# Is this a good cat food for my hedgehog?



## PeriTheHedgie (Jul 6, 2015)

I had a list I'd seen on here or good cat food, but I only found one at Walmart and it was $20, and needless to say my mother was not going to spend $20 on cat food. She was rushing me to pick one, so we got Purina Cat Chow: Gentle. It says for easy digestion. I don't really know what to look for in a brand for hedgehogs. Is this a good, an alright, or bad choice?


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

I'm sorry, but that's not a good choice at all. Most of Purina's foods are pretty poor in quality, and the "Chow" foods are some of the worst. This sticky should help explain what you're looking for in a food - http://www.hedgehogcentral.com/foru...3034-beginner-s-guide-hedgehog-nutrition.html But basically, you want named meats/meat meals & fats, meat as the first ingredient (or preferably the first two or three), no corn, no wheat, no by-products, no food dyes, and no BHT, BHA, or ethoxyquin.

Is Walmart your only choice for where you can get your hedgehog's food? Or do you have a pet store nearby that you can go to? If Walmart is your only choice, my suggestions would be the Purina Beyond foods and Pure Balance foods. I'm having trouble finding ingredient lists for the Pure Balance cat foods, but from what I can see, it's still a better option than the rest of the food you're going to find at a Walmart.

My suggestion, if you're stuck with Walmart? Look for these two foods & sized bags - http://www.walmart.com/ip/Pure-Bala...nd-Sweet-Potato-Cat-Food-3-lbs/43546474#about and http://www.walmart.com/ip/Purina-Be...e-Oat-Meal-Recipe-Cat-Food-Bag-3-lbs/37297858

Those brands are the best you're going to find at Walmart, I'm guessing, and the small bags aren't too expensive. It's still $20, but remind your mom that those bags of food are going to last your little hedgehog at least a couple of months. And the reason I'm suggesting two foods is because you're more likely to cover all bases with multiple foods, and because hedgehogs are notoriously picky. If one of your foods becomes unavailable, you'll still have one your hedgehog knows & likes, and you won't risk a food strike.

Please try to take the food you bought back. It won't be good for your hedgehog, and there should be better choices. Make sure your mom understands that a healthier food means your hedgehog won't need to eat as much of it, and that it'll be better for your little guy. If it helps, give her an analogy - she probably wouldn't let you eat McDonalds every single day for every meal, right? Feeding your hedgehog Purina cat chow would be like that. And since hedgehogs don't eat much, it's not as much of a problem to get them a little more expensive, healthier food because you're still not spending much. If she's still reluctant, offer to pay for it yourself, by doing chores around the house or yardwork, etc. Do some babysitting or petsitting, or some odd chores for neighbors.

Edit: Also, because it always comes to mind when someone's parent is reluctant to spend money on something simple or relatively cheap like food, is your mom clear on the vet costs for a hedgehog, and willing to pay whatever they might be? Will she fight about your hedgehog needing a vet trip if she doesn't think it's necessary, even if it really is? Because that's another issue that we see a LOT on the forums with younger hedgehog owners and it's a major concern for your hedgehog's well-being.


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## PeriTheHedgie (Jul 6, 2015)

As far as vet bills go, if something does go wrong she will take my hedgehog to the vet. When there was something wrong with our guinea pig, she took him to the vet and paid for his medicine and everything, so I assume she would do that for my hedgehog as well. I'll tell her about the food, and maybe she'll take me back to Walmart to return it. There is a small PetSmart right next door, are there better options there? I have the money, so I will pay for it if I have to. My mom is at the "it's too expensive. Use your own money. You need to save your money." Kind of time. I'm 18, about to go to college, so she wants me to save but also wants me to buy my own stuff. It's very confusing. I am training to be a veterinarian, so hopefully in the future I can treat my own hedgehogs and it won't be as expensive.

Also, when you say the things I'm looking for, I can't look at brands all day. Unfortunately I'm on my mother's time, and she's impatient. Is there a good brand you could recommend?


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Yes, Petsmart would have better options!  Can you get a ride from someone else to Petsmart, like a friend or another relative? If not, you can also look at their food choices online and get a short list of foods that you'd like to grab, then see which ones your Petsmart has and which ones are cheapest. Some good brands to check out would be Blue Buffalo, Castor & Pollux, Natural Balance, Nature's Variety (you can either get one of the cat foods to mix with another low protein food to balance out to 35% protein or less, or you can check out the dog foods & crush them up smaller), Simply Nourish, and Wellness. Wellness is too rich for some hedgehogs and can cause loose poops, so that might be one to avoid if you're not sure about being able to return foods if it doesn't work out.

I got my hedgehog when I was 18 as well, and had to do some arguing with my mom after I found this forum and started wanting to improve things for Lily. She was also concerned about me spending too much money, but I pointed out that I was doing more research and learning how to take better care of my pet, and that it was my money to use. After a couple arguments, she mostly gave up past an obligatory "But money" comment when I would first mention a new change.


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## PeriTheHedgie (Jul 6, 2015)

Thank you, I'll talk to her about it. If she won't take me, then hopefully my best friend will. Unfortunately none of my family live in the same state as me. I'll probably go PetSmart's website and look at prices before I talk to my mom. I also need to find a place that sells live mealworms. It'd be great if she'd let me order them online. I recently learned that freeze dried are bad for their digestion.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Good luck!  And I'm glad you learned about the mealworms. If your mom is iffy on ordering online, Petsmart should sell live ones. And just in case you need a better alternative to live, canned is safe, and Petsmart may also carry them.  You can also get grasshoppers, crickets, and waxworms canned. They're a bit stinkier (the crickets were gag-worthy for me, and I have a pretty strong stomach for gross animal food), but you can freeze the insects on a cookie sheet covered with parchment or wax paper, then store in a plastic bag in the freezer so they last longer.  I would still consider live preferable to canned, but just in case you need to know!


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## PeriTheHedgie (Jul 6, 2015)

Thanks! And yes, she's a little iffy about ordering online, but she's not as bad as she used to be. I'm looking at PetSmart's website and they have live ones for sale online, I just hope they're at my PetSmart. My mother doesn't work tomorrow morning, maybe she'll take me if I beg and make my hedgehog look sad lol


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## writergirlmel (May 16, 2015)

PetSmart should have live or canned mealworms. Canned is an acceptable alternative to the freeze-dried.


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## PeaceLove&Hedgies (Jun 26, 2015)

There are many good foods for hedgehogs to eat.
I use a mixture of:
Nutro's Natural Choice Adult Indoor Chicken & Whole Brown Rice Formula
Protein is 33%
Fat is 14%
and
Chicken Soup for the Soul brand Cat Food Holistic for Health Adult Cat Food
Protein is 34%
Fat is 20%

I feed them both equally so my hedgie's getting plenty of protein and has a variety to enjoy. With hedgies, a safe bet for food is:
30% or more protein
20% or less of fat
They also like wet foods
Foods shouldn't have artificial flavoring or coloring as these can lead to health problems.


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

You have the number wrong for hedgehogs. Protein should be no more than 35% and fat should be no more than 15%. 20% fat is to high for most hedgehogs except the for the ones that have trouble keeping on weight.


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## PeaceLove&Hedgies (Jun 26, 2015)

nikki said:


> You have the number wrong for hedgehogs. Protein should be no more than 35% and fat should be no more than 15%. 20% fat is to high for most hedgehogs except the for the ones that have trouble keeping on weight.


Ok. I will give her less of the fatty food, in order to not stress her by changing her diet too much. Thank you for the info!


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