Ultimate food guide

[jeffbot]

Hello

I was thinking, not being as smart as many of you hedgie owners, that there should be a thread, even a sticky thread if possible, so that any one can reference this thread in hopes to find information needed. A place where good foods can be listed. Categorized as dry, wet, treats, bugs, etc. There are many members with a wealth of knowledge so please share. It would be nice to have a food guide like this so it wouldn't be so confusing reading different threads scattered around c&q. If this seems like a bad idea, mods please erase, if not, bump it until this becomes the ultimate food guide. :D

[Nancy]

Hello

I was thinking, not being as smart as many of you hedgie owners, that there should be a thread, even a sticky thread if possible, so that any one can reference this thread in hopes to find information needed. A place where good foods can be listed. Categorized as dry, wet, treats, bugs, etc. There are many members with a wealth of knowledge so please share. It would be nice to have a food guide like this so it wouldn't be so confusing reading different threads scattered around c&q. If this seems like a bad idea, mods please erase, if not, bump it until this becomes the ultimate food guide. :D

http://www.chins-n-quills.com/forums/showthread.php?t=54206 Here's this one but it isn't as extensive as it could be. I was almost certain there was a better one somewhere. I'll have to look more thoroughly. :)

[keeja820]

http://www.chins-n-quills.com/forums/showthread.php?t=54206 Here's this one but it isn't as extensive as it could be. I was almost certain there was a better one somewhere. I'll have to look more thoroughly. :)
it lists 8-In-1 Hedgehog food! :S lol...that cant be good...

[Nancy]

8 in 1 as a small part in a mix of good quality foods is fine. What it also lists is Pretty pets which is horrible and shouldn't be fed ever.

[keeja820]

8 in 1 as a small part in a mix of good quality foods is fine. What it also lists is Pretty pets which is horrible and shouldn't be fed ever.
oh okie :D

[Hoovershounds]

Well, I thought it was a good idea anyway.
Amy

[PrettyHate]

Here is my contribution- it is what I normally send new members who have questions regarding what they should and shouldnt be feeding their hedgie. It isnt "ultimate"- but it does the trick.


First of all, most people dont recommend an actual "hedgehog" food for hedgies. The reason is that all of the ingredients that go into hedgie food are more or less crap, and provide very little nutrition for a hedgie. Instead, we recommend a mixture of different high quality cat/dog kibbles. The kibbles should be low in fat (10-20%), and have about 30% protien.

When choosing a food look for something that has a meat as its first ingredient. Stay away from foods that contain-

*by-products (poultry by-product for example are beaks, feathers, feet etc),
*ethoxyquin, BTA, BHT (all three are used as preservatives, and are linked to cancer),
* soybean meal (only humans and pigs can digest this....but if a food does contain it it isnt a HUGE deal)
* fillers (corn, wheat etc). Fillers simply temperarily fill up an animal, but pass right through the bowles with out providing your animal with any nutrience to speak of. Therefore your animal eats more, and poops more.

Try and go for a food that contains a ________ meal (ie chicken meal, poultry meal, fish meal yadda yadda) vs just pain chicken or fish. The difference between a "meal" and just nomral meat is that the meal is cooked and then weighed vs being weighed and then cooked. As Im sure you know when meat is cooked it loses alot of weight in the form of water and fat either burning off or evaporating. Therefore by cooking the meat and then weighing it (like in a meal) you are getting almost 5 times the amount of meat you would otherwise. 66% of the weight of the original meat is lost when it is cooked.

With all that said in many ways dog foods (kibbles) are better for hedgies than cat foods are. The reason is this: cat foods contain higher amounts of Vitamin A (something hedgies dont really need) and less fiber (hedgies need about 15% in their diet). On the other hand, dog foods contain less Vitamin A, and more fiber. The only reaon why most people feed their hedgies cat kibbles instead of dog kibbles is because cat kibbles are usually a more suitable size. I feed my boys a mixture of both cat and dog kibbles. Confused yet?

