# Hedgehog won't eat cat food



## Pushki (May 20, 2018)

Hi everyone!
I just got my hedgehog 2 weeks ago.
He is one year old and adjusting well to his new forever home
The only problem is he doesn't seem to eat his cat food.
I feed him the same food his previous owner did. I also tried with another type of cat food but still nope.
I add a bit of dried mealworms, but he eats only them.
Other than that he eats other living insects that he gets as "treats".
I also tried to feed him cooked egg, he ate some of it but not too much.
Are there any other options?


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## Apollo_Hedgehog (May 17, 2018)

You might want to take him to the vet- but finding a catfood that is fattening. Don't go overboard, though. Stick mostly to the protein, fat, fiber, guideline. (30%protein, 15% fat, 7% fiber.) I can assure you no hedgehog can refuse waxworms. Make sure the cat food isn't too rich for him and won't upset his stomach. Hedgehogs are generally picky, so look at the labels and try out stuff and once he starts to eat and gain weight,(though make sure he doesn't get TOO chunky) mixing cat foods is the best option to make him benefiting of his food, not just surviving.


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

You need to figure out just how much he's eating a day, counting everything. If he's eating less than 1-2 tbsp of food then you need to start syringe feeding him. When a hedgehog doesn't eat enough, even for a few days, fatty liver disease can start. You can get a pate style canned food and water it down enough to put it through a syringe or get some Hills A/D canned food from the vet and use that. 

Not eating is a severe health issue.


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## Pushki (May 20, 2018)

Thanks for the replys!
He doesnt seem to lose weight (330g- I was told by the breeder thats his normal weight and that it is always like that)
The food I got him is just like that,and he poops just fine.
He eats about 2 tbsp. a day.
We feed him really a lot of insects, but he doesnt want anything else.
Is it that he could just be picky? 
Because when it comes to health he is doing great.


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## Yukidama's mama (Apr 4, 2017)

So you are feeding 2 tbsp of insects only? 
Although insects are good for them and should be part of their main diet you need to feed other foods like vegs and meats as well to ensure they are getting all the nutrients they need. 

My boy also wouldn't eat cat food and only loved insects. I found chopping the insects into very small pieces and mixing with the cat food with some water enticed him to eat it! Doing this for about 6 months he'll now eat the cat food on its own but still only soaked in water never dry. He eats more if insects are in it though. Have you tried this yet? 

Otherwise you could look into a raw diet but it involves a lot of research and normally people still supplement with some kibble just to make sure they are covering all nutrients. 

There is guidance notes on the forum about raw feeding if you are interested.


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## Askeptosaurus (Nov 10, 2015)

When my girl Heiji-San was resistant to her new food I would splash just a tiny bit of low-sodium chicken broth onto her kibble to help it go down and that seemed to help her take to it.


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