Food Issue...Iams?

[SilverKitty]

I am about to purchase a hedgehog (within the next couple of days) and I thought I had everything set and ready. I asked the woman what she was feeding her hedgies currently and she replied, "Iams cat food..just the original dry stuff.." and I said okay. I didn't think much about it until I purchased the bag today. I brought it home and thought, "I wonder if this is the good stuff for them or if I need to switch her to something better..."
I've seen nothing about Iams cat food being good.
So, I'm taking it as being not such a good food for them?
If so, what can I switch her to? I know I will need to gradually switch her over so maybe until she is fully switched over I can suppliment whatever is missing in the food with something else? And what is something better to switch to? Is it available at Wal-Mart (just the closest place to me so I can hurry and pick up a bag)?

This is the nutritional contents and such:

Ingredients: Chicken, Chicken By Product Meal, Corn Grits, Corn Meal, Chicken fat (presered with Mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E, and Citric Acid), Fish Meal (souce of fish oil), Dried Beet Pulp (sugar removed), Natural Chicken Flavor, Dried Egg Product, Sodium Bisulfate, Potassium, Chloride, DL-Methionine, Brewers Dried Yeast, Choline Cloride, Vitamins [Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Asorbic Acid, Vitamin A Acetate, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Thiamine Mononitrate (source of vitamin B1), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of vitamin B6), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement (source of bitamin B2), Inositol, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid], Calcium Carbonate, Minerals [Zinc Oxide, Manganese Sulfate, Sulfate, Potassium Iodide, Cobolt Carbonate], Salt, Rosemary Extract.
Chicken Provides a natural source of taurine.

Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein not less than 32.0%
Crude Fat not less than 21.0%
Crude Fiber not more than 3.0%
Moisture not more than 10.0%
Ash not more than 7.0%
Magnesium not more than 0.10%
Taurine not less than 0.15%
Omega-6 Fatty Acid not less than 2.30%*
Omega-3 Fatty Acids not less than 0.23%*



From the site:
"Caloric Distribution: Protein 28%...Fat 46%...Carbohydrate 26%"

[Titanium]

I don't think Iams would be a good choice for a dtaple diet. I know of some people who mix it in with their mix of several different foods, and I know of other people who advise against it. I have heard rumours that it has been linked to fatty liver disease in hedgehogs, but I can't be sure of that.

IMO, I would go for a better food, such as Wellness, Eagle Pack, CSFTCLS, Newman's Own, Royal Canin, etc... I don't think any of these could be found at Wal-mart though. Royal Canin Slim 38/Lite 37 is available at most pet superstores live Petco and Petsmart.

[Kalandra]

The fat in that stuff is EXTREMELY high. You will want to shoot for a fat % much much lower (around 10%).

[SilverKitty]

So, I went to Wal-Mart today (as I just couldn't get out to Petco yet) and looked at their foods. The only one I saw was a special kitty shrimp and chicken blend. I purchased it because I read the Guaranteed Analysis and it was something like (Yes, I must recall this as I've thrown the actual bag away):
Protein 31.0%
Fat 8.0%
Fiber 4.0% (or 4.5%...not certain)

So...this (I believe) sounds much better than the other one..it doesn't have nearly as much fat but I know it's missing some fiber...
How can I fix the fiber issue? Anything to supplement this? This would be a great diet to get my hedgie on as our family cat is on this diet as well...but I understand hedgies need more fiber but I just don't know how to go about fixing that..

[Kalandra]

The other thing to look at is the actual ingredients. Most of the foods Wal-mart (at least those in my area) are grocery store foods... meaning their are low quality foods full of chemical preservatives, stabilizers, by-products and other ingredients that prrovide 0 nutritional value. Hedgehogs should be fed a high quality food. Titanium named several that are on the list of high quality. If you can't find any locally, check on the web. Chicken soup for the cat lover's soul, innova, and a few other of these brands provide search engines to show you where your closest dealer is located.

[Le'ah]

I just thought I'd mention to you that we do have a petshop really close by. Did you check there? He can order almost any food you need I think....and I know you could check at the vets...there are 2 in williamson and they'll have different kinds of catfood, but I'm not sure if they'll have what you need for your little girl. Glad to see that you're getting one though! PM me about her as much as you want! lol

[hedgehog69]

try to find chicken soup for the cat lovers soul brand of cat food its all natural and is pretty good food and price is better than the high dollar foods

[HedgieMomma]

There is a huge difference is any ingredient that says "by-product" versus "meal". I would be careful to choose things that are more natural than things full of by-products and fillers. Iam's is a completely crappy food! I have a Bengal that the breeder recommended her to stay on Iam's, she threw up daily! Finally I got sick of it, did my research, and found "Felidae" to be the best cat food for her and she no longer throws up. You can feed Felidae to your hedgehog, and like Hedgehog69 said, Chicken Soup for the Cat Lovers Soul is also another good one, but I would recommend finding two or three good quality foods, and offer a mix so they are getting proteins from many sources.
Good luck!
Michelle

[PrettyHate]

I know this is an old thread- but I thought this was worthwhile to throw in here anyways.

As a general rule, any food that you buy at Wal-mart, Safeway, Superstore etc isnt going to be the best food out there. In fact, it is some of the worst! Try to stay away from brands of food that are available at the supermarket. People often buy these foods due to the cheap price, and the convenience of having the food right there while they are doing their normal shopping. Dont fall into the trap!