My Sparky's diet

[crazymouse_yyh]

Hi everyone

I'm new to hedgies and just got one. My Sparky, I believe he's about 3 months old. Anyway, he has a healthy appetite but I find something strange. Everyone keeps saying hedgies eat catfood and they eat canned food as well. Mine doesn't!

Sparky likes to eat Chicken Soup for the Dog Lovers Soul. He likes DOGFOOD! I mixed in some holistic catfood, a canadian made catfood called Go Natural. Well, he only picked out the dogfood. He also doesn't take the canned food I give him, be it canned catfood or canned dogfood. He loves beetles and mealworms.... Anyway, how do I improve his diet? What kind of food do I introduce to him and how?

Sorry, I have to ask these questions, seems there aren't any hedgie books on sale in my country and I can only get information thru here and websites on hedgies.... but I really want to hear the experiences you guys have gone through.

Thanks!

[razzle]

Hi there and congratulations on Sparky! (Cute name!!!) Did you get Sparky from a pet store or breeder? I'm just wondering who got him started on dog food? Have you tried the Chicken Soup for the CAT Lover's Soul ?

I'm not sure what the differences are in the ingredients in cat food vs. dog food, but I've never heard of a hedgie eating dog food. I know hedgies need a high protein/low fat diet with good quality (cat) food that has real meat listed first in the ingredients (and not a meat by-product).

Also, canned cat food is ok to use as an occassional treat, but not as a staple food.

Have you tried giving Sparky cooked chicken, turkey, or beef (cooked plain - no spices or sauces)? I know my guy goes crazy for it. I give him just a little bit, cut up in small pieces, as an occassional treat. You can also try babyfood turkey, chicken, beef, veggies, etc. Sometimes it takes a bit of experimentation to find out what your hedgie likes!


Well if you get a chance, I'm sure everyone would love to see some pictures of Sparky!!!! He sounds like a character!! :laugh:

[PrettyHate]

Dog food (kibbles) is actually fine for hedgies :) Infact some say that it is even better for them than catfood! The reason why most people end up feeding their hedgies cat food is because the kibbles are smaller and therefore easier for them to eat.

The issue of dog vs. cat food (dry food specifically) was specifically addressed in the lecture that Dr. Graffam gave at Go Hog Wild 1998, regarding her nutritional research on hedgehogs (which is still regarded as some of the best work by others in the field of animal nutrition research). Her take was that cat food is higher in vitamin A and lower in fiber (something hedgies and dogs need, and cats don't), so dog food is preferable if you can find dog foods that are small enough for hedgies to eat. Since vitamin A toxicity can be associated with liver problems and we know hedgies are prone to fatty liver problems, I have always used dog (or puppy) foods in my mix to offset the vitamin A in the cat and hedgie foods. Pedigree puppy and Nature's Recipe puppy foods are small enough for hedgies to eat easily. =) I also add fiber from various sources- hedgies need about 15% fiber in their diet. In the wild, they get this primarily from beetle chitin.

Tig


Its still a good idea to give him a mixture of foods though. Try cutting down the amount of food you are giving him each night so that he wont be able to get full by just picking out his favorite. In my mix I have-

-Royal Canin Slim 38 (cat)
-Royal Canin Special (dog)
-Nutram Adult (cat)
-Natural Balance Lite (cat)
-Buffalo Blue Adult (cat)

Each boy has their own favorite, but I only fill up there bowls enough so that they are forced to eat some of the other (usually healthier!) stuff too! Bosco always tips his bowl over trying to see if there are any of his two favorites left over ;)

Canned cat/dog food isnt a must in their diet. It is alright to give them some occasionally as a treat, but generally it isnt suggested to make up a huge part of their diet (because of the fact that it is a soft food and can cause teeth and gum problems).

