# Wet Cat food vs Wet Dog food



## Sarahgx__ (Mar 8, 2016)

I am a first time hedgehog owner and am very patiently waiting the arrival of my baby who was just born last Thursday. I have been searching this forum for months now and I asked myself a question today that I have yet to read about. Why do people use wet cat food and not wet dog food?
I have read that dog food is preferred for hedgehogs due to their nutritional similarities but due to the size of the kibble the majority of people use cat food instead. I have also read that some people give wet cat food as an addition to their hedgehog's diet but I have never seen anyone say they used wet dog food. I am just curious if it would be safe and interchangeable with wet cat food. Thanks for the read and would appreciate any responses!


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Yup, it should be fine! I think can size might be a factor, plus people are just used to looking for cat food. Some also go for the same brand/flavors as a kibble they include in their mix, especially if they have a picky hedgie. But wet dog food would be fine as well, as long as it fits the requirements & has good ingredients.


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## teddythehedgie (Nov 22, 2015)

Thank you for sharing, Lilysmommy! I am super happy to hear wet dog food is good! I am going to look into finding some for Teddy. I think it's nice that they can have some variety in their diet, not just dry foods and mealies.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Agreed.  That's why I'm such a fan of raw diets, they can get so much more variety that way. I think Bindi would murder me in my sleep at this point if I ever tried to go back to kibble with her. :lol: 

One thing to keep in mind - you'll need to calculate dry matter basis (DMB) percentages of protein & fat when comparing wet food. I explain how to do that in the Soft Foods sticky at the top of the Diet forum. If it's just as a supplement to their diet, it's not as big of a deal, but if you have a hedgie prone to putting on weight, you may want to be careful of the fat content. And I still think it's probably best to stick around 45% or below for protein even with wet food.


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## Dumble (Feb 22, 2016)

I wish Dumbles would eat a wider variety of things. He basically rejects everything except the kibble and mealies. I'm having trouble mixing in a second kibble to get a better nutritional balance because he just picks around them! Eggs no , strawberry no, squash no, real chicken no, green pepper no, wet cat food no,pumpkin baby food no,.....sigh. Looks like there is no raw diet in our future. lol.


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## teddythehedgie (Nov 22, 2015)

Have you tried some different flavours of wet cat foods with Dumble? I was telling my boyfriend I don't know what addictive things they are putting in that stuff because Teddy goes into a frenzy when I give him the beef entree one. I think he would eat until he was on the floor bloated because he will eat as much as you put so I give him very small amounts of it! :lol: It must be mealworm-levels of addiction.


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## Dumble (Feb 22, 2016)

I have tried 1 beef gravyish kinda one and 2 different chicken ones. Chicken is his dry kibble flavor so if I could get him to have beef or turkey that would be nice. I think I will try another beef one tonight. I have a beef flavored can of Wellness in the cupboard so we will see where that goes. His eyes sure light up when the mealies come out though. When he see's me open the container I swear he does a lil happy dance. Waddles over all bright eyed  Ahhhh the cuteness.


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