# Blue Buffalo Healthy Aging Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe



## CawingKro (Sep 11, 2012)

Howdy, All. I bring home my little girl--my first hedgie ever, I am excited!!--in three days, and I was wondering if this cat food was alright for them? (The ingredient list is below, as are the nutritional specs.) I already bought a whole bag, because I read in the forum that Blue Buffalo was usually alright for hedgehogs. But then I realized that Oatmeal and Whole Grain Brown Rice are the third and fourth ingredients, and that made me think twice. If I didn't have to throw it out, or if I could mix it with something else, that would be great, but in the end, I just want what's best for little Quillvia Plath. I plan on supplementing her diet with live meal worms, as well as vegetables a few times a week, and some occasional fruit. Advice for a first-time owner? Note: My hedgie is only 7 weeks old. 

SPECS: 

Crude Protein 32.0% min
Crude Fat 15.0% min
Crude Fiber 4.0% max
Moisture 10.0% max
Magnesium 0.08% min
Taurine 0.15% min
Vitamin C* 100 mg/kg min
Omega 3 Fatty Acids* 0.5% min
Omega 6 Fatty Acids* 3.0% min

Deboned Chicken,
Chicken Meal,
Oatmeal,
Whole Ground Brown Rice,
Whole Ground Barley,
Salmon Meal,
Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols),
Natural Chicken Flavor,
Whole Potatoes,
Peas,
Fish Meal (source of Omega 3 Fatty Acids),
Whole Carrots,
Whole Sweet Potatoes,
Cranberries,
Blueberries,
Flaxseed (source of Omega 3 and 6 Fatty Acids),
Barley Grass,
Dried Parsley,
Alfalfa Meal,
Dried Kelp,
Taurine,
Yucca Schidigera Extract,
L-Carnitine,
L-Lysine,
Turmeric,
Fish Oil (source of Omega 3 Fatty Acids),
Dried Chicory Root,
Rice Bran,
Oil of Rosemary,
Beta Carotene,
Vitamin A Supplement,
Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1),
Riboflavin (Vitamin B2),
Niacin (Vitamin B3),
d-Calcium Pantothenate (Vitamin B5),
Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6),
Biotin (Vitamin B7),
Folic Acid (Vitamin B9),
Vitamin B12 Supplement,
Calcium Ascorbate (source of Vitamin C),
Vitamin D3 Supplement,
Vitamin E Supplement,
Iron Amino Acid Chelate,
Zinc Amino Acid Chelate,
Manganese Amino Acid Chelate,
Copper Amino Acid Chelate,
Choline Chloride,
Sodium Selenite,
Calcium Iodate,
Salt,
Caramel,
Potassium Chloride,
Calcium Carbonate,
Dried Yeast (source of Saccharomyces cerevisiae),
Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product,
Dried Bacillus subtilis fermentation product,
Dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

It's still a good food to use!  The main grains you want to avoid are corn and wheat. Blue Buffalo is a great brand, and a commonly used one on here. It would be a good idea to mix it with another good food though. The main reason for that is because hedgies are notoriously picky and don't do well with sudden change in their diets. If a food changes formula or is discontinued or recalled, and you only feed the one food, you could end up with a hedgie on food strike and have to syringe-feed, which is stressful on everyone. If you have two or more foods, if one is unavailable or changes, you still have one they're used to and like.


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## CawingKro (Sep 11, 2012)

Recommendations on a food to mix it with? I'm lucky in that I live in a reasonably metropolitan area, so I have access to several stores that carry all sorts of pet food.


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## moxieberry (Nov 30, 2011)

I'd suggest going with a food with a different protein source. It's a nice way to give them some variety. Solid Gold Katz-N-Flocken is a great one, which is lamb. It has 12% fat, so if you were to use that and the Blue Buffalo in a 50/50 mix, the total fat content would be 13.5%. That's high enough to give babies some extra while they're growing, but also will work well for most adult hedgehogs. There are some other options included on here as well: http://www.volcanoviewhedgehogs.com/kib ... oduce.html


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