# Food mixtures.



## haleylove (Jan 19, 2011)

I know there are lots and lots and lots and lots of topics about food. And I've read through the good food chart multiple times, but I guess I'm still a little confused.
I've noticed a lot of you use a mixture of foods? I understand that some people use high quality food and low quality 'filler' food.
So, I guess my questions are:
- Personally, how many different foods do you mix together?
- If you could name the foods, that would be great.
- Which of those foods is the high quality and which is the filler?
- Which foods should I avoid at all costs?

Just researching a bit more. Any tips would be good.


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## Hedgehog Grove (Jul 21, 2010)

haleylove said:


> I've noticed a lot of you use a mixture of foods? I understand that some people use high quality food and low quality 'filler'


What do you mean by low quality "filler", I dont think many people use them.

We are on the below now, these are all equally eaten and are high quality dry cat kibble:

Chicken Soup for the Cat Lovers Soul - Light
Nutrience Kitten
Authority - Sensitive
Now! Light/Senior 
Blue Buffalo Spa Select Weight Control
Solid Gold Katz n Floken (lamb)

We recently stopped using the NB Green Pea & Duck as ALL our 11 hedgies went off it after they changed it. They used to eat it equally with the others. We have tried many many types of dry cat kibble and they have all been no goes such as Wellness.


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## haleylove (Jan 19, 2011)

I thought I read on a thread that someone had used lower quality food for some reason. Of course I can't find where I even thought I read it before. :roll:

Thanks.


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## susanaproenca (Aug 14, 2010)

You're right, some people use not so good cat food or hedgehog food as a "junky food." I'm not sure about the reason though. 

I use the following:
- Harmony Farms Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe
- Natural Balance Green Pea & Duck
- Solid Gold Katz-n-Flocken

I am thinking about weaning them off the Natural Balance and introducing Castor & Pollux Natural Ultramix Indoor Feline because it's higher in fiber. 

You should avoid foods that have by-products, corn and corn meal as first ingredients, as well as foods with toxic ingredients like raisins and avocado. Also, avoid food with too high protein (around 30% is best.)


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## haleylove (Jan 19, 2011)

susanaproenca said:


> You're right, some people use not so good cat food or hedgehog food as a "junky food." I'm not sure about the reason though.


Well at least I'm not going crazy. I did read it SOMEWHERE. Thanks as well.


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

There was a time(mostly when I first bought my boy, so around 2 years ago), that feeding a "junk" food along with high quality cat food is healthier for hedgies and gives a longer and healthier life. 

The reasoning being that too much of a good thing may not always be good, or something along those lines. Or kinda like giving a child some chocolate along with the veggies. It was mostly discussed back when Reaper was actually still around on the board, and he would be the one to bring it up the most.


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## Mytheral (Feb 9, 2011)

haleylove said:


> I thought I read on a thread that someone had used lower quality food for some reason. Of course I can't find where I even thought I read it before. :roll:
> 
> Thanks.


hedgehogworld.com tends to advertise the use of low quality cat food for to the fillers in it...

Personally I can't seem to figure out what benefit it would have and when you ask for a reasons on why it's better they can't explain why the added fillers make it better.


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## Mytheral (Feb 9, 2011)

Did some more thinking and wanted to edit my above post but couldn't so here goes.



haleylove said:


> I thought I read on a thread that someone had used lower quality food for some reason. Of course I can't find where I even thought I read it before. :roll:
> 
> Thanks.


hedgehogworld.com tends to advertise the use of low quality cat food for to the fillers in it.

For the same reason, too much of a good thing... but they can't really say why that is.

My logic follows...

Take what me know: hedgehogs found in the while have the usual insects but also a fair amount of vegetation in there systems as well.

I'd start thinking along the lines of the most common filler; which is corn. Corn is kind of a nothing grain but it has a bit of protein, very few vitamins & minerals and a lot of starch which turns into sugar. Maybe they need a certain amount of sugar in their diet as well? But that doesn't hold much ground because higher end cat foods tend to use rice which is sugary as well.

Next I look at the protein sources (the main diffrence between qualities). Protein quantity varies a but the majority tend to stay around 30% so we'll dis-count that.

Fat content varies widely but tends to be higher in the cheapest cat food. Possible reason but we know that higher fat causes weight gain and that insects are the leanest form of protein available.

The cheaper the cat food the more "refined" the protein sources are the the higher miscellaneous content of that protein. Generally the more refined something is the more easily digested something is so that could be a reason.

