# How do I get my hedgehog to try new food?



## lmknueve (Sep 3, 2011)

My hedgehog is the pickiest eater I have ever met. It took me forever to find a cat food that he likes (and he only likes the super cheap "Special Kitty" brand from Wal Mart) and now I can't get him to at least try any other foods, especially mealworms. I started out with dead ones (not freeze dried, they were still juicy) and he wouldn't touch them. This sounds gross but I would rip one in half rub it on his mouth like maybe if he was forced to taste one, he would realize what he's missing but I got nothing. So then I thought maybe he just wanted them alive, so I bought live ones, and still nothing. I tried emptying his food bowl except for like a teaspoon of kibble and then I put a bunch of mealworms in it, hoping that once he ran out of kibble he would turn to the worms, but still nothing. Is there another method I should try or should I just give up? I just see all the other hedgehogs on Youtube with their mealworms and their fruits and veggies and I want him to be excited for treats. If nothing else I just want him to have a little variety in his diet. All he eats is that really cheaply made cat food.


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## Puffers315 (Apr 19, 2010)

Finding the right food can be hard, especially with an extreme picky eater, and this does go with snacks and treats. Kibble wise, just add a little to his regular kibble, count the pieces out and check the next night to see if he tried any. Might do this for a week or so, sometimes they're really picky about their food until they accidentally try a piece.

Same goes with the mealworms, there are rare cases of a hedgie who doesn't like them, but best bet is again, leaving them in the dish overnight and hoping he accidentally eats one. I've known many around here who had so much trouble getting their hedgie to each one, even trying stuff like you did. Second they accidentally ate one, and there was no stopping them.

A treat I give my boy Loki is boiled chicken breast. Loki's previous owner said he didn't enjoy any snacks, not mealworms or anything. He loves mealworms (think his previous owner was using freeze dried or something), sadly though we lost our only pet store, so I have none. The boiled chicken he is CRAZY over. He's a boy who must have pure darkness to be out, unless there is chicken. It actually use to scare me because I'd be cleaning and prepping the cage, would put his kibble and the pinch of chicken in there, turn around to do something and look back, and he'd be out in the full light.

On the other extreme, my girl Hester does not like snacks. I once tried a hard boiled egg and she downright hated it, to the point that she didn't touch the egg or any kibble that dared be near the egg in her dish.

So in short, trial and error. A member here named Lizardgirl has an online book which lists all the treats and snacks you can try.


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## Krista0140 (Mar 6, 2014)

My girl is really picky too. In fact right now I'm working on getting her to try some broccoli. Her dry kibble is spikes delight hedgehog food, and she tolerates it. Her favorite snack is cold fish though. I just fry up some talapia and then put it in a baggie in the fridge. Its especially helpful to help her wake up and not be in a bad mood when I want her to socialize. In my experience, its just trial and error. Leave whatever you're trying to give her in her bowl overnight. Sometimes Heidi wont try something one night, but she'll devour it the next night. Good luck and just keep trying different goodies


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