# Feeding raw Warning: Graphic pics



## DesireeM81 (Jun 14, 2014)

The hedgehogs all tried fuzzie mice and they did great with them.

Again graphic pictures of hedgehogs eating mice below, you have been warned.

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## Tongue_Flicker (Jun 11, 2013)

Ooohhh.. love raw feeding.. too bad pinkies are a seasonal feeder here -__-


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Great pictures!  I love how well they're all managing them, that's great that they enjoyed them. And thank you for posting a couple warnings for those who may not want to see.


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## AlexandPersephone (Nov 14, 2014)

HHC doesn't support live feeding...


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## DesireeM81 (Jun 14, 2014)

They aren't live... They were frozen.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

That's correct, we do not.  Knowing Desiree, I'm sure these fuzzies were frozen & thawed to be fed.


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## AlexandPersephone (Nov 14, 2014)

Oh! In that case it's all good! I should have noticed the first time that it's not pink enough to be alive. (I feed them to my reptiles all the time)


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## Draenog (Feb 27, 2012)

Looks like they loved it. And do I see anointing? Yum! :lol: :lol:


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## DesireeM81 (Jun 14, 2014)

Penny and Winter will do it every time. Winter is the worse because he hates baths and I used to hate blood on his quills. It doesn't bother me as much any more. 

Rose also did it this time but she punctured the stomach, she had foamy thick white gunk every where. She did get a paper towel wipe down. 

Now that I think about it, I'm not sure I have ever seen River anoint although I know she does it. 

Also, thanks to your suggestion, I will be buying a bag of chicks for them to try as well. I wanted them to be able to handle the fuzzies before buying them. Even if they don't eat them, I have dogs that will eat most anything.


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## tony21 (Apr 8, 2014)

I had no clue, hogs can eat them. Can they eat rats instead of mice, I only really feed rats to my animals ( there much bigger, so I can feed less often ). Also what temp should they be at when feeding. I switched to frozen about 4 months ago for my exotics, because I moved to far from my supplier, and it became easier to buy bulk.

I think l can probably get mice from supplier ( never asked ) but rats are easier for me:grin:


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## tony21 (Apr 8, 2014)

They look like there really enjoying


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

If you get rats, I would probably get the pinkies...but even they might be a tad large for new-to-raw hedgies. Can you get a few pinky mice to start out with from a local pet store, by any chance? That might be an easier thing to start with. I haven't fed them personally, but I think I would thaw out to either room temperature or somewhere between room temp & fridge temp (or will, I suppose, since I plan to give them a try with future hedgies).


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## tony21 (Apr 8, 2014)

I'm sure I could, I really only go to him for supplies and bugs. I will ask my supplier for rats if he does mice, I prefer to know what's in my feeders and how they are killed ( won't buy any feeder that is in humanly killed ). But if he doesn't I will try my reptile store. Thanks for the advice.:grin:


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## DesireeM81 (Jun 14, 2014)

If you are okay with butchering, you can offer them pieces of rats.


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## CoffeeKat (Jan 15, 2014)

I get mine from Layne Labs. Good pricing, good selection and quality. Also like the way they (claim to) humanely dispatch. LuLu eats pinkie mice every night, but I have never watched her do it. I don't mind handling the pinkies, so that doesn't make me squeamish, but I just don't want to see the carnivorous side to my darling girl


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## kageri (Aug 12, 2014)

I havent fed them to hedgehogs but I cut my feeders in half and occasionàl the limbs off to make them easier to eat.


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## tony21 (Apr 8, 2014)

Butchering them would not be an issue lol, But I would just buy mice instead, seems like it would be to much work. This wouldn't be till my next order order anyway, because I don't have any critters that eat pinkies ( smallest I have is smalls for my normal bp ). Thanks for all the advise. :grin:


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## gracefulchaos01 (Mar 19, 2014)

I'm glad to see this subject up and running again because today ... deep breath... we got our first box of frozen pinkies. They are thawing in the fridge now for dinner tonight and for all I know a hedgie can handle a pinkie I have been worried. What if someone chokes? What if it's too big? I'm thinking maybe I should halve them just in case... I'm a silly worried mom, I know. But... ya. At least being able to see hedgies eat the teeny things means I have a better idea of what to expect. 
I'm so glad I'm having tuna casserole.


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## DesireeM81 (Jun 14, 2014)

The thing about feeding raw is that you want them to have as much of the good stuff inside too. Livers, hearts and brains are full of delicious vitamins. If you split them in half they might not get all the good stuff too. I have seen Penny gag once but it was on a big horn worm, not on a pinky. Your little guys will be fine I'm sure. I always watch to make sure to watch them though just to be safe.


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## gracefulchaos01 (Mar 19, 2014)

They have fur. This is mildly distressing. But the 3 hedgies that have them so far went straight for them and began annointing nearly immediately. They are not distressed one iota. I don't think pictures of this will make it to Facebook.


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## Katten (May 10, 2014)

The bones don't cause any problems for the hedgies?


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## CoffeeKat (Jan 15, 2014)

No, I believe baby bones are closer to being cartilage than bone. Also, bones from raw prey are safe for animals to eat....it's cooked bones that splinter and cause problems.


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## Katten (May 10, 2014)

I went out and bought four fuzzies. I felt really ill defrosting one -- they look just like baby versions of my elderly Ghost mouse -- but I managed to do it. Tinkerball seems completely uninterested. :/ Silly picky hedgies, after all I went through to get you this delicious treat, you're not even interested.

If she doesn't eat this one after a few hours, I'll try again in a week or so.


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## tony21 (Apr 8, 2014)

The up side of having meat eating reptiles lol:lol:


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## Katten (May 10, 2014)

Success! I guess she just wasn't hungry earlier.


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## gracefulchaos01 (Mar 19, 2014)

Update on my brood. I served them cold. I was going to slice them in half, but I just couldn't. Big difference between a chicken thigh and what looks like it could be someone's pet in a few weeks. But I steeled myself and dropped them whole in the bowl for each hedgie and then watched. The girls went in tail first and took their time, not finishing until well after they had been returned to their individual cages. The boys, every one, crunched the head off first and then went to play around the pen. Every hog went back to their cages with their mini mouse and over the course of the night every hog ate every last bite. My biggest bit of deeply morbid relief was that I knew Sebastian could easily finish up something of that size. My biggest concern was Gabriel being so small, but he crunched his little head with so much verve, I let those concerns fly right out the window. 
Next time though, just for me, they need to not have fur... Titan had white poop...


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## DesireeM81 (Jun 14, 2014)

Yay good! I'm glad everyone enjoyed them.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Man, I think this makes at least 6-7 people that have had good responses to pinkies/fuzzies from their hedgehogs. I'm definitely going to have to give them a try with future hedgies!


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## Draenog (Feb 27, 2012)

Mine love them so much they act like they still have to kill them (even though I only feed f/t) :lol:


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## DesireeM81 (Jun 14, 2014)

Winter does that but I think he learned it from the roaches. He doesn't like to chew while something is still moving so he will shake his head, kind of like a dog. I think it's cute.


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