Food Transition

[shirleytx]

I have been feeding Daisy a dry mix of the food she was on in her old home science diet, mixed with Royal canin slim 38, plus wellness salmon. I have been feeding her this mix for since I have had her (11days). The problem is she is picking out the science diet and not eating the other more nutritious foods. She was in her old home for 2 years, is this normal for an older hedgehog to not take to new food? I really want to get her onto the better food. Any advice greatly appreciated.

[haig]

I think you need to slowly lessen the amount of the old food and she will start eating the other. She also might not like the other two foods.

I was worried when I tried changing food with Oscar since he was eating the same stuff for 2 years. I did a half and half mix and he ended up just eating the new stuff and ignoring the old. So I've just been feeding him new stuff since.

[shirleytx]

It is really frustrating. I bought two large bags of food the royal canin slim, Proplan salmon, plus I had several sample size bags of wellness. I have only opened the canin slim and the samples so far. Everyone raves about the Royal canin, but Daisy isn't impressed. I don't know whether to keep offering her the same mix with the hopes she will gradually like the other stuff more, or try a diffent mix.

[sarah1984]

it took my crew almost a month to actually eat chicken soup for the cat lovers soul, I think they just have one thing set in their mind and that's how it is, but once they relise, "hey, this is new" they'll eat it

[paris26]

I would keep it in your mix and gradually weed out the science diet. THat's what I did with all of my hedgies. I would mix their old food into my blend and when it ran out, that was it. No more old food and that's all your getting is the new stuff. This was about a 2 month transition so they eventually started trying it before giving up their old food.
Just give it some more time Shirley! As for her not liking the Royal Canin. I'm betting she'll eat a few pieces and stick to the stuff that she likes best! :)
Annabelle leaves the Wellness, Oliver leaves the Innova, Atticus leaves the Felidae and Tico only wants Innova. :rolleyes:

[shirleytx]

I sure have a picky little prickle princess. :laugh:

[PrettyHate]

You want to talk about frustrating? My boy Murdoc is the most stubborn little guy on the face of the planet. When I got him he was very over weight (630 grams- but he was a very fat 630 grams). After I gave him a wheel, he started eating less and less- I took him to the vet and they gave me an antibiotic to put him on to see if that would help. The only way I could get him to take the antibiotic was by mixing it in with chicken baby food. Well it seems as though he developed a taste for the baby food, and soon refused to eat anything but mashed up kibbled mixed with baby food. Not enough baby food, none of the mixture would get eaten. Give him hard kibbles with the baby food mixed in, he would just lick all of the baby food off!

Anyway, this ordeal has been going on for almost 2 months now. Ive been trying to increase the amount of kibbles each night by 1, and lessen the amount of baby food after a week- I get to a certain point and then he stops eating all over again. He has lost almost 200 grams since I got him- and has been in and out of the vets numerous times to see if anything is wrong. Nothing!

Last night I gave him a dish of 4 different types of hard foods, and another dish with the same four foods soaked- NO BABY FOOD! Did he touch any of it....of course not. Im not giving in though...I know he can eat the soft, and that little bum IS going to eat it- when he finally swallows his pride and gets hungry enough!

Bottom line is, I KNOW how stubborn these guys can be- dont give up. Sometimes it just takes time (alot of time...oh boy) and patience (oh so much patience!)

[Nancy]

Shirley
By any chance is the Science Diet a higher fat content. They will go for the highest fat content and leave whatever else there is. High fat is yummy. Just think of our diet foods compared to regular. Usually the diet is rather bland and tasteless. :)

[shirleytx]

That is a good point I have no idea, I am at work now and the only thing I remember about the food was it is science diet and is in an orange bag. So if they always eat the highest fat content food how will she ever eat the other ones unless I phase it out alltogether.

[shirleytx]

Oh My I just checked the food that I have been feeding Daisy and it's IAMS (http://www.iams.com/en_US/jhtmls/product/sw_ProductDetail_Page.jhtml?pdi=5&li=en_US&bc=I&sc=C&pti=PD&tc=1&bsc=&lsc=&_DARGS=%2Fen_US%2Fjhtmls%2Fproduct%2Fsw_ProductLis t_droplet.jhtml.3_A&_DAV=1#6) I am so stupid all I remember was what the old owner kept telling me we feed her science diet, she eats science diet. Yeh that's why she gave me the IAMS, Yuck it is at least 21% fat.