# Help, my hedgehog is determined to stay overweight!



## Theobromine (Nov 5, 2015)

Hello!

My hedgehog Tiramisu is a little... Rounder than most hedgehogs, to put it gently. :lol: And I'd really appreciate some help in getting her back to a healthy weight. For about 2 months I've implemented the following changes to try to help her:
- No more treats (except a bit of spinach or lettuce)
- Switched to Wellness Complete Health Healthy Weight (2 tablespoons each night)
- I stopped using a food dish and started to sprinkle her food around her cage to make her look for it

In the first month, I did note some weight loss and was thrilled that things seemed to be working out. But then, she started to plateau in the 2nd month and now she's actually started regaining weight despite the fact she's been on the same diet regime this whole time. :'(

It's actually gotten to the point where she was getting less active during her wake hours and not using her wheel as often. Just in case, I took her to the vet where they informed me that she was indeed overweight, but otherwise perfectly healthy (yay!). They said that she was probably being less active _because_ she was overweight, and had less stamina to run around at night...

Please help me! I really want her to live a long and healthy life, but I don't know what else I can do!!


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## Heggielover (Jan 2, 2017)

I would suggest changing her diet one more time so she looses a little weight and will run on her wheel. Feed her the exact same amount each time you feed her and she will probably not regain the weight once she starts running. Hope this helps!


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

The cat food she's on is already at 9% fat, so there's unlikely to be another food that's even lower fat & still healthy to switch her to.

You mentioned you'll give her a bit of spinach/lettuce. Will she eat any other kinds of veggies? Sometimes a mix of veggies can help with weight loss by filling them up without adding a lot of fat. Avoid veggies higher in sugar though, like peppers, carrots, & peas. 

You could also try some lower fat insects - crickets, maggots, earthworms, and silkworms are all lower in fat. 

Depending on how she is with water, swimming can help a lot with weight loss without straining their joints as much. But it could be more stressful than it's worth if she's extremely distressed by it. If you do give it a try, go slowly & be careful - start with no more than 5 minutes (you can increase as she gets used to it), never take your eyes off her, and if she shows signs of tiring out, call it quits. They can drown quickly, hence the caution with short times & careful watching. Keep the water just barely deep enough so her toes are just off the bottom of the sink.


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## Theobromine (Nov 5, 2015)

Oops, sorry for the late respond and thank you for those tips!

Tiramisu is, unfortunately, quite a picky eater and so far spinach and lettuce are the only vegetables she's willing to eat. I do try offering bits of the vegetables she's rejected before, but she's pretty stubborn.

I'll give swimming a try for sure, though I'll have to do a slow transition since I already know that she hates getting in water. :'(

I'm actually really interested in getting her on some lower fat insects, do you have any recommendations for websites that sell hedgehog-safe insects?


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

I really like Rainbow Mealworms, that's my primary site for ordering insects for Bindi's diet. They have a large variety, though they don't have silkworms. I did order silkworms recently, but I can't recall which site it was from...I may be ordering more soon as Bindi seems to like them, so I'll let you know if I get them from the same place.


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