Switching Foods Please Help

[horsegal]

I brought home my hedgehog last night. The food I ordered did not come in like it was supposed to but I have a sample of my breeders mix. Should I buy some of the foods my breeder uses and mix it with her mix that I have and then mix it with my foods when I get them? I ordered CSFTCLS Lite, Wellness, and Premium Edge. The only one of those that I can get right now is CSFTCLS and probably not the light kind. What do you think would be the easiest? Thanks!

[wyvernrider18]

I would think just using one of the foods by itself would be easiest. But that's just me. Most people will use a mix, but I feel that if one food is good enough, it really doesn't need to be mixed. The CSFTCLS I think is a great food by itself, and as long as the fat is fairly low (like below 15%) then it really doesn't matter if its lite or not. The other 3 foods you rodered are also very good. I use Premium Edge in my animals, my cats love it, but i have to mix the hedgehog's in with Purina One to get her to eat it... She's kinda picky that way. I hope it helps. Also, make sure any switch you make is gradual. We had a hedgie prolapse her rectum because we switched a food too quickly.

[HedgeMom]

Single foods are not good because there is always a chance you run out and can't immediately replace it. In that situation you'd have to introduce a new food and run the risk of the animal not eating/getting diarrhea from new food. Since that can be prevented by mixing foods to get adequate nutrition, why wouldn't you? And just FYI, hedgehogs are not cats and one food is of no guarantee that their nutrients are covered.

[wyvernrider18]

Sorry, i have just been told that a single food is okay to feed as long as the ingredients and ratios are good. I kind of feed a mix, but because I cannot afford to ship in various types of food, my food choices to feed my animals are limited to what I can find in my near area. IE: Chicken Soup and Purina One, and my hedgie will not eat anything without the Purina One, so i pretty much HAVE to feed it. I also give her bugs as part of her everyday diet as well as applesauce sporadically.

[horsegal]

I picked up CSFTDLS. I will mix it with my breeders mix and add my others when they come in.