Here are the names of some foods that you can look for to feed your hedgie. Its best to have a mixture of at least 2 different kinds of kibbles to ensure that your hedgie is getting all the nutrition it needs. Also if one of the foods you feed your hedgie is discontinued you wont be forced to switch to a new one cold turkey- you will have the other foods in your mix that are still being made. High Quality kibbles include:

*Buffalo Blue
*Chicken Soup for the Cat Lovers Soul
*Wysong
*Wellness
*Royal Canin Slim 38 (I believe this food is discontinued, but the Royal Canin Lite 37 is more or less the same, only difference is the protien I believe)
*Royal Canin Mini Special 30 (dog kibble-high in fat, use in moderation)
*Nutram (Canadian brand)
*Natural Balance
*Eagle Pack
*Preformatrin Ultra
*Innova

I feed various version of those foods. Most people go for the "lite" or diet versions of those foods, however a combination of both the lite, diet, or senior foods, and just the normal adult. Dont go with kitten, it has too much fat. As long as your hedgie is a good weight there is nothing wrong with some adult food in the mix. If your hedgie starts getting chubby then it may be a good idea to lessen the amount of adult food in the mix, or cut it out alltogether.

As far as the meal worms and butter worms go- those are fine to feed your hedgie. IN MODERATION! Both are high in calories- so go easy with them You can also feed them silk worms, crickets, super worms etc. These should be an ADDITION to the diet of kibbles you are feeding your hog- NOT the main part of their diet.

Most people free feed their hedgies- meaning that they always have kibble in their bowl to eat as they please. Then at night they will give them a small bowl with about a tsp of an "extra". Introduce "extras" slowly, and one at a time. This way if you hedgie gets a sore tummy, runny poops etc- you will have a better idea of what caused it.

Extras include-
-hard boiled eggs, cottage cheese, regular cheese, plain yogurt, mashed potatos, cooked yams, cooked sweet potato, cooked peas, cooked carrots, cooked corn (small amounts only), straw berries, blueberries, different mellons (watermellon, honeydue (sp?), cantolope (sp?) etc), cooked chicken, cooked beef (small amounts, not too often, its fatty) pork (same as for beef), baby foods (chicken, beef, different veggies) and so on.

I think Ive more or less covered it all. Please, if you have any more questions dont hesitate to contact me

I hope this helps some. The diet and nutrition section for hedgies is also a wonderful place to find lots of info!

Bye for now,
Laura

PS- For switching foods, follow this guideline:

Week 1- 1/4 new food, 3/4 old food
Week 2- 1/2 new food, 1/2 old food
Week 3- 3/4 new food, 1/4 old food
Week 4- All new food

Any questions- feel free to ask

[PrettyHate]

Here are the websites of some of the above foods mentioned, as well as some others that I forgot:

*Blue Buffalo- http://www.bluebuff.com/
*Chicken Soup for the Pet Lovers Soul- http://www.chickensoupforthepetloverssoul.com/
*Eagle Pack- http://www.eaglepack.com/
*Evolve- http://www.evolvepet.com/
*Felidae- http://www.canidae.com/
*Innova- http://www.naturapet.com/display.php?d=home-tab
*Natural Balance- http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/
*Nutram (Canadian Food)- http://www.nutramonline.com/
*Royal Canin USA- http://www.royalcanin.us/
*Royal Canin Canada- http://www.royalcanin.ca/
*Wellness- http://www.oldmotherhubbard.com/
*Wysong- http://www.wysong.net/

Another commonly asked question is "Where can I buy Chicken Soup for the Pet Lovers Soul?" Here are some places:

*http://www.Petfooddirect.com - http://www.petfooddirect.com/store/dept.asp?dept%5Fid=5&brand%5Fid=630
*http://www.NationalPetPharmacy.com - http://www.nationalpetpharmacy.com/store/dept.asp?dept_id=131&brand_id=630
*http://www.petluvers.com - http://www.petluvers.com/ChickenSoupfortheCatLoversSoul-AdultCatLowFatFormula.html
*Steph (http://www.chins-n-quills.com/forums/member.php?u=6175) is an Authorized Distributor- http://www.cuddlycrittersexotics.com/

Find a distributor near you - http://www.chickensoupforthepetloverssoul.com/ChickenSoup/cslocator_distributors.php


SIDE NOTE: PLEASE feel free to use my write up on hedgie nutrition for your own personal use. However, if you wish to share with a friend, or use it in any other way please either link directly to CnQ, or write me to ask permission :) Thanks.

[Hoovershounds]

Thanks Prettyhate. Maybe this will help keep us newbies from asking the same questions over & over. :)

[PrettyHate]

Welcome :)