lot more water 1 1/4 teaspoon of water to 20 grams of food to help him out. He came to me very thin and hardly ate. Now he is a healthy weight and eats like a pig.


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