# Can hedgehog eat Montague Classic cat food? Nutrution and ingredients attached



## moey (Dec 21, 2013)

Hey, I don't know how to tell if a cat food is good or not so I've attached the nutrional value and ingredients here... The brand is Montague Classic? Most breeders seem to be using this or Whiskas...

Do you think I should continue using Montague Classic, or switch to Purina or Whiskas?

Those are the only brands I've found in SA that seem to be fairly okay for hedgehogs...


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## Haley (Nov 18, 2013)

So look for a meat or meat meal as first ingredient. Avoid by-product meal as first ingredient if possible.

To read as % just drop the last digit, so 320g per k is 32% or 280 per k is 28%, not adjusted for moisture but close enough.

Of the three you list I'd go with Purina, if you can get Purina One it is pretty good, but I think all Purina has meat as the first ingredient. Regular or indoor cat, not kitten food unless they are too thin from running.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Purina One Beyond is the best of the Purina foods. Purina One is okay, and definitely better than Whiskas. The Purina Cat Chow foods have pretty poor-quality ingredients though, so I'd avoid those. Purina One or Purina One Beyond would probably be the best thing to get if they have those in SA. If not & there's nothing else with a named meat or meat meal for the first ingredient, I'd go with the Montague or Whiskas since I'm not seeing food dye in either of their ingredients, which is in the Purina chow foods.


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## Haley (Nov 18, 2013)

Looks like Purina One has free trial vouchers in South Africa. I don't see Beyond in the products offered, but Purina One Smart Balance is offered.


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## ceopet (Sep 20, 2013)

That food doesn't look great to me. Are these the only cat foods you have avalible in South Africa?


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## moey (Dec 21, 2013)

I will go and look... What shold i generally be looking for, aside from the meat as first ingredient as Haley mentioned?


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## moey (Dec 21, 2013)

We have a whole range of cat food... Just not usually whats available in USA... I might be able to find something really good... I just want to know what I should look out for, then I can go searching ingredients wise and percentage-wise to find something healthy!


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## Annie&Tibbers (Apr 16, 2013)

Ideally, aim for food that is:

28 to 35% protein (that's 280 to 350 g/kg)
10 to 15% fat: your little one is still growing, and sounds very active, so being even up to 20% fat may be just fine
high fibre content: insect-treats will also help increase fibre content.
named ingredients
no dyes

This sticky goes into more details on the topic.

You can also mix a few food together to get the percentages you want; that will also help protect you from having to do sudden fast-switches if something suddenly has an availability shortage, changes recipes, or is recalled.


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## ceopet (Sep 20, 2013)

What Annie&Tibbers said

It's actually better if you can find with meat as the first two ingredaints. Meat or meat meal. Also you want the meat to be named like say Chicken Meal or Duck meal. You don't want to say like Poultry meal. Same goes for fat. It shouldn't just be "Animal fat" it should specify Chicken fat or duck fat. "Digest" is something else to avoid since the "digest" it self can contain up to 25% fecal matter. If you can also avoid corn in the pet foods. 

It's definatly a good idea to mix two or three kinds. It gives you a little more freedem like say one you feed has 40% protien you can mix with one that is 30% and you'd have 35%. You can also include different meat sources like say have on with duck as the first meat then one with Chicken etc. It's also good to do that in case one of them stops bein avaliable or made in your area or even if they change the formula. Hedgies are such picky little guys.


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## ceopet (Sep 20, 2013)

What do you mean Kangol? Did we answer your question?


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## moey (Dec 21, 2013)

You guys have answered my question!  The best I've found in SA has got to be Purina One Smartblend. Saly, I couldn't find anything better...


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## Draenog (Feb 27, 2012)

Do you have Royal Canin over there? I use Royal Canin Fit 32 (and a light version because my hedgie is on a diet) which has poultry meat as its first ingredient.


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