My favorite reason though is that hedgehogs in the wild don't eat much chicken/fish/turkey/beef/lamb perhaps he refining process converts these protein sources into a more neutral source for the hedgehogs or it destroys a part of the protein that hedgehogs have an ultra low reaction to but still affects them... Perhaps damaging some organ (kind of inline with some things that are said about it) or prevent some nutrient uptake both would be hard to pin point without an intense study.

Fun to think about in any event.


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## HedgehogsAnonymous (Dec 30, 2010)

I recently had a breeder tell me the mix I have my boys on was crap and to get rid of it and look at the Purina line...which really surprised me. 

My mix is Chicken Soup Lite, Green Pea & Duck, Wellness, Authority, and Blue Buffalo Weight. 

I put a lot of research into making my mix, so I found her comments pretty surprising.


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## Ophelia (Dec 10, 2010)

I wouldn't mind giving some filler food if it was a favourite. Everyone loves desserts.  And I don't think it would do any harm if it was given sparsely. 

But right now I'm using Nutro Natural Choice Indoor(I think), and Nutrience Kitten. I give about 50/50, but put the lower fat stuff on top so she goes through that first. I'm still working on her diet though.


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

Ophelia said:


> I wouldn't mind giving some filler food if it was a favourite. Everyone loves desserts.  And I don't think it would do any harm if it was given sparsely.
> .


Seems to me this very reason was mentioned on HHC as a reason to keep some of the junk in the diet. Makes for a more well-rounded diet? Something like that??

I looked for the thread but can't find it. :roll:


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## rivoli256 (Mar 1, 2009)

Halo Spot's Stew Turkey (kitten/cat)
Halo Spot's Stew Salmon (ditto)
Solid Gold Just a Wee Bit (small dog)
Merrick Before Grain BG chicken (kitten/cat)
Wellness Kitten Health
Innova Kitten
Innova Puppy
Pure Vita Duck & Oatmeal or Salmon & Potato (puppy/dog)
by Nature Puppy


i realize most people do NOT use puppy food but i have one who will ONLY eat puppy food (um, Henry!!!!)...you can put the same brand, same type, same ingredients & if it is cat food, he walks away. i know...i tried it! & had witnesses! poor guy went hungry for awhile (not really but...it took me a bit to figure it out). i don't know why he is that way, he just is. he has to be difficult. :roll: that said, my other guys LOVE the SG Just a Wee Bit, which surprised me.

i plan to try a couple others as well i have heard good things about on here...i like to have plenty of options for them in their mix & plenty of variety in case something changes or they decide they don't like a kibble or suddenly i can't get one thing in particular. this works for me -it may not for everyone. it can be a bit of work.

i also always feed probiotics. i don't do filler food. i feel like we are responsible for their lives...& we have to do that to the utmost best of our abilities. & providing the absolute best food we can is a part of that for me. they don't have a choice in the matter. we have to make the best choices possible for them. even if they get a little grumpy with us sometimes! :lol:


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## Heavenly Hedgehogs (Mar 19, 2010)

I use a mix of three cat foods: Nutrience , Royal Canin and Eaglepack Holistic. They are all good lines and easy to find in Wpg. I wean the babies on this mix and then the hedgehogs new parent(s) can pick one or more of the same food up and not have to introduce another food


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## leaveittoweaver (Sep 25, 2010)

Heavenly Hedgehogs said:


> I use a mix of three cat foods: Nutrience , Royal Canin and Eaglepack Holistic. They are all good lines and easy to find in Wpg. I wean the babies on this mix and then the hedgehogs new parent(s) can pick one or more of the same food up and not have to introduce another food


Personally I'd steer clear of Royal Canin, it's really low quality food, and quite expensive for what they put in it.


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## Heavenly Hedgehogs (Mar 19, 2010)

hmm i thought it was decent though the price is rediculous. I don't especially need to have it in my mix, I may replace it with the chicken soup brand or wellness brand that looks ok. It;s insane how much the price of cat food has gone up in the last two years but I wouldn't feed them market brands


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## pooka dotted (Jan 5, 2011)

I use (In the order of portions)

-Royal canin indoor light
-Nutrience kitten growth
-Orijen

The majority of the kibble is Royal canin, More so with Fuzzie than with napoleon (she's fluffy)then teaspoon of Orijen (It's really high in protein) to a whole bowl of food which is about half a cup. Then about three tablespoons of Nutrience for Napoleon (Not heaping) and one tablespoon of nutrience for Fuzzie. with about 2-5 kibbles of Orijen for Fuzzie. 

I'm fussy lol

This is portioning for 2 days. there's A LOT of crumbs at the bottom that they refuse to eat :roll: 
I also put a few mealies in there, more for Napoleon cause she's a wheeling monster.


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