Baby hedgie diet changes

[sakish]

Hi, Our hedgie, Storm, is about 2 months old. We have a dark brown hedgie food that she says is more or less a jump-start for babies. We also have quite a bit of the Spike's Delite that we are mixing in with it. We were told as the bag of baby food gets low, to start weaning and just go with the Spike's and maybe introduce some other foods (cat foods, etc) He usually picks out the baby food, and mostly leaves the Spike's :) I have been reading through many of the nutritional threads, and there is a TON of great info that I have taken regarding foods. However, I have a few questions about how soon I should start changing his diet and incorporating some cat foods or other treats. Are the cat foods better left for older hedgies? What about mealworms and other treats? Also, we only have 1 hedgie, and I am wondering how many mealworms I should keep on hand? I mean, I dont want TOO many if not necessary (ewww). What quantities are they usually available in? What other "people food" treats are okay for very young hedgies, and how often is TOO often for treats? We only want the best nutrition for our baby Storm :)
Thanks, Stacey

[Ododad]

JMO, but I would say that now is as good a time as any to change his diet. I would suggest putting some of the new HIGH QUALITY food you plan to change him to in a small bag and bang it with a hammer. Don't crush it to bits, but rather make smaller pieces of it. Then little by little incorparate this into the baby food he is eating now to ease him into the new food. Since you stated that you have read a lot of the diet and nutrition threads, I assume that you have already decided on a good cat food for him so I won't go into what brands are suggested.
I feed mealies about one or two every three days. Same with crickets. Bugs caught outdoors can contain pestisides so they are not recommended. You could start him off with one every other day until he gets a little older. I would let him get about two or three months older before trying any other treats. Some favorites are: apple, bannana, peas, yogart, cottage cheese, baby food, Gerber Meat Sticks just to name a few. Corn is not recommended because of the diffculty in digestion. He may or may not eat such treats though. He also may or may not even eat mealies or crickets. Each hog is very different in it's likes and dislikes. Odo, will eat only mealies for treats, Frodo will snack on a cheerio, apple or a cracker and Marco will only eat crickets for treats. So, every hog is different. Part of the joy of watching your little guy grow up is learning about him as much as he learns about you! lol
I hope this helps some, and I am sure that someone with much better and complete knowledge will be here soon to add to this and/or correct me.

[sakish]

Thanks, Ododad, that helps! We had done a lot of research before purchasing our hedgie, but I find that there are MANY questions that I have now that he is in our home! We want to be good "parents", and I understand that they can be delicate little creatures. I'm sure you will see future posts from me, as I feel like a new mom with a million questions, if you know what I mean!
Thanks! Stacey :)

[Ododad]

Thanks, Ododad, that helps! We had done a lot of research before purchasing our hedgie, but I find that there are MANY questions that I have now that he is in our home! We want to be good "parents", and I understand that they can be delicate little creatures. I'm sure you will see future posts from me, as I feel like a new mom with a million questions, if you know what I mean!
Thanks! Stacey :)
Oh yes, I know exactly what you mean! lol
I did a lot of studing and researching after Odo came to live with me. I was not expecting to get her when I did and knew nothing about hedgies. She proceded to dissprove most everything I had learned! I have three hedgies, two males and one female and it never ceases to amazing me at how different they are from each other. Everyday it's something different. I was lost until I found this board. There are just so many friendly and informative people here.
I eagerly look forward to hearing some of your "growing up" stories about Storm (way cool name btw) and seeing photo's. Many photo's!!
They are required here ya know! :)

[sakish]

Thanks for the warm welcome. There seems to be a lot of helpful info available here! I will likely be hanging around much more often now :)
We mulled over tons of names, but as we were driving to another state to get our baby hedgie, it was a snowstorm nearly the whole way! Hence the name. My hubby is a big LOTR fan, and I know he would think your hedgie's name is superb as well!
About the pics. I WOULD LOVE TO POST ONE! However, I must know as little about THAT as I do about baby hedgies! lol If you can give me any tips, I will have a pic up soon! I actually have very cute one of my daughter holding him in my profile section, but I havent been able to figure out how to transfer the pics to my posts.
Thanks again :)

[paris26]

http://www.chins-n-quills.com/forums/faq.php?faq=cnq_general#faq_attach_image_to_post
Here's a link to how to post pics. If all else fails, feel free to e-mail them to me and I can post them for you. It's kind of a trial and error thing. I use Paint to shrink my pics before I post them. paris26@yahoo.com

I also would suggest now is a good time to add in new food as Billy suggested. All of my kids were on Pretty Pets when I adopted them, and I was not hesitant at all about adding my mix into that. My hogs immediately ignored the old food and started in on the new food. I still would mix in the Pretty Pets until I was feeding my mix entirely. That was about over a 2-3 week period. Just keep an eye on the poops. They may be softer and that's just due to the change.

[Vampira_666]

Congrats on the new little guy Storm, and I can't wait to see some pics :) , welcome to the forum, I have learned alot since I joined and the people here are great I have made many new friends and can't beleive how much help the people here actually are, they give you all the advice and knowledge they can and it really helps alot :D

So...I just want to take a second to say Thanks to everyone for all your help and suppost :D you really are great people :)

[sakish]

I agree, there seems to be a wealth of friendly people and information here! I know that this will be one of my greatest online assests as we raise our baby boy. Lord knows how many questions will pop up for us week after week! Being a newbie in a group this size can be a bit overwhelming at first, but you all have been just great. Thanks again for your help and encouragement :)