# Basic diet inquiries



## fasolplanetarium (Dec 14, 2011)

Hello,

I am a newcomer to the forums and a prospective hedgehog caretaker. I've designed housing and now need to ascertain a proper diet for my hedgie. I'd like to consolidate some information regarding diet in this thread so as to help other newcomers find useful information thereof in one place.

I am unsure of what route I should take in piecing together a healthy diet; I prefer not to use catfood unless there is a brand that is absolutely the healthy choice. I reside close to a college campus where access to a pet store to purchase crickets and such is very limited(I also have no transportation). It would be really nice if someone could post a comprehensive diet for hedgies that has worked for them. 

Additionally, how much of these foods do I feed my hedgie, and at what time of day and how often? 

Thank you very much!


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

If you search through this diet section, you will find many many threads on proper diet and feeding instructions.  Everyone here, unless for a medical reason, free-feeds their hedgies, meaning they make sure they have food available to them at all times. Hedgies are not the type to overeat. 

Can you share why you are against using cat foods? There are some great high quality brands out there, better than anything else you will ever find. A high quality cat food (preferably a mix of 2-3 or more) will cover all the bases nutritionally, then all you have to do is try and provide insects. You can easily buy them online if transportation will be a problem. (you are able to get transportation to the vet if needed, right?) Other treats people offer are plain cooked meats, scrambled or hard boiled eggs, baby food (sweet potatoes are popular), and finely chopped fruits or veggies. I wouldn't try offering treats until your hedgie is settled in with you, and then, just offer them one at a time in small quantities.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Most people on here do feed a mix of two or more good brands of cat food as a staple diet. Some of the popular brands include Blue Buffalo, Solid Gold, Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul, Innova, and Natural Balance. We do have a list of cat foods here - viewtopic.php?f=6&t=15 that's kind of a guideline for good brands and what ingredients to look for. The main rules are a meat and/or meat meal in the first five ingredients, no corn in the first five ingredients, a protein percentage of less than 35% (some people refuse to get any higher than 32% or 33%), and a fat percentage of around 15% or lower (though this depends a lot on your hedgehog and if he runs a lot and needs higher fat to keep a steady weight). A bag will also last a long time, two bags or more even longer. So once you figure out what foods you want in your mix (and which ones your hedgie will eat), you'll be set for awhile without needing to go to the pet store frequently. If you have a freezer, you can store extra food in there so that it'll last longer. The food will likely need to be replaced before you even run out, since after about 6 months, it's pretty well stale and you'll want to replace it.

If you have a hard time getting to a pet store, I'd suggest raising your own mealworms, if you can. They're very easy to raise, and once you buy the initial mealworms, you're pretty much set. This allows you to give your hedgie some insects as a regular part of their diet without trying to get to the pet store a lot. Here's a thread on raising mealworms - viewtopic.php?f=6&t=46

If you're looking at feeding a diet of other, more natural foods rather than cat food, there's a holistic diet thread that was started on here that may help you out a lot - viewtopic.php?f=6&t=12297&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=holistic I feed Lily a mix of wet cat food and baby food every night, though she also gets her kibble mix as well, in case she's extra hungry. At the moment she's only eating the soft food because she's getting older. A lot of people like to do both cat food and more natural foods. Some people feed mainly cat food and give baby food/fruits/veggies/meat as treats each night. Some people will feed mainly the fresh foods and just give the kibble as well in case hedgie is extra hungry. Here's a list of safe fruits/veggies (and unsafe ones) - viewtopic.php?f=6&t=60&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=fruit+and+veggie

Diet is mainly up to you and what you have available to you, and what works best for you. Dry cat food is what works best for most people because it doesn't go bad overnight, it has minerals and vitamins included in it, the kibble is small enough for hedgies, and to be honest, it's easy. There hasn't really been any research done on what the specific diet requirements are for hedgies, so it's kind of hard to know exactly what they need each night. Cat food has been the most recent preferred diet and seems to be working well for hedgies. The holistic route is pretty new so far, and I know part of the reason I prefer offering cat food still is just in case I'm missing some vitamins or minerals with whatever fresh foods I'm giving that night.

