# Vet Recommends Spike's Delite



## laduec (Feb 27, 2012)

Hello All-

I currently own a 6 month-old hedgehog, and this is my second one. I took Tembo to the vet yesterday as part of a checkup on a bacterial infection he had (he had bloody stool and was put on antibiotics for a week). The vet and vet tech asked what food we fed, and I told them that I've always fed cat food (as recommended by many because of the protein). Both were very put back by this, and said that too much protein can cause kidney problems later on, and then recommended Spike's Delite.

I've searched on the forum, and I've found that Spike's Delite is not spoken of very highly, but is this still true? I just ordered a 2.5 lb bag, so we'll see how Tembo likes it. Has anyone used this brand before, or does anyone still used it? Have there been any health problems because of it?


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Spike's Delight is considered one of the best hedgehog foods - which isn't saying a whole lot, since most hedgehog foods have bad ingredients and some are downright hazardous to their health. It's generally considered to be okay in a mix with cat foods, but I wouldn't personally feed it alone. High protein does cause kidney problems, but the vast majority of hedgehog owners on these forums have feed hedgehogs cat food for years with no issues so far. High protein seems to be 40% and above - and it's been mentioned recently that it mainly causes problems for hedgehogs that might already have kidney or health issues. Most people aim for cat foods that are between 28-35% and I've not heard of any problems from those guidelines. Some vets do recommend hedgehog food over cat food, but vets don't always get a ton of classes on animal nutrition, and hedgehogs aren't well-studied in the first place, which doesn't give them much to go on. My vet tried giving me a old brochure on feeding hedgehogs and possible diets, which I promptly threw out after seeing that one diet included grapes. :roll: I liked them other than that, but I don't usually depend on vets in terms of nutrition for animals - many dog/cat vets repeatedly suggest and promote using Science Diet (a middle-line food that's just really expensive) because they get lots of money from Science Diet.


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## moxieberry (Nov 30, 2011)

Spike's Delite is comparable to some of the "okay" cat food options. If you want to use it, I suggest using it in a mix with a high quality cat food that falls in the right fat/protein range. What cat food are you using right now?


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## laduec (Feb 27, 2012)

I'm using Wellness Weight Control because he's a little on the chunky side. I've also started giving him bits of collard greens every night because he seems to like them.


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