Other foods that can be offered occasionally (usually they are rotated throughout the week, and given in small amounts -about 1 teaspoon per hedgie)

-scrammbled eggs
-mashed potatos
-boiled potatoes
-baby foods- chicken, sweet pea, different fruits (strawberry, blue berry etc)
-cooked lean meats - chicken , turkey, beef (in small amounts only, its fatty), pork (small amounts also) etc
-veggies- peas, corn (small amounts) etc
-fruits- blueberries, strawberries, cantolope, watermellon, honeydue etc
-cooked pasta
-insects- meal worms, super worms, crickets, wax worms etc. Go easy on the meal worms since they are high in calories/fat.

and so on :)

Treats should be offered in small amounts, and are usually given in a seperate little bowl (the beloved treatbowl :) )

Dont go too crazy on what you offer Sparky right away- you dont want to upset his tummy. I would also just go one new thing a night- that way if he does get an upset tummy you will have a better idea of what caused it.

I hope that helps some.

[hemi_mygirl]

Its still a good idea to give him a mixture of foods though. Try cutting down the amount of food you are giving him each night so that he wont be able to get full by just picking out his favorite. In my mix I have-

-Royal Canin Slim 38 (cat)
-Royal Canin Special (dog)
-Nutram Adult (cat)
-Natural Balance Lite (cat)
-Buffalo Blue Adult (cat)

Each boy has their own favorite, but I only fill up there bowls enough so that they are forced to eat some of the other (usually healthier!) stuff too! Bosco always tips his bowl over trying to see if there are any of his two favorites left over ;)
.

How big are the kibbles for the RC dog food? I'm looking for another food to mix in with Hemi's after I get rid of this Pretty Pets crap. I like the RC brand because it's easy to get here. LOL.

[PrettyHate]

How big are the kibbles for the RC dog food? I'm looking for another food to mix in with Hemi's after I get rid of this Pretty Pets crap. I like the RC brand because it's easy to get here. LOL.

They arent much bigger than the cat version- only they are a circle shape instead of the little star looking thing that the cat one is :)
The RC Special that I use comes in bag with green on it, and it has a little white dog on the front. It is for "fussy/picky eaters", and the kiblles are considered the "mini" size.

I'll find the exact name of it for you :) Just gimme a minute or two to navigate the stupid website of theirs!

[PrettyHate]

It is the Royal Canin Mini, and is called Special 30 Formula.

Of course if you didnt want to go with that specific one, there are others in the Mini series too I believe. I just use that particular one because my dog eats it, and the kibbles are a perfect size. All my hedgies (with the exception of Murdoc)- really love it! For Bosco its the first one he eats out of his bowl each night :)

http://www.caninehealthnutrition.com/minispecial.htm

[hemi_mygirl]

They arent much bigger than the cat version- only they are a circle shape instead of the little star looking thing that the cat one is :)
The RC Special that I use comes in bag with green on it, and it has a little white dog on the front. It is for "fussy/picky eaters", and the kiblles are considered the "mini" size.

I'll find the exact name of it for you :) Just gimme a minute or two to navigate the stupid website of theirs!

Oh, awesome. Thanks. In about two weeks, it'll be time to go food shopping again. So I'll get that as part of the mix on top of her normal RC slim 38 stuff, and then I'll search around for another good cat food. I think it was called Pet Gold something or other.

[PrettyHate]

Its too bad Im not at home right now- or I would send you out a zippy bag with some in it so you could see if she likes it or not.

If youre willing to wait a couple or three weeks, I can do that for you anyways :)

[hemi_mygirl]

It is the Royal Canin Mini, and is called Special 30 Formula.

Of course if you didnt want to go with that specific one, there are others in the Mini series too I believe. I just use that particular one because my dog eats it, and the kibbles are a perfect size. All my hedgies (with the exception of Murdoc)- really love it! For Bosco its the first one he eats out of his bowl each night :)

http://www.caninehealthnutrition.com/minispecial.htm

Hehe. Bosco sounds like Hemi. She picks out the RC first, then if I happen to sprinkle in some Grape Nuts that night, she eats that next. If she's still hungry, then she eats the 'yucky' Pretty Pets stuff.

[hemi_mygirl]

Its too bad Im not at home right now- or I would send you out a zippy bag with some in it so you could see if she likes it or not.

If youre willing to wait a couple or three weeks, I can do that for you anyways :)

LOL. Thanks. I appreciate it. Hemi appreciates it too. hehe. What would shipping cost from there to here?