For the last few questions, how much depends on the hedgie. For cat food, either weigh or count the food (it's the best way to keep track of how much he/she eats, since decline in food intake is often an early sign of something being wrong), and see how much your hedgie eats. If he eats all of it, add more the next night, and so on until there's a little left in the morning. If he doesn't eat all, you can reduce the amount so that there's only a little left. You want to make sure there's a bit more than they usually eat in case they have an extra hungry night. Most people change food at night, since they'll eat all night while we're sleeping. And you'll want to change it every night, so it doesn't get stale and so you can keep an eye on how much he eats.


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## Christemo (Oct 5, 2011)

Using cat food is the easiest and least expensive way of getting their nutrients, considering that hedgehog food is usually sheer crap. 
Supplement it with some treats such as watermelon and meal worms.
Keep food out 24/7 for them to graze on. They won't overeat.
Everyone else has pretty much summed up the requirements for food percentages.
Why are you against using cat food?


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## fasolplanetarium (Dec 14, 2011)

LizardGirl said:


> If you search through this diet section, you will find many many threads on proper diet and feeding instructions.  Everyone here, unless for a medical reason, free-feeds their hedgies, meaning they make sure they have food available to them at all times. Hedgies are not the type to overeat.
> 
> Can you share why you are against using cat foods? There are some great high quality brands out there, better than anything else you will ever find. A high quality cat food (preferably a mix of 2-3 or more) will cover all the bases nutritionally, then all you have to do is try and provide insects. You can easily buy them online if transportation will be a problem. (you are able to get transportation to the vet if needed, right?) Other treats people offer are plain cooked meats, scrambled or hard boiled eggs, baby food (sweet potatoes are popular), and finely chopped fruits or veggies. I wouldn't try offering treats until your hedgie is settled in with you, and then, just offer them one at a time in small quantities.


I see. I guess I was wary of cat food simply because I've seen so many processed/unhealthy brands out there. I'm not a cat owner so I didn't know about the healthier types. I trust you folks here on the forums and am actually kind of relieved that having a healthy diet for my hedgie won't be overly complicated. I will always be able to take him to the vet, as my friend has agreed to give me rides whenever that comes up. Thank you so much for the advice.


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## fasolplanetarium (Dec 14, 2011)

Lilysmommy said:


> Most people on here do feed a mix of two or more good brands of cat food as a staple diet. Some of the popular brands include Blue Buffalo, Solid Gold, Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul, Innova, and Natural Balance. We do have a list of cat foods here - viewtopic.php?f=6&t=15 that's kind of a guideline for good brands and what ingredients to look for. The main rules are a meat and/or meat meal in the first five ingredients, no corn in the first five ingredients, a protein percentage of less than 35% (some people refuse to get any higher than 32% or 33%), and a fat percentage of around 15% or lower (though this depends a lot on your hedgehog and if he runs a lot and needs higher fat to keep a steady weight). A bag will also last a long time, two bags or more even longer. So once you figure out what foods you want in your mix (and which ones your hedgie will eat), you'll be set for awhile without needing to go to the pet store frequently. If you have a freezer, you can store extra food in there so that it'll last longer. The food will likely need to be replaced before you even run out, since after about 6 months, it's pretty well stale and you'll want to replace it.
> 
> If you have a hard time getting to a pet store, I'd suggest raising your own mealworms, if you can. They're very easy to raise, and once you buy the initial mealworms, you're pretty much set. This allows you to give your hedgie some insects as a regular part of their diet without trying to get to the pet store a lot. Here's a thread on raising mealworms - viewtopic.php?f=6&t=46
> 
> ...


I really appreciate your taking the time to provide me with so much information. I feel much more sure about my hedgie's diet and will let you know how everything goes!


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